Columns
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On the air
In general I’m not so enthusiastic about soccer metaphors on good leadership, nor am I crazy about the idea of paint-balling or kart racing with the whole team. But as of recently, I would advise every prospective manager to go take a look in a radio studio.
...read onTaming the Beast
Jack says he had only been working as department manager at the logistics firm for a little while when he was invited to address the Top 200. He was reasonably well prepared and pretty calm on the way over. The shaking didn’t start till he heard his name on the loudspeaker.
...read onReady for the Show
Column appearing in Dutch every fortnight at www.kluwermanagement.nl
I find Nadia backstage, sitting on one of the many cases, with a spaghetti of wires at her feet. She’s hunched over and reading from her opening speech, continuously interrupting and correcting herself. I’m alarmed. She’s definitely in the danger zone!
...read onOn the Platform
Column appearing every fortnight at www.kluwermanagement.nl
It’s 7.30 AM and the platform is full of school kids and commuters. A number of boys of about twelve stand close to each other, they seem half asleep. Once in a while one of them utters a single word but nobody reacts. Two boys…
...read onOffice Corridors
Column appearing every fortnight at www.kluwermanagement.nl
When Francoise came to me for the first time, she had just gotten the results of the annual staff satisfaction study. It showed that as director, she was not visible enough. Francoise describes herself as someone who likes to set up her schedule efficiently. She is accessible in a useful way…
...read onA Raised Eyebrow
Column appearing every fortnight at www.kluwermanagement.nl
Hanno is General Director at a Dutch Ministry. The people he works with listen to him, take notes when he speaks, try to catch his attention – because they know who he is. But with his thick glasses, jackets that seem to not quite fit, and buck teeth, his appearance is not impressive. People who don’t know him yet often mistake him for the devoted specialist he once was…
...read onJurgen
Jurgen has what it takes. He works for a large consultancy company and shows high potential. I have trained him, and others like him, for the next step in their careers – that of partner in the firm. We work on how to convey authority in a personal way…
...read onThe Treacherous Dinner Speech
No matter how even-tempered and courteous you might be, when you give a speech during a dinner there is a good chance you will surprise yourself and suddenly say really nasty things. This recently happened to a Chinese diplomat, who during his formal dinner speech turned to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and told him …
...read on