,

All the best for 2023!

What kind of year was 2022? This time of year is a time of reflection. Last year Covid was top of mind. In this part of the world, that is entirely different now, but in China, the worst is likely to come. Things are returning to normal while…
Happy New Year! 2022

Happy New Year! 2022

Reflections on 2021… Last year this time, I thought Covid could be a one-year thing. I was proven wrong. Two vaccinations later, we’re scheduled for a booster in early January, and the end is not yet in sight. Even so, the upsides of a…
Happy New Year! 2021

Happy 2021!

Looking back... In the grand scheme of things, 2020 will obviously be the year of the Corona-virus. But despite (and sometimes thanks to) Covid-19 it has also been a good year. In 2020 we re-invented the concept of family dinner into actually…
The Art of Possibility
, ,

The Art of Possibility

Lately I came across the work of Benjamin Zander. He was the conductor for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra for 20 years. He is also a renowned music teacher with students from all over the world. Apart from his musical career he co-authored…
Beschuit met muisjes
, , ,

The beginning of something new: 2iQ Management & Consultancy

After 25 years, working for seven different employers in multiple countries on two different continents it was time for a new step. The real choice was to either support the vision of someone else or follow my own dreams and act on my own values…
Canada Flag

Canada, Eh?

There are several ways to make decisions in life. My type of personality would generally rate the rational approach above the more emotional attempts to get to a conclusion. Normally I would do a risk analysis, talk to people who's knowledge…
, ,

Musical chairs in the corporate world

Career development systems in a consultancy firm have some nasty streaks in it. First I'll explain how it works and then why I think we should abolish it in this form asap. The career development in many partnership firms is a variation on…
, ,

The Age of Sustainable Development

Last weekend I completed a course about Sustainable Development on Coursera. The past fourteen weeks professor Jeffrey D. Sachs from the Earth Institute and Columbia University shared his insights in a series of video lectures and suggested…
, ,

Compliance and Integrity

The company I work for is making headlines in the national newspapers over the past couple of months and not all for the right reasons. A settlement to avoid legal procedures in a case about bribing Middle East government officials, signing…
,

Elevator etiquette

Lately I have worked on a project where most of the work is done more than 30 floors above ground level. For the Netherlands that is quite exceptional. This country is flat and many cities seem to be reluctant in allowing high rise buildings.…
, ,

Business talk or pidgin English?

The Netherlands are an open economy in which trade is an important factor. This goes back for centuries. You could argue that back in the 17th century the Dutch East India Company was the first multinational corporation. And for a fact it was…
Facebook Ruining Lives

Life without Facebook…

Early in the new year is the time to think about life's priorities. Numerous people start 2015 with the best intentions to live healthier lives by eating better, exercise more and if applicable stop smoking. When making up your mind about things…