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Motivation is a very personal thing and it can differ. Succes is defined in the same way, very personal. I learned a lot about coping with different motivators and success definitions when I was a Sales Director managing a team of direct and indirect reports across the world. Main challenges I needed to cope with in my role were..

Big question for all leaders is “How can I make sure my people do the right thing?” When leaders I train ask me this question I tend to counter a bit Socraticly asking “What is the right thing?” It all starts with giving your people the responsibility to make choices and take responsibility and ownership for the choices they make - regardless the outcomes.

Early this year I was working with a client facilitating a certification workshop on Service Excellence when we were requested to welcome a high level visitor wanting to meet the new members of his team...

There is Crisis-Management, Crisis-Communication - but is there also Crisis-Sales? In my opinion there is - and as far as I have seen it is not the most likable way to execute this profession. Crisis-Sales is earmarked by desperation.

How do you connect with your people on a personal level, keeping them motivated and focussed on their priorities in challenging times like we are now experiencing?

Many presentations I attend start with “inspiring examples”. For example stories about relatives who contributed to the development of the presenter as a child, or local celebrities developing communities, or sports coaches who have made a huge difference in the life of etc...

When I was traveling in Denmark for work I got involved in an interesting discussion with one of my taxi drivers.

Normally I am not necessarily talkative when driving from hotel to training location, so it was quite special that this discussion happened. Especially because of the turn it took...

CEO’s are struggling to create buy in for new corporate initiatives. As new strategies are launched constantly from Headquarters local operations react with a certain reluctance and skepticism towards initiatives targeting to deal with future challenges...

A good friend of mine uses to make a joke saying: “Today I saved 200 euros..”

He presents this as a cliff hanger and you are supposed to ask as a follow up: “Ok...interesting...what did you do?” Then he says: “I did not buy that 200 euro’s shirt I saw in the shop, I just walked by..” and then he laughs because you bought into his trick.

The Dutch are famous for a couple of things like tulips, windmills, directness and liberal Amsterdam. I would like to add to this the Dutch talent for making up expressions nobody understands - but nevertheless seem to make sense - coupled with the urge to speak up and give our uninvited opinion...

Unlike some other trainers I like to be trained myself. My personality profile allows me to practice what I preach albeit with questionable results depending on the art and mastery level required.

Over the years many leadership gurus have eloquently told us about the latest trends and best practices differentiating managers from leaders and coaches from mentors.

Companies tend to adopt similar change models at the same time - like a wave overtaking ships one by one. Many times you wonder if this new model is really the best for this particular company...

A while ago I was talking to one of my clients about recruiting talents and he said: “You know Marja, we are all looking for a sheep with 5 legs - and seem to forget that most sheep only have 4... 

Enough is enough” Mouse thought now that he had lost his entire family to the appetite of cats. “If this continues I will be next in line to be consumed…

Groups have always fascinated me - groups can make me feel uncomfortable because of a certain hostility towards participation, alternatively they feel like a warm bath in a very cold winter as they embrace you. Because of these biased feeling towards groups and how they work I have made a life time study of group behavior and how to best interact with groups and their members in order to get things done.

Friday August 17th Workshop Engagement Transformation - 9.30-12.30
Interactive workshop on how engagement is perceived and activated in current business to drive Performance and Growth moving from a disengaged workforce to a highly engaged entrepreneurial team.

Companies are more interested in engagement studies nowadays than they were a decade ago - actively investigating ways to create engagement amongst all stakeholders in their businesses. Why this sudden turnaround?

Yesterday I was talking to someone over the phone when we touched upon “writing a book”. Our discussion was interesting and it just evolved from talking about experiences in business and views on how to tackle things...

Many times I have seen people struggle with change - changing conditions, changing situations, changing roles, changing neighbours, changing weather, changing parking places, changing roads, changing work, moving to another place, changing management...

on Friday March 23th on Top Line Growth and Engagement

Sports are in my view essential for the development of quality behaviour favourable for society, business and personal well being and functioning. Sports help you maintain a balance in stressful situations and improve your condition to cope with difficulties and adversity.

An impression of the year 2017 in photos.