Geef mij wind en zeilenWhat I write, I walk. What I lead, I live. But that's the headline, the rest is more interesting.
Geef mij wind en zeilenI grew up in Friesland, the kind of childhood that smells of wind, water and wet rope. From early on I was out on the Friese meren. Sailing, varen, learning to read the wind before I could read a balance sheet. Uitwaaien, as we say in Dutch: letting the wind blow through you until your head clears.
That early lesson never quite left me. Nature is still where I think best, where decisions land most quietly, where the noise that comes with leading organisations becomes manageable again.
"Geef mij wind en zeilen." Give me wind and sails. The rest, I'll figure out.
Look at my Instagram and you'll see the same things on repeat: sea, sun, beach, mountains. In summer I hike in Austria and Italy. In winter I ski. Every day I'm outside, and most days I run.
That isn't a hobby section. It's where my energy comes from. The ideas I bring into a boardroom on Monday usually arrive somewhere along a coastal path or a mountain trail the weekend before. Tomeloze ideeën, my husband calls it. Boundless ideas. Both a gift and a hazard.
I am, by temperament, an enthusiast. I see possibilities before I see problems.
"Bij nee begint het pas." When someone says no, that's when it gets interesting. And what I love most is being around people who show up with discipline, deep commitment and the courage to make moves.
And there's something new in the mix: AI. I work AI-fluent from the inside, not from the consultant's pitch. It means I move faster, can make more impact across more places, and find more energy in the work than I have in years. What used to take a week now takes an afternoon. What used to need a team of analysts I can sometimes do myself, with sharper context.
More combinations. More impact. And, somehow, more energy than ever. That's the rhythm of this chapter. Less to prove, more to do. The pattern-recognition of someone who has been the CEO in the chair when the numbers came in, now multiplied by tools that didn't exist three years ago.
A framework I built from the operator's chair, not the consultancy deck. The right rhythm of these four creates teams that can actually move.
Work with a steady cadence. Clear agreements about input and output. Predictability is what allows people to perform at their best.
Build in moments of slowing down. Focus, reflection and creativity are where growth begins, not in the next meeting.
Leadership is a duty of care. Ask weekly whether you've removed obstacles and whether everyone has the right information and resources.
Make progress visible. Compare outcomes to agreements. Address deviations early and choose the next step together. Not to assign blame, but to accelerate.
And then, the work begins.
Celebrate the milestones. Lead with positivity.
Let growth happen at the right pace.
Small acts of empathy build the deepest trust.
Lead with integrity. Choose the harder right.
Honour commitments. Model consistency.
A calm leader builds open culture.
Composure first. Confidence follows.
I work the way I think outside works best: start with view, then build with you. I don't begin with a six-week diagnostic study. That comes later, and only if it's actually useful.
An analysis from a distance. My read on the company and where the opportunity lies, based on what's visible from outside the room.
A grounded inventory from inside the company. Sharper, validated, with the messy details that only the people in the chairs know.
Content, inspiration, and clear goals to start on immediately. Not in three months. In the first working week.
Execution support if you want it. Hands-on, not from the sideline. The shape of that (fractional CEO, operating partner, advisor) depends on what fits the moment.
That's the rhythm. Outside view first, then inside work, then forward motion. Without the consultancy theatre.
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