Understanding the Language of Colour with C-me I don’t like putting people in boxes and I’m not particularly fond of labels either; I find stereotypes and generalisations unhelpful because the differences between people are very nuanced. I do, however, feel it’s very useful get a clearer...
Identity and love“When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object.” ― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of BeingI definitely remember all the things that I said about myself for all these years – things that no one imposed on me, but if someone asked me,...
Values in Culture What is it that defines success in international business nowadays? Culture! This is not only about team culture but the alignment of communication between people coming from different cultures. Culture is at the heart of failure and success. Businesses fail because they send...
How to build rapport onlineHow can you build rapport in this new digital world through online platforms? That is the key question I would like to answer.What is rapport, and why is rapport key?Rapport is one of the key basic principles to getting things done...
The fish did not discover the oceanSomeone once said that someone discovered the ocean, but surely it wasn’t the fish. And this is typically a phrase that refers to culture—culture being the collective programming of the mind, as Professor Hofstede once said. Professor Hofstede carried out...
Focusing on the wrong thingsI was in my car this week driving around being in trance, but aware enough to drive safely.The period of change behind me and the upcoming period of change had an effect on my state of mind and I would say that...
When people feel insecure they become animals. One time, some years ago, we were on an island for the weekend. One of the most peaceful islands that you can find in the Netherlands. Silence, peaceful and rest was the motto for the weekend. But then it was...
Peter Koijen writes about the future and the learning from that we can take away for the corona crisis.The coronavirus has put a stress on society, the economy and therefore people. People are resilient and respond very differently to a crisis like this. This...
Management teams and organisations are coping with a lot of problems. Some examples are lack of profitability, underperformance of teams or individuals, people being stressed, not focused, not in the right role or demotivated. Other problems include misalignment of the strategy with the market, trends...
Dutch People are not direct, my Portuguese wife said. Well, as a Dutchman, I found that a pretty direct statement. And, as I know her, this did not come as a surprise to me. I was interested in her thoughts, of course. She said that...