Focus on opportunities – ensuring your team does not miss the forest for the trees.

Hans Smellinckx
Jan 20
4 min read

Intro

Some leadership stories are flashy. Others are quiet, industrial… and incredibly relevant.

In “100 Days to Make Your Mark as a CEO” I share the story of Elena West, CEO and Chair of the Board at The Ohio Art Company – a family-owned business in the United States with a 115-year legacy in metal packaging and precision metal printing.

If you’re leading a SME or scale-up in Belgium, the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe, her story is a powerful reminder that:

real leadership shows up in crisis,
clarity and trust are strategic assets,
and your life as a CEO can be redesigned on purpose, not just endured.

From picture frames to precision packaging

Ohio Art was founded in 1908, originally specialising in metal picture frames and decorated metal products. Over time, the company expanded and became one of the largest manufacturers of metal toys in the world.

But underneath the toys and consumer products there was always a deeper capability:

precision metal printing and stamping –the ability to produce high-quality, printed metal surfaces at scale.

Today, The Ohio Art Company is all about metal packaging:

printed tins and containers,
food-grade packaging for the food industry,
metal products that carry big consumer brands.

In other words: not a start-up, not a hype, but a long-term industrial player that has adapted to changing markets while staying true to its core.

Elena’s leadership philosophy: focus on opportunities

Elena West has been CEO and Chair of the Board for many years in this family business.

Her key message is simple and sharp:

“Focus on opportunities – ensuring your team does not missthe forest for the trees.”

Buy the book here: https://www.lannoo.be/nl/100-days-make-your-mark-ceo

In practice, that means:

she keeps her team focused on what is coming ahead,
she prevents them from getting lost in day-to-day noise,
she uses clarity as a leadership tool – like a lighthouse in fog.

Her style is not about big, dramatic speeches. It is about consistent, transparent communication and a calm presence in a complex industrial environment.

For CEOs in Belgian or Dutch SMEs and scale-ups, this is a familiar challenge:How do you keep people focused on the bigger picture when operations and daily firefighting are screaming for attention?

Leading through a real crisis: COVID-19 in essential manufacturing

One of the most intense chapters in Elena’s story is her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ohio Art Company operates in the food industry supply chain, making its manufacturing activity essential. That meant:

operations could not simply stop,
employees were afraid and under pressure,
safety, continuity and mental resilience were all on the line.

Elena’s approach was very concrete:

Be very present – physically and emotionally.
Communicate constantly – explaining decisions, listening to concerns.
Be hands-on – not hiding in an office, but close to the operation.
Lead with consideration and compassion – acknowledging fear and fatigue.

She describes those years as exhausting and exhilarating at the same time – a period that demanded massive change management and a relentless focus on people first.

The result?The business stayed operational, and the team came out of it stronger, more resilient and more connected.

For CEOs in Europe, especially in essential or industrial sectors, this is a very practical blueprint for crisis leadership: presence, communication, and people-first decisions.

Trusting your team as a strategic act

Elena’s advice to other CEOs is short:

“Trust your team, support and encourage them.”

That sounds almost too simple.But in real life, many CEOs of SMEs and scale-ups in Belgium or the Netherlands still:

step in too quickly,
solve everything themselves,
or communicate in ways that create confusion and fear.

Trust, in Elena’s case, is not a soft concept. It is:

giving people responsibility and backing them up,
celebrating everyday successes as proof that the system works,
creating an environment where people dare to speak up when something is wrong.

In a complex supply chain like food packaging, this is not just nice for morale – it is essential for safety, quality and continuity.

Redesigning your life as a CEO

One of the most interesting pieces of Elena’s story is personal.

Before joining the family business, she worked in a high-stress, fast-paced executive role in a big urban environment – 12-hour days, long commutes, constant pressure.

Then she chose a different path:

she moved to a rural area to lead the family company,
she now lives five minutes from the office,
she works regular hours,
she has space for community and industry boards, volunteering, sport and family.

Did her responsibility go down?Not at all – as CEO and Chair, the stakes are high.

But her operating model as a human being changed completely.Her work–life balance improved. Her existence became more peaceful and sustainable.

For many CEOs of SMEs and scale-ups in Belgium or the Netherlands, this is a crucial insight:

You can increase your strategic responsibilityand still design a healthier life around it.

It won’t happen by accident. It requires conscious choices.

How this fits into your first 100 days as a CEO

In “100 Days to Make Your Mark as a CEO”, Elena’s story appears in Phase 1 – Discover. That phase is about:

understanding yourself as a leader,
understanding the real nature of your business,
and understanding the people who make it run.

If you want to use her example in your own 100-day plan, ask yourself:

Where do I need to act more like a lighthouse and less like a firefighter?
How present am I in moments of stress or uncertainty?
What would it look like to really trust and empower my team?
What would a healthier, more sustainable version of my CEO life look like in 12 months?

Write down your answers.Then pick one concrete change you’ll make in the next 30 days.

Buy the book here: https://www.lannoo.be/nl/100-days-make-your-mark-ceo