Can only farmers be happy?

In the Netherlands there are about 900000 employees (circa 12% of the Dutch workforce) that suffer from burn-out related symptoms. On average these people use up 189 days of sick-leave each year. That sums up to about 9 months of absenteeism, due to various forms of stress at work. The lion’s share of these problems are caused by relational problems, such as problems with:

• Yourself
• Your boss
• Your colleagues
• Your customers

Why a team?

Instinctively two very opposite emotions pop up when I think about teams. On the one hand it makes me think of a club of friends, a home, fellowship, companionship, a team that knows how to get challenging jobs done. On the other hand it raises feelings like irritation, powerlessness, bother and frustration. How come a team can be both heaven on earth as well as a true hell?

The 5 secrets of trust

Do you recognize this feeling: we are a strong team, yet there is still something missing, and things are not running smoothly. Developing a strong team is an art in itself. Usually the team-members start off with enthusiasm. Slowly that initial energy flows away though. But why?

The following overview of the various phases of team-development shows that this is actually absolutely normal, and part of the normal process towards becoming a strong team...

6 myths about teambuilding

Do you recognize this feeling: I have heard about this idea rather often, therefore it must contain certain elements of truth. This is how quite some myths have established themselves in the management world. For instance, ‘who says that self-managing teams are that effective in the Dutch context?

Here some of the most well-known myths about teams and effectiveness.

Leading as a Coach 1: Winning the talent

Peter is sitting in a lobby of a renowned bank in the Netherlands. He is only 22, but he is a definite high potential, and he is invited for an interview with one of the directors of the bank. Annoyingly though the director is 35 minutes late, and when he arrives he invites Peter in with a big smile. The director doesn’t bother to give any excuses and arrogantly sits down behind his big desk. Upon which Peter asks him why he is late and why he had to sit in the lobby for over half an hour without being given any information. The director answers him: ‘well youngman, I am a director of a big bank, these things happen.’ Big smile. Peter briefly assesses the situation, gets up and politely takes leave with the following words: ‘Well, many thanks for your kind invitation, but I am quite sure that I won’t fit in well in your organization.’ 5 minutes later, 3500 young professionals in the Netherlands have read what Peter has just experienced at a bank that prides itself for being an innovative and top-notch company…

Leading as a coach, and how to get and to keep talent!

The NRC-Next published on the 13th of March 2013 the following article: ‘How to get and keep engineers’.

- 1.200.000 = engineers/technicians in NL

-    102.000 = new vacancies that will be realized in 2013 for engineers/technicians in NL

-    150.000 = shortage of well-educated engineers/technicians in NL for 2011-2016

At the same time the Dutch ministry for Health, Wellbeing and Sport published the following numbers in 2010 concerning the developments within healthcare:

- 1.400.000 = people working in NL in healthcare

- the prognoses for between 2011 and 2020 is that this number will decline with 450.000

Even though we are living amidst an ongoing economic crisis, there is an increasing demand for well-educated professionals and specialists, not only within the engineering-sector, but also throughout the entire society (including healthcare). After making this observation, NRC-Next addresses the following question and ideas: how can you assure to get and keep professionals and specialist?

The Negev desert

Things can really get to you. Sometimes that happens a lot easier than normal. Last week I traveled, together with a group of entrepreneurs through the Negev-desert. You get simply overwhelmed by the rough and beautiful nature. Especially under the full moon and the crystal clear stars, which light up the entire desert.

Because the desert is a place where you are secluded from the usual context of daily life, it is a place where you can easily be affected by things from within yourself. Surrounded by very little stimulus, your soul starts to stir, your heart speaks clearly, and you cannot just ignore it, you have to face it. A revelation...