Leadership is/are... • anyone who holds him or herself responsible or accountable for finding potential in people or processes. • the ones who run headfirst in to the unknown. They rush towards danger. • the ability to inspire a team to achieve a certain goal. • ... Just three definitions of leadership by three major speakers on the to...

One of the things that will remain despite any lockdown, remote working, or any other constraint, is communication. When I studied Communication at Uni, the professor started his course by stating that it is impossible for humans to not communicate. He was of course referring to non-verbal cues we all exhibit prior to our verbal commun...

Bored of what you have been watching on TV? Here's a few TV recommendations for you! Bosch (Amazon Prime): Titus Welliver is one of those actors that you know from movies/series but delivers as side character. However, with detective series Bosch he gets his moment in the sun and boy, does he make the most of it. He truly shines in the...

I recently saw a survivor-game show with participants set on a tropical island competing over privileges and all the social dynamics that come with it. It made me think on the concept of survival. They say diamonds are made under pressure, but I think some people use those diamonds to cut others instead of sharing the shine. And while ...

Remember the time when organisations were convinced every employee should become an entrepreneur? Whole educational courses, workshops, and books were produced to teach everyone how to embrace business ownership within an organisation. What they meant: if employees would be more pro-active, future thinking, and creative, our organisati...

Over the past few months I've been deep diving into the topic of fear. Part of my fascination comes from trying to solve my own issues connected to it, and part of it comes from the apparent shroud of taboo around fear. People feel uncomfortable talking about their fears and uncertainties even though we all experience it every day. Har...

Here's what I've been watching over the past few weeks, and whether you should tag along! This Time with Alan Partridge: Alan Partridge is one of characters played by Steve Coogan, and shows a struggling news anchor trying to make it big with a morning talk show. This comedy series is taking a satirical, dry humor stab at the insanity ...

Every now and then, whether it is during a job interview, meeting your future father-in law or just during a friendly conversation in a pub, you get asked the question what your 5 year plan is. What's your reply to this question? I guess that we relate some sort of skill or maturity when someone can state their 5 year plan in a nutshel...

I was chatting with this lady a few days ago, and part of our conversation was on smart career moves, what kind of topics are relevant and hot right now, etc. Then she mentioned she was "made redundant" by her (now former) company and proceeded to explain the new directions she was researching. And while she didn't come across as hurt ...

Here’s a short survival guide to business events and the inevitable drinks afterwards. Don’t go wild on the bar options, keep your business cards where they should be - in your pockets - and: casually drop the latest business buzzwords in the conversation. Nowadays it’s something like blockchain technology, or automation, but not too l...

All snuggled up on the couch but fresh out of ideas on what to watch next? Here's a few suggestions: Ted Lasso: I had been putting this show off for quite some time simply because I don't really care for the actor playing the main character (Jason Sudeikis). But after reading many glowing reviews and recommendations decided to set my g...

Recently I got to celebrate my 44th birthday. It made me realize that for me my birthdays have been shifting in purpose over quite some time. The older I get, the more you start to realize that birthdays really don't matter any more. Well, they matter in the sense that I am grateful to still be alive and enjoying life as it unfolds. Bu...

The topic of "true" leadership is often banded around by different experts. Whether those experts are disgruntled recipients of leadership, self appointed gurus, or happy practitioners, everybody thinks that they have leadership figured out. And that is not a bad thing in itself. We need to acknowledge that everybody has a different de...

Looking for a new TV show to follow but need that first refinement sorted? I got you! Here's some of the TV series I saw last week and why you should/should not watch them: Search Party: If you have never seen this show, you really should. This comedy/crime show is a fresh take, has great actors, and clever writing. Each season has its...

Many are familiar with the concept of technical debt: the debt accumulated by ignoring short cuts and work arounds for buggy tech stuff. However, this process of debt also applies when executing changes in the organisation. If you don't recognize or simply ignore work arounds when applying organisational changes, debt will accrue over ...

I was once invited to attend a massive church in Texas, USA. As custom, these churches are, in the words of a former US president: huge. For reference, this one had its own landing strip to allow the church leaders private jet a safe landing. All in all, I had the privilege to attend four or so church services throughout the weeks I wa...

Today is a special day. It is special because it marks the birth of something new and awesome: De Martin & Bartwin Show. For some time I've had my eye on doing something creative, funny, and straight up defiant. In De Martin en Bartwin show we talk about things that stick out, deviate from the norm, and interest us in a general sense. ...

Nothing more fun than discussing your favourite TV shows with your colleagues! As an avid TV show watcher and retired reviewer, I was recommended the Netflix show Japan Sinks by a colleague (shout out to Daniel!). Japan Sinks is an anime miniseries based on a novel. I know, like you care. However, you should watch the show for these re...

I am lucky enough to live in New Zealand. And every now and then you get reminded of the typical Kiwi attitude towards life. In this occasion, how to respond to public announcements:

Leadership seems to be addicted to change. Like an itch they just have to scratch. There just needs to be enough push from the market, or a decrease in time to market stats, to make leadership default to a new change initiative. Sometimes change is even standardized, with the self imposed yearly loop of strategic/tactical goals that se...

Did you know that superstar and all-around funny man Jim Carrey used to be homeless? In this video he talks about the decision of his dad to choose for a stable career as accountant in order to provide for his family only to see it turn to custard after he was laid off at the age of 51. This brought about some heavy times for the famil...

It's Friday which is a perfect day for a bit of fun! Back in the day I was in the habit of collecting pictures and photos that would make me laugh out loud. And recently, during some cleaning up, I've stumbled upon that weird collection of funniness. So, kick back, relax and have a look at these absolute gems: .

Finally found the right tool to share my thoughts and ideas to the world! I've always been an avid writer and thinker on a great variety of topics but struggled with the current offer of blog tools and sites. Happy to have found a tool, so simple to use that even I could use it. So, here's the start of a quite a few post on topics that...

I've been reading books on portfolio management lately. Part of this research comes from the increasing need of organizations on how to cope with their portfolio of projects and how to transition to a more iterative approach. Or, at least get some grip on the avalanche of projects and to bring some sense to it all. One of the more inte...