Shows
Leadership 2.029. The Strategic Value of Learning & Development - Nick van Dam -In many organizations Learning & Development (L&D) is seen as a 'Nice to Have'. Unfortunately, this is often reflected their (bland) L&D offerings, which, more often than not, are generic and fail to address the strategic issues organizations need to addressHowever, what would happen if organizations truly would treat Learning & Development as a strategic instrument?In the 29th episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I interview Nick van Dam about 'The Strategic Value of Learning & Development'. During our conversation, we discussed the following topics:Where Nick’s interest in Lea...2025-06-2935 min
Leadership 2.028. Heroic Leadership - Chris LowneyMany people in the workplace wrestle with combining their ethical and spiritual convictions on the one hand, and what they feel is required of them to progress their careers or simply to stay in their roles.For people who experience this tension and want to address it, 'Heroic Leadership - Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World' by Chris Lowney. ' will be a great read!Chris Lowney, is a one-time Jesuit seminarian, who currently chairs the board of CommonSpirit Health, America’s largest not-for-profit healthcare system with 140 hospitals and more than 150,000 em...2025-06-0846 min
Leadership 2.027. Coaching in the workplace - Zena EverettMost of us are acutely aware of the gap between how our organizations aspire to operate and the everyday reality of working within them.In 'Badly Behaved People', executive coach Zena Everett describes many highly recognizable real-world cases illustrating how this discrepancy can manifest itself—and how it can be addressed. What I especially like about this book is how Zena Everett makes complex psychological concepts accessible (without oversimplifying them) and demonstrates how they can be applied in the workplace.In our conversation about this book, Zena and I discussed the following topics:...2025-05-1236 min
Leadership 2.026. The Change Philosopher - Daniël WolfsEven though, for years, we have had a vast array of change management theories and methodologies at our disposal (Kotter, Lewin, Kubler-Ross, Bridges, ADKAR, etc.), it still proves to be very hard for us as leaders and consultants to implement real, sustainable change (transformation). Most change projects fail (70% according to McKinsey), or end with a superficial victory declaration, after which the organization often falls back to 'the way we DID things here'. 'Why is that?' That very question drove Daniël Wolfs, experienced change consultant and co-founder of The Change Studio, to write his thought-provoking book De...2025-04-1443 min
Leadership 2.025. DIY Culture Change at Zurich Airport - Manuela StaubMost organizations use complex tools and processes, and are often supported by external consultants to analyze and (re) shape their culture. When I heard Manuela Staub on a seminar describing the pragmatic, inclusive, and effective way the leadership team at Zurich Airport approached their culture change program (in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic!), I immediately knew I wanted to interview her for my Leadership 2.0 podcast...In our conversation, we discussed the following topics:00:00 About Zurich Airport 02:13 The Why of the culture change06:50 The COACH values08:39 Identifying the cultural values10:08 Why n...2025-03-1026 min
Leadership 2.024. Employment is dead - Deborah Perry PiscioneIn this episode I interview Deborah Perry Piscione about her latest book: ‘Employment Is Dead: How Disruptive Technologies Are Revolutionizing the Way We Work’, which she wrote together with Josh Drean. The central theme of this book is that traditional employment models are becoming outdated due to the evolving needs and expectations of the modern workforce, facilitated by disruptive technologies. This will lead to the end of the traditional employment model, as well as the traditional form as companies, as we know them today.In our conversation, Deborah and I touched on the follow...2025-01-2837 min
Leadership 2.023. Relationships Matter - Ralph SchonenbachRalph Schonenbach is a serial entrepreneur with over two decades of global experience, as well as an author. His work centers around developing and nurturing relationships. In this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast we talk about his latest start-up, Meerkat.ai, as well as about his book 'Relationships matter'.In this conversation, we touch on the following topics:Why relationships matterWhy his latest start-up is called 'Meerkats.ai'The value Meerkats.ai delivers for clientsExample of a use caseThe businessmodel of Meerkats.ai Data PrivacyGetting to know Meerkats.ai – Participate in the pilot (pilot@meerkats.ai...2025-01-1720 min
Leadership 2.022. Leadership in the Banking Industry - Ralph HamersThe image of the banking industry has been severely tarnished by the financial crisis (2007-2008), which led to increasing regulatory and compliance demands. At the same time, the industry is experiencing emerging competition from FinTechs, evolving business models, and disruptive technologies. In light of these challenges, I recently spoke with Ralph Hamers, to explore his views on what effective leadership in the banking sector entails.In our conversation, we touched on the following topics:1 Why Ralph decided to join the banking industry2 When and why did innovation become an important theme for him?3...2024-12-1036 min
Leadership 2.021. 'How FOUND is disrupting recruitment’ - Victor Akwunwa‘We want to help candidates to move from jobs they like, to jobs they love’ - Victor Akwunwa.The commoditization of human capital in recruitment processes leads to unsatisfactory outcomes for the companies and the candidates concerned. For companies, recruitment has become a volume game where KPI’s have replaced quality. For candidates because the unique value they can bring to organizations is not acknowledged in traditional recruitment processes.I recently had a conversation with Victor Akwunwa, the Chief Sales Officer of Found, a Swiss start-up company that wants to disrupt this traditional approach. During our co...2024-12-0128 min
Leadership 2.020. 'The Organization Culture of On' - Alessandra del PinoThere are some companies I deeply admire, and On, the Swiss sports and apparel brand is definitely one of them! Not only do they make amazing products and have an extremely powerful brand, they also have a unique company culture.For this reason, I was thrilled to sit down with Alessandra del Pino, Head of Engagement & Talent Growth at On, to discuss the company culture of On, or, as Alessandra describes it, their 'secret sauce'.During our conversation, we covered the following topics:Alessandra's role at OnThe mission and values ('spirits') of OnHow the...2024-11-1630 min
Leadership 2.019. Michael Pirson - 'Humanistic Management'‘Everyone who wins nowadays is challenging the Shareholder Value Maximization doctrine’This is just one of the powerful and thought-provoking statements Professor Michael Pirson (Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business) made when I interviewed him about 'Humanistic Management'. In the last decades, the shortcomings of the neo-liberal economic order in our society have become clearer than ever (e.g. the credit crunch, climate change, and wars). An increasing number of people want to move away from a system that commoditizes human beings, and the natural environment in which they live. They seek, amongst others, dign...2024-10-1937 min
Leadership 2.018. Nicholas Janni - 'The Leader as Healer' (Business Book of the Year 2023)'A transformational read that every leader of today needs'. These were the words Head Judge, Jacq Burns used when she announced that 'Leader As Healer', written by Nicholas Janni was selected as the overall winner for the 2023 Business Book Awards.The book argues that, given the current challenges our society faces, we need a new leadership model. Our current leadership model is one where we see great leaders as warriors 'on the battlefield of relentless competition', who drive action, pursue instrumental goals (shareholder value), and maintain transactional relationships. Instead, Nicholas Janni pleads for leaders who are empathetic...2024-10-0332 min
Leadership 2.017. Leadership Lessons from a CEO - Jeroen van der Veer (Shell)Twenty years ago, in 2004, Shell was hit by the reserves scandal. In the midst of this crisis, the board asked Jeroen van der Veer to become CEO and navigate the company out of this crisis.Recently Jeroen wrote a book titled 'Van A naar B - Lessen in leiderschap' ('From A to B - Lessons in Leadership'), in which he reflects on these, and other experiences during his long career (which also included for instance being the chairman of the supervisory board of ING during the financial crisis).In this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast...2024-09-1642 min
Leadership 2.016. The evolving role of Human Resources - Dave UlrichWith the publication of his bestseller 'HR Champions' in 1997, Dave Ulrich signaled the potential for HR functions to develop themselves from administrative functions into mission-critical ones for the business (my words—not Dave's!). Dave Ulrich is the Rensis Likert Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and a partner at the RBL Group, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations and leaders deliver value. During our conversation, Dave and I discussed the following topics:0️⃣1️⃣ Dave's drive to write 'Human Resource Champions'0️⃣2️⃣ The consequences of the lack of self-confidence exhibited by many HR organizat...2024-08-2633 min
Leadership 2.015. Focus on your Strengths - Sally Bibb'I defy anybody to be energized by most appraisal systems I have seen in my career' - Sally BibbMost HR professionals and line managers (present company included!) are used to focusing on the 'development areas' of their staff. The idea is to take the areas of strength for granted and to actively work on their weaknesses to foster their professional development.The question is, however, how effective this is, and which business opportunities we miss, by not building on the strengths of our staff.During our conversation, Sally and I discussed the...2024-07-1343 min
Leadership 2.014. How to ensure successful leadership transitions - Michael WatkinsThe statistics are sobering, not only do 49% of external executive hires end in failure within 18 months, but internal moves prove to be challenging as well. For instance, 40% of internal job moves involving high potentials also end in failure. Besides the fact that these failures often have a traumatic impact for the individuals involved, the costs for the organizations are huge. Not only in terms of imago and hiring costs but, more importantly, in terms of opportunity costs.To find out why leadership transitions prove to be so hard, and what companies and individuals can do about it...2024-06-1651 min
New Work and OrganizationDirk Verburg on Leadership and AIEpisode # 16: this time in a ‘nutshell format’ of focused insights, following the principle of less is more - host Dr. Helena Pleinert talks with Dirk Verburg, independent management consultant and executive coach, about Leadership and AI2024-06-0511 min
Leadership 2.013. Understanding Organizations...Finally - Henry Mintzberg‘We live in a world of organizations - and we do not understand them’ This is one of the statements Henry Mintzberg, one of the leading thinkers in the field of Management, made when I interviewed him for my Leadership 2.0 Podcast about his latest book ‘Understanding Organizations…Finally'.During our conversation, we discussed the following topics:The importance for organizations to get their structure ‘right’How Henry’s thinking about organizations has evolved in the last 40 years, and what some of the changes and updates he made in this book as a...2024-05-2532 min
Leadership 2.012. 'Using your intuition' - Eugene Sadler-SmithIn this episode, I am interviewing Professor Eugene Sadler-Smith of the Surrey Business School about the role of intuition in decision-making processes.During our conversation, we discussed the following topics:1 What intuition is and what it is not2 The two types of intuition3 Adopting an Ambidextrous Mindset4 How to take important decisions in business5 Carl Jung and Intuition6 Why the intuitive mind is a slow learner7 Values and ethics in decision-making processes8 Final Thoughts - AI and intuitionEugene Sadler Smith is a Professor of...2024-05-0443 min
Leadership 2.011. Scenario Thinking and Leadership - Jeremy BenthamScenario thinking enables organizations to establish possible visions of the future in the form of scenarios. This enables decision-makers to think through the different ways in which the environment of their institutions could evolve in the future, based on different sets of assumptions.One of the companies that is best known for its scenario-thinking activity is Shell. For decades, Shell’s scenarios have supported the decision-making of Shell leaders, academics, governments, and businesses.Jeremy Bentham led this activity in Shell between 2006 and his retirement in 2022 as Shell Scenarios & strategy Leader and VP Global Business Environment.In...2024-04-1457 min
HorsesDe Week Van Horses - The Dutch Masters met Dirk Willem RosieDe Week Van Horses - Aflevering 9, 2024: The Dutch Masters met Dirk Willem Rosie
Deze week is Dirk Willem Rosie te gast in de podcast. Hij was als commentator voor Clip My Horse het hele weekend aanwezig in Den Bosch en volgde alles op de voet. Dirk Willem praat natuurlijk over de fenomenale overwinning van Willem Greve en Highway TN in de Rolex GP: een historisch wapenfeit. Maar ook de dressuur komt aan bod. Wat vond Dirk Willem van de jurering? Is Lottie Fry onder de bus gegooid? En wie is Neerlands hoop in bange dagen? Dit en nog veel meer...2024-03-1334 min
Leadership 2.010. From Crisis to Innovation: A Mental Health Entrepreneur's Journey - Vlad GheorghiuIn this episode, I am interviewing Vlad Gheorghiu about mental health in the workplace, a highly relevant topic.Why? The World Health Organization estimates that 12 billion working days are lost every year due to depression and anxiety. This costs $1 trillion in lost productivity.McKinsey research showed that ‘60 % of employees have experienced at least one mental-health challenge at some point in their lives’. According to the same study ‘Failing to address the effects of mental health and well-being challenges is a missed opportunity for employers’.Employe...2024-03-1027 min
Leadership 2.09. Hubristic Leadership - Eugene Sadler-SmithIn this episode, I am interviewing Eugene Sadler-Smith about hubristic leadership. A highly relevant topic in the light of the corporate scandals we faced in the last two decades, as well as the current geo-political tensions we are seeing around us. None of these would have happened without hubristic leaders.During our conversation, Eugene and I discussed the following topics:03:00 The meaning of hubris05:05 Examples of hubristic leaders in politics and business11:00 The origins of hubris: nature and/or nurture?14:57 Do we co-create hubristic leaders?20:26 Recognizing hubristic leaders by t...2024-02-0945 min
Leadership 2.08. A Scientific Perspective on Leadership Development - Ayse YemiscigilEveryone is an expert in leadership development, or at least has an option about it! For this reason, I decided to interview Professor Ayse Yemiscigil.Ayse Yemiscigil, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and a Research Affiliate with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. In February 2023, she, Dana Born, and Horace Ling, published an article for HBR.org of the Harvard Business Review titled: 'What Makes Leadership Development Programs Succeed?' In their article, they argue that global organizations spend...2024-01-1429 min
Duitsland Instituut AmsterdamAchtung! Duitse updates afl. 15 - Terugblik 2023In de laatste aflevering van onze podcast 'Achtung! Duitse updates' van dit jaar blikken we met collega's van het Duitsland Instituut terug op 2023. Wat viel hen op in Duitsland? Ze vertellen over de nog altijd bestaande verschillen tussen Oost- en West-Duitsland; over hoe docenten omgaan met desinformatie in de klas; en over een gebeurtenis die níet heeft plaatsgevonden: "Het licht is niet uitgegaan in Duitsland."
In deze podcast hoor je:
00:30 min: Petra Schulze Göcking over klimaatbeleid in Duitsland
04:15 min: Hanco Jürgens over hoe de geschiedenis een rol speelde in gebeurtenissen in 2023
09:57 min: Trixie Hölsgens over een nasc...2023-12-2139 min
Leadership 2.07. The Five-Factor Personality Model and the Numinous - Ralph PiedmontCurrent thinking in Psychology is that there are five dimensions we can use to describe the most important personality dimensions. Dr. Ralph Piedmont discovered the 6th one: 'the Numinous'.The five-factor model of personality (FFM) is a set of five broad trait dimensions or domains, often referred to as the “Big Five”: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism (sometimes named by its polar opposite, Emotional Stability), and Openness to Experience (sometimes named Intellect). The Big Five/FFM was developed to represent as much of the variability in individuals’ personalities as possible, using only a small set of trait dimensi...2023-10-141h 03
Leadership 2.06. Leadership & Reputation Management - Matt Nixon'The real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology'. With this quote from Edward O. Wilson, Matt Nixon answered my question if our requirements about leadership have changed in the last decades. Matt Nixon has more than 30 years of experience as a management consultant and HR executive, working with CEOs and senior leaders around the world. An Oxford classics graduate, he was a partner in Towers Perrin in Chicago and London, and subsequently held the positions of Global Head of Organization Effectiveness for Royal Dutch Shell, and Man...2023-09-3046 min
Leadership 2.05. Change Management : Creating Deep & Sustainable Behavioral Change - Arend ArdonIn this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I am interviewing Arend Ardon about how leaders can create deep, and sustainable behavioral change in their organizations.Arend Ardon (1967) is a management consultant and co-founder and co-owner of the Change Studio, a consultancy firm specializing in change management. He is a leading thinker in this area and has published dozens of articles and books.During our conversation, I asked Arend questions about the following topics:- Why Arend decided to become a management consultant- To what he contributes his success i...2023-09-1746 min
Leadership 2.04. Unleash the power of neurodiversity in the workplace! - An interview with Saskia SchepersIn this episode, I am interviewing Saskia Schepers about unleashing the power of neurodiversity in the workplace.Saskia Schepers studied organizational science and works as a creative brain, consultant, project manager, speaker, trainer, and coach.She recently wrote a book titled ‘Als alle breinen werken - Waarom ruimte voor neurodiversiteit op het werk goed is voor idereen'. In English: ‘If all brains are switched on - Why space for neurodiversity in the workplace benefits everyone’. The book almost immediately reached the number 1 position...2023-09-0143 min
OVT1e uur: Extreemrechts Duitsland, Bambi, Titanic, 02-07-2023 (01:13) "Een alarmsignaal voor alle democratische krachten", zo noemde een minister in Thüringen de verkiezingswinst van de AFD. Wat zit er achter deze verkiezingszege? Met welke strategieën probeerde Duitsland, tot nu toe, radicale partijen te weren, en waarom werken deze tactieken nu niet meer? Te gast is Marja Verburg, historicus bij het Duitsland Instituut en maker van de podcast Achtung! Duitse updates (15:10) Veel mensen zullen zijn opgegroeid met de Disney-klassieker Bambi, maar minder bekend is de roman van de Joodse Oostenrijks-Hongaarse schrijver Felix Salten waarop het gebaseerd is. Door de film raakte het ooit beroemde boek op d...2023-07-0251 min
Leadership 2.03. The why and how of corporate ethics - John HollwitzJohn Hollwitz is a University Professor of psychology and rhetoric. Before coming to Fordham, he was the A.F. Jacobson Professor of Communications at Creighton University and dean of arts and sciences at Loyola College in Maryland. He also has been the vice president of academic affairs at Fordham.Professor Hollwitz's teaching interests include management; experimental/quasi-experimental design; statistics; item response theory; structural equation modeling; team-building, especially in high-pressure teams; life-span career development; religion, and work. His avocations include martial arts, especially classical Tai Chi sword; jazz and blues music. He is currently working on a...2023-06-3043 min
Leadership 2.02. Developing compassionate leaders in service of a flourishing world - Sophia TownSophia Town, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Gabelli School of Business. As a qualitative researcher, Dr. Town explores how leaders can cultivate both knowledge and wisdom in service of individual, organizational, and societal flourishing. During our conversation, we discussed, amongst others, the following topics :- Our changing expectations from leaders- Leadership versus Management- The blurring boundaries between our working lives and our private lives- Managing paradoxes- Value alignment between organizations and employees- Knowledge versus W...2023-05-3046 min
Leadership 2.01. Jungian Analytical Psychology in the workplace - Murray SteinI am a big proponent of the work of Carl Jung and the business world could benefit from his insights. Therefore, I was pleased to have the opportunity to talk to Murray Stein about applying Jungian Analytical Psychology in the workplace. Interestingly enough we met on labor day, something Jung would call undoubtedly label as synchronicity! Murray Stein is a graduate of Yale University (B.A. and M.Div.), the University of Chicago (Ph.D.), and the C.G. Jung Institut-Zurich (Diploma). He is a founding member of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and of...2023-05-011h 02
workshops work146 - How to make a workshop fail? Insights from 20 podcast guestsThere are a few questions that come up every week - no matter who the guest is, no matter what our topic of conversation is.One of them - and possibly my favourite - is:“What makes a workshop fail?”We learn so much more from our failures than our successes, which makes this section of the podcast a veritable goldmine of facilitation advice and learnings.It’s only sensible, then, to share answers of 20 of the most appreciated podcast episodes.Don’t miss the next show: Subscrib...2022-01-0529 min
workshops work010 - Design and Facilitate Successful Strategy Workshops with Dirk VerburgIn this episode, I talk to Dirk Verburg, a management consultant and executive coach who has the mission to help leaders and management teams to implement their business strategies, business plans and strategic initiatives (such as important projects). We talk about how facilitators can structure workshops that enable participants to execute what they have committed to. We discuss how management teams can keep momentum when being back in their daily routines. In the show, Dirk shares interventions that will help the management team to follow through decided strategies and the role of leaders in that process. Don’t m...2019-05-0844 min