Shows
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)IP in Motion: Repurpose, Partner, Rebrand; Create ValueIntellectual property becomes a strategic power tool in this conversation as Michele Baillie reveals how companies can repurpose their inventions, spark high-value collaborations and unlock new growth when markets shift.This episode of The Business Emergency Room shows how intellectual property can shape business value when it’s woven into your innovation strategy. Maartje van Krieken and Michele explore patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets through real examples like Fujifilm, 3M and Pfizer, pointing out how existing assets can open new markets and strengthen partnerships. The conversation raises questions worth pausing for. What hidden value sit...
2025-11-2626 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Banker Who Wrote the Book on Business MomentumBusiness momentum becomes far easier to build when you understand the physics behind growth and start seeing your company through a banker’s eyes.This episode breaks down why many entrepreneurs feel busy but stuck and how momentum depends on direction, clarity, and the strength of your internal foundation. Best-selling author, speaker, business coach and mentor Chip Higgins joins Maartje van Krieken and brings a banking perspective that helps you spot where energy gets wasted and where your business needs more mass through better people, systems, or strategy. He explains how the momentum equation of mass times ve...
2025-11-1930 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)To AI-ify or Not to AI-ify? That Is the QuestionBefore you bring AI into your business, ask yourself: are you ready for it, or are you about to automate the chaos you already have?In this episode, Maartje van Krieken breaks down AI readiness through the lens of business triage - a reality check for leaders who want to move fast without making a bigger mess. She explains why success starts with stabilizing your systems and why small, structured beginnings often create the strongest results.Maartje also shares how opportunity framing helps teams define success and measure real impact instead of chasing hype. What...
2025-11-1227 min
Yes, And! With Avish Parashar043 - Say "Yes, And!" to Navigating Chaos with Maartje van KriekenWhen everything feels messy, most leaders reach for more tactics and more meetings. In this conversation, I sit down with Maartje van Krieken - engineer, skipper, crisis strategist, and host of The Business Emergency Room Podcast - to talk about how to triage chaos, make cleaner decisions, and realign people and processes without burning everyone out. We cover her "coat rack" process metaphor, the emotional side of chaos (and why emotion = people still care), and a simple way to de-risk the options you've been carrying around in your head. If you're navigating growth, change, or just too many priorities...
2025-11-1050 min
Partnerships For ProfitHow to Lead Through Chaos | Episode #225 with Maartje van KriekenThis week on Partnerships for Profit, we’re joined by Maartje van Krieken — Founder of The Chaos Games Consulting, crisis strategist, and host of The Business Emergency Room Podcast. She helps global leaders triage business chaos, navigate high-stakes turnarounds, and rebuild stronger than ever. Connect with her on LinkedIn @maartje and at thechaosgamesconsulting.com.
2025-11-0527 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Scaling Through Experience, Not Just Sales; Disney Magic for B2BWhat if your business could create the kind of loyalty people feel for Disney?Maartje van Krieken talks with former Disney leader and customer experience strategist Vance Morris about what truly sets unforgettable brands apart. He shares the Disney lessons that every company, whether in service, retail, or B2B growth, can use to turn everyday interactions into memorable moments that keep clients coming back. How do you move from transactions to genuine relationships? What does it take to design a client experience that people can’t stop talking about?Vance draws from his own st...
2025-11-0530 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Ears on the Track: Actionable Measurement for Real GrowthMany leaders rely on goals and KPIs to measure success, yet how often do those numbers reveal what’s actually working? In this episode, Maartje van Krieken talks with Radhika Dutt, the author of Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter, about why so many organizations get caught chasing business growth metrics that don’t always translate into real progress. Radhika shares how “product diseases” like obsessive sales disorder, strategic swelling, and hypermetricemia quietly take root when teams lose sight of their vision and let measurement drive decisions instead of insight. She unpacks the tension between OKRs vs puzzl...
2025-10-2928 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Cost of Silence: Five Tough Talks Your Business Keeps DodgingMost businesses don’t crumble from bad strategy but from the hard conversations their leaders never have.Maartje van Krieken takes an honest look at why conflict avoidance shows up in leadership communication and how it quietly eats away at trust, focus, and performance. Why do so many leaders hesitate to speak up when something feels off? What happens when tension is ignored for months or even years? Through her experience guiding organizations through chaos, Maartje shares how avoiding difficult conversations can cost teams more than money - it costs them momentum and morale.Maartje br...
2025-10-2228 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Beyond the Books: Diagnostics That Save CompaniesWhen a business starts to stumble, the real problem usually isn’t hidden—it’s just misread.Maartje van Krieken talks with Elisabeth Vealey, founder of Sophius LLC, about how business diagnostics reveal what’s really happening inside a struggling company. With decades of experience in accounting, CFO leadership, and turnaround strategies, Elisabeth explains how following the cash flow exposes not just financial issues but the inefficiencies, blind spots, and miscommunication that quietly drain performance.They discuss how financial data reflects overall financial and operational health, why leaders wait too long to ask for help, and how...
2025-10-1531 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Hollywood Flow Hacks for Distributed Teams with Steven PuriRemote leadership works best when people have the space to enter flow states that spark ideas and move projects forward.In this episode, Maartje van Krieken talks with Academy Award winner and entrepreneur Steven Puri about what it really takes to lead distributed teams with purpose. How do you build trust when you can’t walk the halls together? What makes the difference between a team that only trades emails and a team that shows up with insights that shift the direction of a company? Steven shares lessons from his years in Hollywood and tech, showing how vi...
2025-10-0836 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Value Triage Tool: Prioritize What to Fix FirstBusiness valuation is more than a price tag at exit. It’s a running assessment of your company’s health, credibility, and resilience.Maartje van Krieken shows how valuation can serve as a practical management tool for everyday decision-making. Drawing on lessons from mergers and acquisitions, she explains why external perceptions matter just as much as internal metrics and how they shape financing terms, customer trust, and even employee morale.Using ten lenses, Maartje unpacks the questions outsiders bring to the table: Are people loyal to the business or just its leaders? Is culture sustainable beyo...
2025-10-0131 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)When the Quietest Voice Saves the CompanyLeadership isn’t always loud, and sometimes the quietest voice in the room is the one that steadies the ship.Maartje van Krieken sits down with Greg Weinger, SVP of Product Management at SheerID and host of The Powerful Introvert Podcast, to rethink what leadership looks like when a company faces real pressure. Greg shares the story of an introverted CFO who stepped in during a crisis and rebuilt trust through calm, steady presence rather than charisma. Why do so many organizations still assume that the loudest voice is the most effective one? And how much strength ge...
2025-09-2424 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Partnering Smarter With Your CFO: Financial Vital SignsMost business emergencies don’t appear out of nowhere. They build slowly through overlooked financial red flags that leaders often miss until it’s too late. How do you know if your books are truly in order, or if the numbers you’re seeing are hiding deeper issues? In this episode, Maartje van Krieken talks with Ryan McGarghan, founder of Synergy Solutions, fractional CFO and certified exit planning advisor, about the habits and warning signs that reveal the real health of a company. Ryan explains why consistent bookkeeping and payment practices are non-negotiable, how to recognize when your finance team i...
2025-09-1729 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Why Business Exits Fail and How to Protect Hidden Value and LegacyMost business exits fail not because of flawed numbers but because the hidden value of people, culture, and legacy is overlooked. In this episode, Maartje van Krieken explores why exits are among the most personal and emotionally charged moments in business and how treating them as purely financial transactions often leads to broken trust and dissatisfaction. She offers clear strategies to change that outcome, from bringing in trusted support to balance negotiations, to recognizing how relational risk shapes valuation, to addressing “phantom clients” that don’t hold transferable worth. By focusing on hidden value alongside financial metrics, leaders can create...
2025-09-1025 min
LinkedIn tips, business tips, and marketing tips for coaches, consultants, speakers, authors, solopreneurs & small business owners: Enthusiastically Self-EmployedMaking the Leap from Corporate Career to Self-Employed with Maartje van Krieken - Ep 180Making the Leap from Corporate Career to Self-Employment: Lessons Learned with Maartje van KriekenIn this episode, I interviewed Maartje van Krieken on LinkedIn Live. We discussed her journey from a corporate career to becoming self-employed, focusing on the lessons learned and challenges faced along the way. Maartje shared her experiences in helping businesses in turmoil as a 'business emergency room doctor' and provided valuable insights on network leveraging, client acquisition, and the importance of trusting oneself. We also explored the role of LinkedIn in her career transition and the impact of peer groups and professional coaching...
2025-09-0947 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Quit Answering, Lead Humans, and AI SmarterMost leaders spend far too much of their day answering questions, and Atiba De Souza believes that habit is holding businesses back. How much more progress could you make if your time went into vision and strategy instead of micromanagement?Joining Maartje van Krieken in this episode, Atiba, a CEO strategist and team productivity expert, shares why he refuses to answer his staff’s questions and how that decision reshaped the way he leads. He explains why delegation skills matter more than many leaders realize, how empowered teams grow stronger when given clarity and autonomy, and why re...
2025-09-0328 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Revenue CPR Your Business NeedsMore leads won’t save your business if your revenue systems, lead quality, and sales pipeline health aren’t working the way they should.Maartje van Krieken talks with Mark Osborne, a fractional chief revenue officer for boutique professional services and B2B firms, about what really drives sustainable growth. If your team is chasing volume, are you missing the chance to focus on the opportunities that truly matter? Have you ever celebrated a deal only to realize later it cost more in time, energy, and margin than it returned? Mark shares why building strong revenue systems matt...
2025-08-2730 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Smarter Due Diligence in a Fast-Paced WorldMost business failures can be traced back to weak or rushed due diligence, and that gap often turns into costly business risk. When the stakes are high, whether you are hiring a key leader, buying a company, or entering new partnerships, how do you really know what you are agreeing to? What signs should you pay attention to, and what details are easy to miss?In this episode, Maartje van Krieken talks about the risks that come when leaders treat due diligence as an afterthought. She shares clear numbers that show how often deals fall apart and...
2025-08-2027 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Addiction & Leadership RecoveryEntrepreneurial coach and author David J. Greer opens up about the side of success most people never see: the quiet reality of high-functioning leaders living with addiction. Maartje van Krieken talks with David about how he built a global software company while privately battling alcoholism for more than 20 years and what finally pushed him toward lasting sobriety. How many leaders keep going at full speed while carrying that kind of hidden weight? And how much does it cost them both personally and professionally?This episode looks at how entrepreneurial addiction can hide in plain sight, often normalized...
2025-08-1328 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Founder’s Fog: When Vision Gets CloudyMost startup founders don’t realize they’ve become accidental CEOs until their own success turns into the biggest reason they can’t scale.Maartje van Krieken and Pete Steege discuss the “founder’s fog,” that frustrating place where a vague vision, scattered execution, and unclear roles quietly start choking a growing business. Pete shares stories of technical founders who are brilliant at their craft but end up stuck because they’re trying to lead the company the same way they built it. Is it possible that being good at everything has become the reason things aren’t moving forward...
2025-08-0627 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Too Late to Triage: From Hype to Liquidation in 4 YearsA startup with cutting-edge tech and global momentum collapsed in under four years because no one stopped to build the structure needed to sustain it. In this episode, Maartje van Krieken reflects on the rise and fall of Hyzon Motors, a hydrogen fuel cell startup that looked like a sure thing. The technology was solid. The market was ready. The company had funding, partnerships, and a compelling vision. So how did it all fall apart?Drawing from her direct experience inside the organization, Maartje walks through the kind of operational breakdown that often gets overlooked i...
2025-07-3029 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)When Growth Bleeds Cash: A Cautionary Tale from Food & BeverageScaling looks like success, until your product hits every shelf and you’re still bleeding cash.In this episode, Maartje van Krieken talks with food and beverage strategist Debbie Wildrick about what really happens when growth gets ahead of structure. With decades of experience across the CPG world, from startup brands to overseeing billions in retail at 7-Eleven, Debbie has seen firsthand how companies unravel behind the scenes. What causes a business to stall even after it secures funding, distribution, and shelf space? Why do so many founders miss the early signs of a CPG breakdown?...
2025-07-2336 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Anniversary Emergency: CrowdStrike, Continuity & a GiveawayA single line of flawed code grounded planes, shuttered hospitals, and crashed cash registers… What would your business do if the emergency was already underway?One year after launching this podcast in the middle of real-life chaos, Maartje breaks down the CrowdStrike debacle that exposed just how fragile even the biggest systems can be, and why most business continuity plans still fall short. She shares five hard-earned lessons from the outage, including how American Airlines recovered faster than Delta, what crisis readiness really requires, and why your frontline team, not your tech stack, might be the biggest va...
2025-07-1627 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Why Public Sector Change Is a Masterclass in ComplexityPublic sector leaders are quietly mastering the kind of complex, human-centered change most businesses struggle to get right.Maartje van Krieken is joined by Vijay K. Luthra, a former civil servant and transformation strategist, to talk about why public sector transformation deserves more attention from business leaders facing turbulence. Vijay draws from his experience across government and consulting to challenge assumptions about innovation, revealing how public institutions have become experts at navigating constant disruption and ambiguity. Centered on what he calls the “Fifth Industrial Revolution,” the episode explores how the pace of technological change is creating a futu...
2025-07-0932 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)AI FOMO: Stop Watching, Start WinningAI isn’t some future threat on the horizon. It’s already changing how businesses operate, and the question is whether you’re keeping up or falling behind. In this 50th episode of The Business Emergency Room, Maartje van Krieken gets real about “AI FOMO” and why so many leaders are stuck thinking instead of doing. Most companies say they’re exploring AI, but only a small fraction have actually changed how their business runs. So what’s holding them back? And what might it cost to keep waiting?Maartje shares examples that go way beyond marketin...
2025-07-0225 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Why Leaders Need a Flight Plan with Peter BrandlMost leadership failures don’t happen because of bad strategy. They happen because we overlook how human we all are when the pressure’s on.Maartje van Krieken is joined by German author, speaker, and former airline pilot Peter Brandl, who brings a pilot’s perspective into the world of business leadership. With years of experience training flight crews in crisis response and communication, Peter talks through the concept of human factors in leadership, how the real risks come from misjudged decisions, flawed communication, and the stress responses we don’t always notice in ourselves or others.The...
2025-06-2530 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)When Chaos Hits, What’s Your Plan B?Most businesses won’t survive their next big disruption. Not because the crisis is too big, but because their business continuity plan (BCP) was either half-baked or never tested.Maartje van Krieken makes the case for recovery planning that actually works. What would happen if your leadership team was unreachable? If your systems went down? If your staff didn’t know who had authority to make decisions?The stats are rough. Nearly 95% of companies without a recovery plan after a major data breach go out of business within a year. And yet, most organizations either don’...
2025-06-1825 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Board Strategy: Who You Seat Shapes GrowthMost boards don’t fail because of bad people. They fail because the right people aren’t at the table when it counts.Maartje van Krieken sits down with Dr. Keith Dorsey, the founder of Boardroom Journey, to talk about what makes a board truly effective, and why board composition strategy should never be an afterthought. If your company is scaling fast or hitting friction, are the voices in your boardroom equipped to help you grow? Dr. Dorsey shares why defaulting to well-known CEOs and CFOs can backfire, and how to identify the real gaps in expertise that...
2025-06-1130 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Catch the Creep, Dodge the JailbreakA jailbreak in New Orleans becomes a sharp metaphor for what happens when creeping dysfunction goes unchecked inside a business.In this episode, Maartje van Krieken unpacks the hidden costs of ignoring early warning signs in organizations. Broken locks. Budget cuts. Communication breakdowns. The kind of slow decay that builds quietly until a major crisis forces everyone to pay attention.Using the lens of operational risk escalation, Maartje explains how small process failures can snowball into full business process failure, often without anyone noticing in time. Did you know it takes most organizations 84 days to...
2025-06-0426 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Fixing Sales Before It Bleeds You DrySales problems rarely start loud. They build quietly through messy processes, wishful thinking in the pipeline, the wrong people in key roles, and pricing that no longer makes sense.Maartje van Krieken is joined by Nicholas Loise, the founder of Sales Performance Team, to discuss what really drags sales down, and what it takes to turn things around. He shares a practical framework built around four core elements: process, pipeline, people and pricing. Each one either helps move deals forward or quietly holds them back.Are your salespeople chasing deals that were never real? Is...
2025-05-2827 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)What a Gun in the Face Teaches YouHigh-stakes decisions don’t reward the loudest voice; they favor the calmest mind and the clearest why.Maartje van Krieken is joined by Jeffrey Owens, a former police officer, FBI-trained hostage negotiator, and executive leader, for a conversation that connects crisis response tactics to the boardroom. What does facing down an armed man teach you about managing people under pressure? And how can the rules of hostage negotiation help leaders make better decisions in chaotic moments?Jeff shares the hostage negotiation lessons that shaped his career, including a story where listening, not authority, saved his li...
2025-05-2126 min
Stuck? Time to Improv! The Startup LaunchpadMaartje van Krieken - Managing Chaos for StartupsMaartje van Krieken from The Chaos Games Consulting talks about 'turning business chaos around"The main topic of their discussion was to provide tips to startups on how to prioritize and increase productivity amidst chaos.Decision-Making Hygiene in StartupsIn the meeting, Mary and Maartje discussed the importance of decision-making hygiene in startups. Maartje emphasized the need for clear decision-making frameworks, such as the Stanford method, to avoid biases and make informed decisions. She also highlighted the importance of understanding stakeholders' decision-making processes and tailoring pitches accordingly. Mary agreed, noting that startups often...
2025-05-2108 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Foresight Unleashed: SCAN Smart!Most businesses don't fail from bad decisions; they fail because they never saw the storm coming.This episode is a wake-up call for leaders who are too busy managing today to think about what’s coming next. Maartje van Krieken breaks down the concept of Environmental Scanning and why it matters far more than most executives realize. Are you missing the early warning signals that could shape or shake your business? Are you confusing busyness with foresight?Maartje introduces the SCAN framework (Signals, Context, Alignment, Navigation) as a way to build strategic foresight in business. Sh...
2025-05-1423 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)How to Be a Cybersecurity PorcupineMost businesses overlook cybersecurity risk management until an attack hits, but small moves like the “porcupine strategy” and multi-factor authentication can be the difference between staying safe and facing a major breach. Maartje van Krieken sits down with cybersecurity expert Bryce Austin for a conversation that every business owner needs to hear. They start with a story: a business that lost over $100,000 to a wire fraud scam and ended up declaring bankruptcy. What would you do if your company faced a loss like that? Could you survive it?Bryce explains how cybersecurity risk management has shifted in a wo...
2025-05-0728 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)VITALS Matter – Reading People When It CountsWhen a crisis hits, the leaders who move fastest aren’t the ones clinging to the org chart. They’re the ones who know exactly who their people really are.In this episode, Maartje van Krieken shares a look at crisis leadership and what it truly demands. When volatility takes over, can you still see the emotional and mental state of your team? Or are you relying on titles and job descriptions that no longer fit the situation? Maartje explains why spotting who has the energy, trust, and alignment to step up can make or break your reco...
2025-04-3026 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Conflict Is Inevitable—How You Respond Isn’tConflict doesn’t kill momentum. Our silence around it does.Maartje van Krieken makes a case for why conflict resolution in growing businesses should be a core leadership skill, not something we save for when things get bad. She shares a bold truth: most workplace conflict comes from fear. Fear of being left behind. Fear of failure. Fear of losing control. And when those fears go unspoken, they don’t just slow teams down. They damage trust, communication, and performance.What happens when leaders let tension linger? How much collaboration is lost when no one want...
2025-04-2325 min
Thriving ThroughE07 From Corporate Chaos to Consulting Success: How Maartje Turned Crisis into Opportunity | Maartje van KriekenIn this episode of the "Thriving Through" podcast, host AJ Riedel speaks with Maartje of The Chaos Games Consulting. Maartje shares her journey transitioning from a decades-long career in oil and gas to independent consulting in 2024. She discusses the challenges that prompted her career change.Throughout the conversation, Maartje talks about the surprises and difficulties of building her independent consulting business, including finding the right peer network, developing her brand, and staying motivated. She explains how her business helps medium-sized companies in volatile environments improve their decision-making processes and people dynamics.The interview offers valuable insights for...
2025-04-1736 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Don’t Wait Out Market Chaos—Act NowWhen the market tilts without warning, leadership means stepping up even when the chaos wasn’t your fault.What do you do when geopolitical tension, tariffs, or broken supply chains knock your business off course? In this episode, Maartje van Krieken talks about responding to global market disruptions and why waiting to see how things shake out can cost you more than you think.Maartje walks through the first move every leader needs to make: building situational awareness. How do you get a clear picture of what’s happening, what you don’t know yet, and wh...
2025-04-1624 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Danger of Drifting: Why Businesses Fail in Volatile TimesWaiting out the chaos might feel safe, but in business, standing still during a storm is often the fastest way to lose your course entirely.When a crisis hits, why do so many leaders freeze? What makes waiting feel safer than steering, even when we know the storm won’t pass anytime soon?In this episode, Maartje van Krieken digs into what happens when leadership inertia during uncertainty takes hold and how it quietly erodes momentum, clarity, and confidence. Drawing from her experience as a skipper, she shows how business leaders often hope for conditions to...
2025-04-0925 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Scaling Checkup: Is Your Leadership Fit for the Future?Most CEOs don’t plan their own exit. What happens when the person who built the company isn’t the right one to scale it?Scott Calderwood joins Maartje van Krieken to talk about CEO transition strategies, scaling leadership challenges, and executive hiring mistakes. When a company reaches a breaking point—whether at Series C funding, IPO, or another growth stage—how do leaders know if they’re still the right fit? And more importantly, what happens when they aren’t?Scott shares hard-earned insights from decades in executive search, and reveals why cultural fit matters as m...
2025-04-0225 min
The Boundary Breakers Collective Talk ShowThriving as a Female Leader in Male-Dominated Spaces with Maartje van KriekenIn this powerful episode, Maartje van Krieken shares her incredible journey of thriving as a leader in male-dominated spaces. From steering billion-dollar oil projects in war zones to mentoring the next generation of female leaders, Maartje embodies resilience, adaptability, and leadership excellence. 🔑 Key Highlights from the Episode: Empowering Women: Discover how Maartje navigates environments with less than 5% female representation. Personal Growth: Learn how embracing her authentic voice and values shaped her career and motherhood. Breaking Boundaries: Insights into turning barriers into opportunities across industries and cultures. Leadership Insights: Practical strategies for fostering collaboration, navigating wor...
2025-03-2746 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Hidden Growth Killer: A Stagnant TeamWhen your leadership team can’t evolve with your business, scaling challenges become even harder to navigate. How do you know when it’s time to make tough decisions about key positions in your organization?In this episode, Maartje van Krieken talks about the uncomfortable reality that the leaders who helped you get to where you are may not be the ones who can take you further. As businesses grow, the need for leadership change becomes more evident. So, how do you spot the signs like decision bottlenecks or a shift from proactive to reactive thinking before they der...
2025-03-2627 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Scaling Smart: Avoiding Investor FalloutTrust is everything in leadership. Lose it, and investors won’t think twice about making a change.Maartje van Krieken takes a hard look at investor trust in scaling businesses as she breaks down why half of founder-CEOs don’t last three years after investment. When trust erodes, misalignment creeps in, and investors start questioning whether leadership can take the company to the next stage.This episode explores founder-CEO transitions, the growing tension between long-term vision and investor demands, and the red flags that make investors lose confidence. Maartje shares what founders can do to stre...
2025-03-1927 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Scaling Right: The Role of Brand MessagingMost businesses think they know why customers choose them until they realize they’ve been focusing on the wrong thing all along.Maartje van Krieken sits down with Orly Zeewy for a sharp, no-nonsense look at brand messaging strategy and why so many businesses miss the mark. Orly shares how companies can stop marketing what they think matters and start focusing on what actually drives customer loyalty. She breaks down a case study of a business that spent decades highlighting the wrong thing, only to turn everything around with the right message.How do you kn...
2025-03-1228 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Delegation Done Right: Free Up 40% of Your Time Without Losing ControlMost leaders could free up nearly half their workload but refuse to let go. Why is delegation so hard, and what’s the cost of holding on too tightly?Maartje van Krieken unpacks why so many leaders become the bottleneck in their own organizations. Fear of mistakes, trust issues, and the belief that no one else can do the job quite as well keep leaders trapped in a cycle of overwork and micromanagement. But real leadership isn’t about doing everything but about creating the right structures so decisions flow to the right people at the right time...
2025-03-0519 min
#12minconvosMaartje van Krieken: The Power of Structure: How to Create Order in Chaos and Achieve Your Business Goals /Ep 3471Maartje van Krieken is a distinguished keynote speaker whose profound expertise and dynamic presence captivate and inspire audiences across the globe. With a storied career in project, change, and crisis management within the high-stakes oil and gas industry, Maartje brings over two decades of invaluable experience to her speaking engagements. Her latest keynote, "The Chaos Games: May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor - How to outsmart, outlast, and outperform in the arena of business turmoil," is a masterclass in navigating the complexities and challenges of today's business environment. Tailored for leaders and startup visionaries, Maartje's presentations are...
2025-03-0313 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Growing Pains: The Leadership Shift from Doing to DelegatingScaling a business comes with big decisions, tough conversations, and the challenge of building a team that can grow with you. How do you know when it’s time to shift roles, implement structure, or step back so others can take the lead?Maartje van Krieken sits down with Jennifer Cresswell, a growth strategist and the founder of Thoughtgro, to break down the realities of scaling in entrepreneurship. They dig into the people dynamics that make or break a growing business. When the team that got you here isn’t the team that will get you there, how...
2025-02-2625 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Avoiding the Fumble: How Leaders Can Make Smarter Calls in ChaosHesitation under pressure costs more than a bad decision. This season 2 kick-off episode of The Business Emergency Room unpacks how to make fast, confident calls when the stakes are high.When everything is unfolding fast, how do you make the right call without second-guessing yourself? Host Maartje van Krieken shares a real-world example of decision-making gone wrong, turning a simple family outing into a mess of miscommunication and last-minute scrambling. The parallels to business are clear: disruption happens, and leaders who hesitate risk bigger problems.This episode breaks down how to define the decision at...
2025-02-1925 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Season 2 TrailerScaling a business isn’t just about strategy—it’s about navigating chaos, making fast but sound decisions, and keeping teams aligned under pressure. The Business Emergency Room helps leaders, founders, and decision-makers sharpen their decision-making mechanics, master people dynamics, and build resilience in uncertain markets. Host Maartje van Krieken shares battle-tested frameworks to eliminate bottlenecks, avoid analysis paralysis, and turn turbulence into traction. Tune in weekly for real-world insights to lead with confidence and thrive in turmoil.For leaders facing: High-stakes decisions, VUCA market conditions, crisis management, and rapid business growth pains.
2025-02-1400 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Scaling Without Chaos: Strategies for the Entrepreneur to CEO TransitionIn the dynamic world of business growth, the transition from entrepreneur to CEO is often fraught with challenges that can either propel a company forward or lead to burnout. This episode sheds light on the pivotal strategies that help business owners navigate rapid growth, avoid common pitfalls, and build sustainable success. The conversation uncovers the importance of strategic planning, effective delegation, and the mindset shifts required to lead with clarity and purpose.Key insights from this discussion:The Entrepreneur’s Growth Struggle – Why many business owners feel stuck working long hours and the critical mindset shift need...
2025-02-1220 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Applying Disaster Response Tactics to Business DisruptionsDisruptions are an inevitable part of both life and business, but how we respond to them can make all the difference. In this episode, we explore the structured crisis response strategies used by the Red Cross Disaster Action Teams and how these same principles can be applied to business disruptions. With clear decision-making, effective communication, accountability and escalation definition, and a focus on immediate priorities, businesses can strengthen their resilience and navigate crises with confidence. Whether you're a leader, entrepreneur, or part of an organization facing unexpected challenges, this episode will equip you with actionable insights to stay prepared...
2025-02-0522 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Leadership Formula for Turbulence: Trust, Resilience, and Psychological SafetyNavigating high-pressure situations in the workplace requires more than just strategy—it demands trust, empathy, and a culture of psychological safety. In this episode, Maxine Legal, CEO and founder of Thrive Inclusively, shares insights from her 20+ years of leadership in healthcare to help leaders and teams thrive under pressure. Discover actionable strategies to foster resilience, communication, and trust, even in the most dynamic business environments.Throughout this talk, we dive into:The importance of psychological safety and how it transforms workplace dynamics.Why transparent communication builds trust, especially in times of uncertainty or crisis.How to ta...
2025-01-2925 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Defusing the Dilemma: How Resourcefulness Solves Big ChallengesWhat happens when you’re tasked with solving a high-stakes problem you know almost nothing about? This episode of The Business Emergency Room takes you behind the scenes of a fascinating real-life challenge: tackling the unknown to support critical decision-making.Join Maartje as she recounts a pivotal experience early in her career—a multi-billion-dollar investment opportunity in Iran, fraught with risks, including unexploded ordinances in an oil field near the Iran-Iraq border. With little knowledge of the issue and limited resources, her team had to think fast, ask the right questions, and collaborate effectively to provide leadership with...
2025-01-2230 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Human Factor in Corporate Change: Insights from a Critical Incident Stress Management ExpertWhat if the key to overcoming your organization's toughest challenges lies in understanding the human element? In this compelling podcast episode, psychotherapist Elaine Belson shares her journey from over 30 years in psychotherapy to becoming a social work officer in the U.S. Army at age 42, including her deployment to Afghanistan. She recounts a pivotal experience providing critical incident stress management after 9/11 for a healthcare organization. While addressing immediate trauma, she uncovered deeper organizational challenges stemming from a merger. Elaine emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence, effective communication, and human-centered leadership in navigating crises and maintaining workplace well-being. Her structured...
2025-01-1523 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Art of Opportunity Framing: Getting Unstuck and Restarting ProgressFeeling overwhelmed by unclear goals or stalled projects? This episode dives into the transformative power of "opportunity framing"—a structured approach to redefine success and realign teams amid chaos. Using Toyota’s 2010 accelerator pedal recall as a case study, the discussion highlights how to assess crises, prioritize impactful actions, and establish clear direction to rebuild trust and efficiency. By embracing tools like AI, engaging stakeholders, and ensuring transparency, teams can shift from reactive firefighting to proactive progress, unlocking clarity and focus for long-term success.About the Host:Your host, Maartje van Krieken, brings a wealth of e...
2025-01-0823 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Conflict Cure: Grounding Techniques and Resilience Tools for LeadersUnlock the secrets to transforming overwhelm into empowerment in a dynamic discussion recorded live at Podapalooza, featuring Robyn McTague, a specialist in team engagement and conflict resolution after 3 decades with WorkSafeBC, a workers' compensation insurer in British Columbia, Canada. This episode discusses shifting from panic to power, cultivating emotional and physical awareness, and leveraging tools like motivational mapping and the Enneagram for personal and team resilience. Robyn emphasizes the importance of recognizing individual motivators, the value of grounding techniques, and the transformative power of curiosity in conflict resolution. Leaders are encouraged to identify energy drains, build resilience, and align...
2025-01-0120 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Process Decay: The Silent Killer of Business Efficiency—and How to Fix ItProcess Decay is a chronic condition in almost all organizations and can be a significant invisible contributor to overload and turmoil - i.e. Bad Chaos. Do you feel your organization is burdened by inefficiencies that hinder progress? This episode sheds light on the concept of "process decay," a pervasive issue where outdated, redundant, or misaligned ways of working silently drain 20-30% of annual revenue while consuming significant employee time. With compelling examples and research-backed insights, this episode highlights how ineffective processes can bottleneck operations, increase frustration, and reduce compliance. By streamlining and modernizing workflows, you can cut costs...
2024-12-2529 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Workplace Mental Health Triage Tools from The Mental Health ComedianTrigger warning: This episode discusses suicide and mental health. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to a trusted friend, a mental health professional, or a crisis hotline in your area.Workplace mental health is not just a tick-box exercise; it’s a vital, actionable step toward saving lives. This discussion with Frank King, a renowned advocate and mental health comedian, underscores the profound impact of mental health awareness and suicide prevention in professional settings. With 85% of suicides occurring among people aged 18-65—many of whom spend their days at w...
2024-12-1829 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Information Overload: The Silent Drain on Creativity and EfficiencyOverwhelmed by the flood of data in today's fast-paced business environment? This discussion dives into the critical issue of "information inflation," where 90% of existing data has been generated in just the past two years. The constant influx of redundant and excessive information strains productivity, creativity, and decision-making. Leaders and teams alike face increasing challenges to prioritize, streamline communication, and maintain focus amidst redundant information. But there is hope—strategic practices such as periodic chaos cleanses, optimized technology use, and structured collaboration can help tame the data storm. Addressing these challenges is vital for unlocking organizational efficiency, innovation, and clarity in...
2024-12-1131 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Anatomy of Readiness: Emergency Preparedness & Response at Tulane UniversityEmergencies test the resilience and adaptability of individuals and organizations, but preparation makes the difference between chaos and control. In this insightful conversation, Meredith Beers, Associate Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response at Tulane University, shares her experience managing diverse and complex scenarios ranging from natural disasters to campus-specific crises. She emphasizes the importance of clear communication, an adaptable all-hazards plan, and structured decision-making to ensure safety and continuity. Her proactive approach to training, collaboration with external agencies, and stakeholder feedback fosters a robust emergency management system, applicable beyond the academic environment. This episode underscores the value of readiness...
2024-12-0433 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Leadership in Turmoil: Turning Workplace Dysfunction into CollaborationPicture a workplace where chaos thrives, not because people lack talent, but because communication falters and goals feel uninspiring. Could the solution to this turmoil lie in something as simple—and powerful—as better communication and inspired goal-setting? In this episode, we explore how leaders and employees can build better workplace dynamics by tackling these challenges head-on. The conversation delves into the concept of "bad bosses," not as individuals, but as behaviors that can be corrected through communication and self-awareness. Ken shares his unique approach to goal setting, emphasizing the importance of inspiration and energy in achieving clarity and focu...
2024-11-2721 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Crisis Talk: Turning Chaos into Strategic CommunicationWhen disaster strikes and reputations are on the line, are you ready to communicate your way through the storm? Effective crisis communication is a cornerstone of business resilience, as highlighted in this discussion with Melissa Hodgson, a seasoned PR and Communications Expert. Drawing from over three decades of experience, Melissa emphasizes the importance of proactive planning to mitigate business emergencies, from natural disasters to reputation crises. She shares insights on why organizations must anticipate vulnerabilities and cultivate trusted relationships with communication specialists. Moreover, she stresses the role of transparency, respect, and tactful messaging in managing public and media narratives...
2024-11-2027 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Decision Deadlock: Moving out of Paralysis into Action ASAPIn a fast-paced business world, decision paralysis is a major obstacle in business, stalling innovation and financial success. Maartje tackles this issue head-on, highlighting how fear, overwhelming data, high stakes, and unclear objectives often keep leaders stuck. She cites studies revealing that indecision significantly impacts financial performance and employee productivity, making swift, confident decision-making essential for thriving in a competitive landscape. To overcome this, Maartje recommends a structured approach: clearly define decisions, align options on equal terms, and focus on actionable data. Bringing in an external facilitator to provide fresh perspectives or using frameworks like the Stanford Decision Quality...
2024-11-1318 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Bridging Generations: Navigating Family Business SuccessionFamily-run businesses are rich with legacy, but they can also harbor complexities, especially when facing generational transitions. Navigating these critical transitions takes more than a solid business plan; it requires wisdom, respect, and sometimes, a little outside help. As an expert in this field, Mike Schmitt shares his insights on how to secure a sustainable future for family enterprises. Mike explains how his work bridges financial guidance and interpersonal mediation, helping families navigate generational transitions smoothly. He highlights the challenges families face when blending business with personal history, emphasizing communication and proactive planning to avoid conflicts. With examples from...
2024-11-0626 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)An Overdose of Change: Breaking Free from Fatigue and ChaosChange overdose is real, and it’s draining your business. With 73% of organizations facing change saturation and nearly half of employees experiencing fatigue from constant shifts, it’s clear that too much change is overwhelming teams and killing productivity. Maartje breaks down the impact of this "change overdose" and shows how it leads to business chaos, lower morale, and a weakened ability to respond to unexpected challenges. But there’s a way out. By rethinking how we approach change, creating space to reassess priorities, and focusing on strategic, high-impact projects, you can regain control. Learn how to shift from reacti...
2024-10-3036 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Harnessing Networks: Solving Big Problems Fast | 014When crisis hits, the strength of your network can be the key to survival. Dr. Sumit D. Chowdhury, founder and president of Green Earth X and creator of the Gaia platform, joins the show to talk about the power of networks during emergencies and how they can make or break crisis management. Drawing from his vast experience in telecom, consulting, and digital transformation, Dr. Chowdhury explains how meaningful connections, both personal and professional, can come together to solve big problems. He also emphasizes that even solopreneurs and small business owners can harness the power of their networks during tough...
2024-10-2331 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Two Sides of the Emergency: Offshore Response vs. Onshore Failures | 013When emergencies hit, clear communication can make all the difference—especially when it’s lacking. In this episode, Maartje and her husband, Eelco, dive into the communication gaps they experienced during a serious offshore incident. Eelco was on the platform when an explosion occurred, and while emergency procedures were well-executed on-site, the communication with those onshore, including Maartje, was fragmented and frustrating. From receiving minimal information hours after the event to mixed messages and confusing protocols, the company’s handling of communication with families and non-affected personnel revealed significant shortcomings. This episode highlights the crucial role of transparent, timely commun...
2024-10-1647 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)From Fire to Financial Freedom with Jason Nightingale | 012When disaster strikes, it can feel like everything is falling apart. But what if that catastrophe could become the spark for your greatest comeback? In this episode, we share the inspiring story of Jason Nightingale, an entrepreneur who lost everything when a fire destroyed his 28-year business. Rather than give up, Jason used the devastation as motivation to create a financial strategy that paid off his mortgage in 30 months and helped thousands of others reduce their debt faster. His journey shows how to turn chaos into opportunity and setbacks into success. Whether you're facing financial struggles or looking to...
2024-10-0925 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Unexpected Exit: Managing Business Without Key Players | 011Losing a key player in your business is one of the toughest challenges to face, whether it’s due to illness, sudden departure, or other unforeseen events. How do you handle the chaos left behind and keep everything moving forward? This episode tackles the emotional and operational impact of losing essential team members, offering practical tips on how to lead through the storm. It’s all about putting people first—addressing emotions, offering support, and ensuring the team has what it needs to push through. Learn how to manage the gap left behind, engage with stakeholders, and decide when to bri...
2024-10-0227 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Hurricane Katrina & Deepwater Horizon: The Louisiana Seafood Comeback | 010When disaster hits, it's not just about weathering the storm—it’s about rising stronger on the other side. This episode is a powerful look at how to turn devastation into determination, featuring Ewell Smith’s incredible journey in helping the Louisiana seafood industry recover from Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. Entire communities were torn apart, boats destroyed, and trust shattered, but Ewell shares how they came together, fought for support, and rebuilt their livelihoods against the odds. His stories of resilience, grit, and finding opportunity in crisis are a reminder that no matter how overwhe...
2024-09-2530 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Critical Disruptions: Major Repairs Under Pressure | 009How do you handle business chaos when it hits you out of nowhere? Maartje dives into the reality of dealing with big breakdowns after they've already disrupted operations, offering insights into the immediate steps to get back on track. She shares practical tactics for emergency physical and system repairs and major fixes that can stabilize your business in the aftermath of a crisis. Drawing from real-life scenarios, Maartje illustrates how to manage the fallout of unexpected disruptions from system and physical failures, outlining the key steps to repair or fix as soon as practically possible without it becoming an...
2024-09-1830 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Starting Over, and Over… with Resilience Expert Romeo El-Chaer | 008In a profound exploration of resilience and change, Romeo El-Chaer shares his insights on overcoming adversity both personally and within organizations. Born with the challenge of a significant childhood injury in the backdrop of war-torn Lebanon, Romeo's life experiences have deeply ingrained the importance of resilience. Throughout the discussion, Romeo emphasizes the transformative power of recognizing one's inherent strengths and the importance of leadership in fostering a supportive and resilient environment. His story is not just about personal survival but about thriving in the face of adversity by helping others discover their potential to overcome and succeed....
2024-09-1125 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Prioritization: Steering Through the Overwhelm | 007In the whirlwind of business chaos, where the heat is high and the stakes even higher, Maartje steps in with practical wisdom on mastering the art of prioritization. She delves into the necessity of stripping back to the essentials, advocating for a reductionist approach that not only clarifies what truly matters but also lightens the load on overburdened teams. With a blend of personal insights and professional strategies, Maartje offers a guide to cutting through the noise, enabling leaders to refocus on their core objectives and navigate their way out of the fire towards a clearer, more directed future.
2024-09-0420 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Make Money, Not Mistakes with Sharon Galluzzo | 006Imagine standing at the edge of financial ruin, only to make a decision that changes everything. Sharon Galluzzo shares how she and her husband went from the brink of losing everything to building an award-winning, six-figure business. Through resilience and a clear vision, they navigated the chaos of the 2008 economic crisis, turning their challenges into opportunities. Sharon dives into the importance of having a solid plan, understanding your market, and staying committed to your goals, even when the world around you is in turmoil. Her story is a powerful reminder that with the right mindset, you can not only...
2024-08-2817 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Out of the Fire: Moving out of that “Now what?” Moment | 005When a crisis strikes and it feels like you're fighting fires in every direction, the biggest hurdle often isn't the emergency itself—it's deciding to ask for help. Maartje sheds light on the initial steps to take when overwhelmed, emphasizing the importance of recognizing when you need support. She reveals that the first move is often the hardest but most crucial, encouraging leaders to overcome the stigma associated with seeking external expertise. This episode serves as a powerful reminder that reaching out for help isn't a sign of weakness, but a strategic step towards regaining control and steering your bu...
2024-08-2826 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)The Business Swiss Army Knife with Tim Newman | 004Ever wish you had a "Swiss Army knife" for your business challenges? Tim Newman is just that—bringing a wealth of experience and versatility to every project he touches. In this episode, Tim shares his journey as an independent consultant, revealing how he navigates the complexities of capital projects and business building. With his unique ability to balance visionary ideas with practical execution, Tim offers invaluable advice on avoiding common pitfalls and the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and strong peer networks. Whether you're leading a startup or managing a growing company, this conversation is packed with insights to he...
2024-08-2835 min
The Business Emergency Room: For Leaders Facing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA)Dismantling Help Hesitation | 003When uncertainty looms and decision-making becomes daunting, the question isn't just about navigating through the chaos—it's also about why businesses hesitate to seek help. Maartje delves into the common barriers that prevent organizations from engaging with consultants. She addresses concerns about compatibility, the fear of endless contracts, and the cost implications that often deter businesses from obtaining the guidance they need. By emphasizing the value of tailored, short-term engagements, Maartje clarifies how strategic consultation can efficiently pinpoint issues and set the stage for long-term success, encouraging leaders to overcome their apprehensions and embrace expert support to secure their bu...
2024-08-2824 min