Eric Koenen
Niederlande
dieses profil liegt nicht deutschsprachig vor
Building pyramids only gets us mummies
When it comes to organisations, and organisational development, I don’t believe in pyramids. I believe in strong teams and leaders at all levels, who know what they stand for and take responsibility. A company’s strategy, a team’s plan, individual ambitions: all are best served by transparency, agility and entrepreneurial spirit. I have lost faith in rigid pyramid structures in which power is a keyword. An ‘atomium-like’ structure with independent, interconnected parts is a much more inspiring model. Spirit and drive are key elements to this form of working together.
This view of leadership underpins the way I work with teams in the Netherlands and abroad. I always start by searching for the strengths that have brought the organisation and teams to where they are now. Then, we’ll develop a vision for the future and decide on how to get there. Together, strengthening a team’s longing for a certain goal, and reducing fear are usually sufficient to create movement.
Before I joined the Kessels & Smit network I spent a long period as a line manager at the top of a large enterprise. This experience shaped my perspective in a profound way. For example, I discovered the power of combining the enormous amount of knowledge, skill and enthusiasm in an organisation. If we manage to do that and put all of that knowledge to use, almost anything is possible. I have also seen how all sorts of strengths - rational and irrational - can be used productively. All it takes is allowing them to be known.
When, as a director, I took the lead in a major re-organisation, the importance of connected leadership became fully clear to me. No man is an island; connection is the keyword for leadership in the 21st century.