Workshop Tools for Thought

In the past decade, several hundreds of people, mostly professionals, participated in a workshop Tools for Thought and found answers to a fundamental question that hunted them, personally and/or professionally.
The tools are described and illustrated in the book Denkgereedschap 2.0. (See PUBLICATIONS on this site for a downloadable English translation of the Introduction.) In the workshop, I use music and the arts to bring the tools to life. Participants apply the tools to their own burning question or issue.
Different formats are possible, depending on whether the workshop is in company or not, and on your level of ambition and the time you are prepared to invest. Half a day is a strict minimum.
Open subscription: there is a summer- and a winter-edition of resp. 6 relaxed and 3 intensive days.

Members of LVSC earn a certificate of 5 PE (click HERE for an interview in Tijdschrift voor Begeleidingskunde).

Belgians and the Dutch working with – or against – each other

It is remarkable that many multinational companies chose in the recent past to organize their business Benelux-wise. I was able to support quite a few of them in their effort to improve cooperation between the different national parties in this (new) configuration. You may think about Coca Cola, IBM, ASC, Adecco, Ernst & Young, Besix, ING, ABNAmro, Sun Microsystems, Eon, British Telecom, BSC Travel, and others.
I developed some specific tools and instruments that help to develop awareness, understanding and synergy. If you recognize the issue and want to hear more, contact me.

Or take a look at five short lectures on the site of the Belgian-Dutch Magazine (in Dutch):

1: Inleiding in de cultuurverschillen

2: Machtafstand en individualisme

3: Mannelijkheid en onzekerheidsvermijding

4: Belgie en Nederland op de werkvloer

5: Hoe samenwerking bevorderen?

Leadership Atelier (LA)

As a management consultant specialized in leadership issues, I ran quite a lot of so-called leadership programs. As a matter of fact, I participate in some till this day. With pleasure. However, I came to doubt the overall effectiveness of these programs for the organization, and I developed a viable alternative: the LA.
If this sounds interesting, please download my article on LA (in Dutch) in the PUBLICATIONS list or contact me. I will be happy to tell you about for example the LA experience at ABNAmro Region South.

The Quality of Higher Education

I was always involved in education in my life, after being a student I became teacher, educational researcher, professor, and recently also auditor of institutes for higher education in Europe, and ultimately also trainer of this kind of auditors, especially of (vice-) chairpersons of audit committees. I work in this respect on behalf of the Flemish-Dutch Quality Assurance Agency NVAO and of the E-Train Initiative of the European Commission.
My utmost focus is higher educational leadership. Dear (member of the) board of executives, what is your mission, vision and strategy? What is your added value in higher education and how do you make sense?
You can imagine that I am inclined to make a connection with the Leadership Atelier. Feel invited to contact me if this rings a bell.

Coping With Complexity

Speaking of leadership, I think that coping with complexity is the central issue. The manager learned to cope with complicated things; the leader deals with complexity, which is according to my analysis of sensemaking (a matter of Head-Hands-Heart):

1) Making sense of ambiguity;

2) Dealing with an ambivalence of values;

3) Taking a stand in  the ambidexterity of action.

These are the themes of a leaderschip workshop that I run with Siemens PBM1 for worldwide topmanagement. Recently, school leaders in Belgium have taken interest in this material. I am anxious to see what they will experience in this challenging workshop! I contend that a school leader has a lot in common with the boss of a factory, if it comes to fundamental leadership. By the way, could it be the case that coping with complexity is the kernel of wisdom? If so, does this mean that wisdom is the foremost requirement of leadership? And furthermore, does this insight establish the relevance of philosophy for leadership?