Author Archives: welcome@okavangoleadershipacademy.com

Almost everything written about communication sounds like a cliché. And yet, most of it is true. Many conflicts do not start because people disagree, but because they misunderstand each other. Or better said: because communication goes wrong. This happens even more today, when a large part of our communication takes place through email, WhatsApp, Messenger, […]

“When you become the master of your mind, you are the master of everything”

MANAGERS DON’T HAVE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS… RIGHT? I don’t think anybody would really believe that. Yet, somehow, the topic remains a kind of taboo in the world of managers. I was reminded of this recently when I read that it was World Mental Health Day. These days, it seems there’s a day for almost everything […]

In the world of management, we often hear that it’s our job to “look after the team.” Managers are seen as pillars of support and guidance, responsible for creating a stable, thriving work environment. But the reality of leadership, particularly in high-pressure roles, is that it’s as mentally and emotionally demanding as it is rewarding. […]

When I left the army, I believed that my extensive leadership training would enable me to manage effectively in various situations. After all, I had been educated and trained in leadership, and I had quickly secured management positions in the civilian world. However, reality taught me that the military approach to leadership does not always […]

I sometimes think that being busy all the time is the only speed people know nowadays. People are busy with being busy. And if it was with things they like, but that is not many time the case. Look around you or at yourself. Do you really like all the things you are busy with […]

“Why is this coaching program taking so long?”, “Why don’t I experience change already?”, “I did the mother medicine journey and now I am back where I was before.” A few comments that are not made for the first time and probably not for the last when talking to people who want lasting change in […]

Recently I was watching a Dutch program called ‘Tegenlicht.’ One of the episodes was about digitization, big data, artificial intelligence, robotics and more of this. It is not that I live under a rock, and I know that these things exist but when I watched that episode, my mouth fell open further and further in […]

When I moved to Botswana I knew that my life would change, and of course that was the purpose. Many things changed and most of them for the good and I feel more alive than ever. I realized how many things I took for granted while living in the Netherlands and that this put me […]