What to do when you find it too stressful to follow the path of your authentic-self
When you are on the path of your authentic-self, it is not always easy to decide to follow your authentic-self. The outcome of the path of the acquired-self is known, and the outcome of the path of the authentic-self is still unknown. Therefore, many people choose to continue to follow the acquired-self even if the…
Read MoreWhat is authentic leadership?
It’s hard to become who you are. Camus’ quote on authenticity has always been a great source of inspiration for me. It reminds us of the challenge of staying true to ourselves, and fortunately, nowadays it’s easier than ever to be authentic. This quote perfectly encapsulates the essence of authentic leadership. An authentic leader behaves…
Read MoreBeing distracted, the new standard?
On a Dutch website about leadership, I read an article with the title: “This is the most important skill of the manager of the 21st century!!!”. This title claimed my interest. What turned out to be? The new skill of the manager of the 21st century is about dealing with distractions. I read: ” Social…
Read MoreBrain-based leadership makes the difference
All companies should have sufficient knowledge of how the brain works and place this knowledge in their strategy. Applying this knowledge makes the difference in results, in dealing with stress, in getting the best out of your people, in ethical leadership, in behavioral change, and so on. This leadership, brain-based leadership, should be the new…
Read MoreDon’t take your thoughts so serious
Scientists calculated that an average brain makes 25,000-50,000 thoughts a day. (How many of these thoughts are you aware of?) This amount of thoughts means people have between 1,000 and 2,000 thoughts per hour if we include the night. That’s a lot. The brain automatically and reflectively produces these thoughts. One thought quickly follows the…
Read MoreBy analysis you can’t change behaviour. But what can you do instead?
The analysing behaviour of managers has a negative influence on the speed of cultural and behavioural change. Managers have the habit of analysing behaviour and emotions frequently. To analyse can be very useful for business aspects. However, when it comes to change in culture and behaviour, analysis is often not effective. Too much analysing of…
Read MoreEmpowerment: is your brain fit and focused?
Last year during the summer holidays I wasn’t doing anything in particular when it suddenly occurred to me that the titles of all my 3 books have the word “power” in them. The subtitle of my second book reads, roughly translated, “transforming force into power” and the subtitle of my last book “using the unlimited…
Read MoreEmpowerment: being less directive and less nurturing
During a recent one-on-one evaluation with one of the participants of my brain based coaching training, I was more than pleasantly surprised by a remark one of them made. He said “I have learned that, in a dialogue with a co-worker, “my idea” is not what it is about. My idea is only an idea.…
Read MoreManagers, it’s time to sit on your hands
Participants of my leadership trainings are asked to define what they aim to achieve when they put brain-based leadership into practice. One of the things I often hear is that participants expect to be able to “sit on their hands“. Sitting on your hands Sitting on your hands means letting go of control. It means…
Read MoreManagers can make the difference when they know how to communicate
Over the past three weeks I was at a retreat in a Dzogchen Buddhist monastery in South India. I had an amazing time, and I could really focus on something that is absolutely essential to me, my spirituality. I don’t want to do my work on autopilot, but deeply inspired and in full awareness. There…
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