Blog: Transformational Leadership Insights
Since January 2020 I have published around 80 LinkedIn posts on transformational leadership insight, around one every month, and counting.
Some set out frameworks, tools and/or best practices that I have built myself, others take a leading idea from a book, a piece of research, or from a publication like Harvard Business Review, or MIT Sloan Management Review. I benchmark these frameworks myself against what I have seen that does and does not work in practice.
Besides feeding my own curiosity, the motivation has remained unchanged: sharing helpful frameworks, tools and best practices for leaders who want to make change actually happen.
78 posts, page 1 of 7
4. August 2026The operating onion model
A compass tells you where True North is. It tells you nothing about the swamps and obstacles between here and there. That is the striking metaphor that opens the chapter on Direction in Changing Fast and Slow, the…
23. June 2026The augmented leader
AI will not replace leaders. But leaders who use it well will likely start replacing those who don’t The question is shifting. From “should we use AI?” to “how to lead well alongside it?” I like Wharton professor Ethan…
14. April 2026Performing vs winning
Many leadership teams focus intensely on quarterly performance. Others focus heavily on long-term strategy. But the real question is: Are you doing both? A useful way to think about this is a simple 2×2 leadership…
27. November 2025Get things done with TADAL
in organisations? It all comes down to optimising five steps: Think, Align, Decide, Act, Land. • Think. Not too much, but also not too little. Overthinking leads to paralysis by analysis; underthinking leads to shooting…
14. October 2025Balancing leadership modes in times of change
In transformational business situations, the right balance of leadership modes that a person or team uses, can help break away from the status quo and shape the future. Finding that balance is often what separates…
21. July 2025Changing your thinking modus at any moment
Where Does Your Mental Bandwidth Go? In times of transformation, how you spend your mental bandwidth is key. It’s not just about choosing the right topics, but also the right mode of thinking for each situation.…
3. July 2025Decide how to decide
How Does Your Leadership Team Decide? Balancing Inclusion with Decision Speed One of the most critical responsibilities for leadership teams is decision-making. Yet, how often do they pause to reflect on how we make…
30. January 2025Managing the pressure-performance curve
In a transformational journey managing the pressure-performance curve is crucial. Yes, some pressure is needed to create action, but too much pressure or for too long, leads to fatigue or worse. It's helpful to have a…
5. December 2024Improving quality and speed of decision-making
Aligning Decision Quality to Drive Business Momentum To transform an organization effectively, enhancing both the quality and speed of decision-making is essential. This not only builds momentum but also accelerates…
21. November 2024How to unlock your hidden potential
Unlocking Hidden Potential: Embrace Growth Beyond Comfort In our careers, it's easy to rely on our strengths and stick to familiar routines. But true growth and fulfillment often come from venturing beyond those…
31. October 2024Finding the right leadership styles mix
is key. There are various leadership styles that can be applied in a situation. Understanding which styles you naturally gravitate toward and which are required in a specific context can be highly beneficial. 1.…
16. September 2024Different levels of yes and no
Do you know your Yeses from your Nos? In a transformational situation, it’s important to understand the true level of commitment people have behind targets, initiatives, etc. It can be helpful to assess for yourself the…
4. September 2024Pseudo productivity vs real productivity
How to enhance productivity in this hyper-connected age? Cal Newport, in his book "Slow Productivity", offers a counterintuitive perspective: real productivity emerges not from filling our schedules with emails and…
18. July 2024Quit or grit: when to persevere and when to quit
In a transformational situation, it can be a challenge to know when to perservere and when to pivot. In their books, Seth Godin ('When to Grit and When to Stick') and Annie Duke ('Quit. The Power of Knowing When to Walk…
4. July 2024The six dimensions of winning teams
Creating successful teams is crucial to a company's success, especially in a transformational situation. I liked the recent INSEAD article by Alain Goudsmet , and Ludo Van der Heyden where they outline 3 levels and 6…
11. June 2024Six practices driving transformational success
Transformations That Work: Insights and Best Practices At any given time, about one-third of all large organizations are engaged in transformational programs. Yet only 12% of these programs achieve lasting results,…
28. March 2024Perfectionist vs optimalist
Optimalism: even more perfect A perfectionist attitude can hamper the traction needed in a transformational situation. While it's important to raise standards and ambitions, a subtle attitude shift from perfectionism to…
22. February 2024Making paradoxes work
In a transformation it is critical to manage the many paradoxes in play. The notion of making clean cut choices between the surfacing dilemmas often backfires. In working through the uncomfortable tension of the…
9. January 2024The right vs wrong kind of mistake
In transformative situations, failures are part of the process. But not all failures are equal. To distinguish between different types of failures, we must evaluate the severity of the consequences of potential mistakes…
21. December 2023The art of framing
“Someday we will laugh about this” It is an often used statement when people try to frame a setback in a different light. For any event to have meaning, it is important to decide in which time frame you reflect on it.…
16. November 2023The fix map
The window for change is finite and without the combination of ‘speed’ and ’trust with stakeholders’ change becomes challenging. In this context, I like the new book of Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei &…
10. October 2023The creation spiral
In a transformational situation, organisations often need to find new growth and development paths. In this context I like the book 'The Creation Spiral by Marinus Knoope. It lays out 12 practical steps on how things…
5. September 2023The art of choosing the right gears
In a transformational situation it’s important to manage your own focus and productivity. In this context, I like the book ‘5 Gears, How to Be Present and Productive When There is Never Enough Time’ by Jeremie Kubicek -…
1. August 2023How big things get done
Making big projects happen is often key in a transformation. In this context I liked the new book "How Big Things Get Done" by Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner. Their extensive research on 16,000 projects provides…
5. July 2023The art of asking the right questions
In a transformation, it's essential to strengthen the art of asking questions. To fully harness the power of questioning, it's crucial to understand the different types of questions and their respective goals. In this…
16. May 2023Avoid your decision bias traps
Making sound decisions are key in a transformational situation. As a good reminder I liked the Harvard Business Review article ‘The Hidden Traps in Decision Making’ by Hammond, Keeney & Raiffa. It shows that there are…
20. April 2023Let all five leadership voices be heard
In a transformational situation it’s important to create powerful leadership teams. In this context, I like the book ‘5 Voices’ by Jeremie Kubicek - Speaker/Author, and Steve Cockram. It lays out that there are…
23. March 2023Unleash the power of priorities
In a transformational situation, it's crucial to establish priorities with focused energy in order to create meaningful change. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations and lose sight of the big picture.…
3. February 2023The (de)constructive power of debate
In a transformational situation challenging choices have to be made. Using debate and arguments can be a positive tool to create better insights and alignment but can also cause escalating polarisation and resentment.…
4. January 2023Realising your New Year's resolution: how to harness self-discipline
? For most New Year’s resolutions, it requires a period of feeling uncomfortable to see through a behavioral change and not fall back into old habits. I recently enjoyed reading Peter Hollins’ book ‘The Science of…
19. October 2022Learning to Learn Better
In a transformational situation, by definition you need to learn to operate differently. How well have you mastered the skill of learning itself? In this context, I really enjoyed the book “Learn Better'', by Ulrich…
16. September 2022Better Navigating Uncertainty
In a transformational business situation you have to deal with uncertainty. How can you as a leader expand your capacity to deal even better with uncertainty? In this context I like the recent INSEAD article “Can We Get Better at Navigating Uncertainty?”. It lays out four levers to increase your uncertainty ability. Let me share …
19. August 2022Achieve more with Ease
In a transformational situation, it can be tempting to focus on working harder and harder to achieve your goals. However, there is a limit to this on what can be achieved this way. I find Greg McKeown’s recent book ‘Effortless’ insightful in this context. He challenges the assumption that to achieve essential progress, it always …
19. July 2022The Power of Co-Elevation
In a transformation, it is key to create high-performing teams that cut across reporting line structures. In this context, I very much like Keith Ferrazzi’s recent book ‘Leading Without Authority’. Keith is a real thought leader. The core concept is to unlock the cooperative power when people commit and practice co-elevating relationships with each other …
16. June 2022Reduce Change Resistance
In a transformational situation, changing people’s minds and behaviour is challenging. I like the book ‘The Catalyst’ by Jonah Berger, a professor at The Wharton School. He uses leading research to argue that it’s less about persuading harder and more about reducing five innate human barriers to change. Reactance When people are pushed, they automatically …
27. May 2022How to be Indistractable
In a transformational situation, it’s important to focus on creating traction and not on distractions. In this context, I like the book ‘Indistractable’ by Nir Eyal. He provides a helpful framework, insights and practical actions. Some highlights: Master Your Inner Distraction Triggers– Inenam discomfort is often a trigger for a distractive action.– Inner discomfort is …
28. April 2022Using Change Goals to Inform Leadership
In a transformative situation, an adaptive leadership style is key. But what does this mean and how can you adapt? I like in this context the recent MIT Sloan Management Review article ‘Leading change Means Changing How You Lead’. The article encourages leaders to assess contextual effectiveness by three leadership tasks: Mapping. Map the changing …
31. March 2022The Difference Between a Strong and an Effective Culture
Building an effective culture is key in any transformation. The new book by James L. Heskett, an emeritus Harvard Business School Professor, on “Win from Within: Build Organisational Culture for Competitive Advantage” is one that I like very much. I have been a fan of James Heskett and his work since I was a young …
10. March 2022Tranformation in Uncertain Times: Tackling Both The Urgent and The Important
Transformational times differ from “ordinary” times. For a successful transformation it is to find the right balance between urgent and important matters. I enjoyed the recent McKinsey article on ‘Transformation in uncertain times: Tackling both the urgent and the important’, which lays out insights into effectively balance the two. Some of the key insights that …
3. February 2022Close The Gap Between Strategy and Execution
In a business transformation, it is important that the strategy is successfully implemented. However, there are pitfalls that regularly cause this to fail. In this context, I really enjoyed the HBR article by Prof. Freek Vermeulen of Londen Business School, “Many Strategies Fail Because They’re Not Actually Strategies”. He not only points out several of …
26. January 2022How to Make Your Organization Future-Proof
It’s important in a transformation to future-proof your organization. I very much liked the recent episode of the McKinsey podcast titled ‘How to future-proof your organization’. Chris Gagnon and Elizabeth Mygatt shared their insightful views on how to make your organization proof for the post-pandemic world. Some of the highlights: PurposeResearch shows the increasing importance …
11. January 2022Seven Principles for Achieving Tranformational Growth
In a transformational situation, growth is key. I like the McKinsey article ‘Seven principles for achieving transformational growth’. It lays out 7 insights: Look past the mythsIt’s key to break free of some limiting myths. For example, there is the myth that you should not invest in growth during a crisis like Covid. However, it …
30. November 2021Six Practices to Elevate Strategy to a Way of Life
To make a transformation successful, it takes more than a well-thought-out strategy. I like Ikujiro Nonaka’s and Hirotaka Takeuchi’s article in the MIT Sloan Managemt Review which argues that for a company’s strategy to succeed in a complex, rapidly changing world, it must be rooted in moral purpose. Strategy should be driven by both the …
18. November 20215 Things High-Performing Teams Do Differently
In a transformational situation it’s key to explore new spaces and ways for value creation in your industry. I like the framework that W. Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne and Mi Ji presented in a recent INSEAD article. It basically lays out four questions you can ask yourself to identify these new strategic opportunities, especially in …
5. November 2021The Four Actions Framework
In a transformational situation, high-performing teams at all levels are of course a key driver of success. In this context, I like and recognise the five practical suggestions made by Ron Friedman, Ph.D. in a recent Harvard Business Review article, based on in-depth research. Some of them may sound counter-intuitive. Pick up the phoneAlthough phone …
19. October 2021The 6 Vitals of Self-Knowledge
Transforming a business is a challenge and requires leaders to bring their A-game. One of the ways to raise your game is to know yourself better. I have found the tool of the 6 Vital Strengths of self-knowledge helpful. ValuesWhat do you want to stand for? There is a long list of values: health, creativity, …
23. September 202110 lessons from Peter Drucker by Jim Collins
In a transformation, it’s critical to be a highly effective leader. I liked the 10 lessons from the book ‘The Effective Executive’ by Peter Drucker as Jim Collins defined them in an article. Manage thyself.Raise your own standards first. Drucker explains that the ratio between the leader’s performance and that of the team is constant. …
7. September 2021Four C’s of Mental Toughness
Harnessing Mental Toughness is key in any transformation. I love the leading research that P. Clough and D. Strycharczyk have done on this and laid out in their book ‘Developing Mental Toughness’. They have boiled it down to a framework of 4 Cs: Control, Commitment, Confidence, and Challenge. They found strong proof that leaders and …
26. August 2021Ask Purposeful Questions Daily
In a transformation journey, asking yourself daily purposeful questions can be helpful to remain focused. As an example, I have added in the visual a set of questions which Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, Ph.D. of Santa Clara University suggested in their ‘classic’ book “The Leadership Challenge”. Personally, I also like empowering questions such as: …
11. August 2021Total Motivation Factor (ToMo)
Harnessing motivation is key in any transformation. An insightful way to make this more measurable and manageable is the ‘Total Motivation’ (ToMo) factor. It was developed by N. Doshi and L. McGregor, and introduced in their book ‘Primed to Perform’. Basically, they identified that high scores on three ‘direct motivator’ factors enhance overall motivation, but …
22. July 2021Six problem-solving mindsets for very uncertain times
In a transformation, it’s important to have the right mindset when solving complex problems in an uncertain context. I like the ‘six mutually reinforcing mindsets’ for great problem solving as mentioned in a recent article by C. Conn and R. McLean on McKinsey & Company Quarterly: Being ever-curious about every element of a problem.In times of uncertainty, …
1. July 2021Mastering Your Inner Leadership Game – 7 Paradoxes
In a transformation journey, it is important to manage paradoxes all the time like ‘short term and long term’, ‘strategy and execution’, ‘global and local’ etc. In this context, I like the recent article in strategy+business by A. Bryant and K. Sharer titled ‘Can you master the inner game of leadership?’. They highlight 7 leadership paradoxes: …
8. June 2021From change resistance to readiness
In any transformation, the status quo dynamics of the opposing forces of readiness to change and resistance to change? must be shifted. As is often the case, the status quo is not an option for the organisation to thrive in the future. Therefore, it is key to understand who the (hidden) opponents are and what …
28. May 2021Effective Team: GROW 7A
The progress of any transformation journey largely depends on building effective teams. Recently, I read an Insead article by Vincent H. DOMINÉ and Fabio Coluccia on Insead, where they shared their GROW 7A methodology. Aspiration & Alignment It starts with clarifying each team member’s personal aspirations and guiding principles for the transformation journey ahead. It’s …
30. April 2021Nudging from planning to execution
In a transformation, next to having a good strategy, it’s key to get things done. However, planning can feel more appealing than implementing. I found the “implementation nudges” from the article “Crossing the Chasm” in Business Horizons helpful: #1 Remove the distraction to plan: When strategic planning and execution are discussed in a meeting, minds …
13. April 2021Leadership Productivity Model
In a transformational situation, you don’t just have to run the business, you have to change it, which often creates a crowded agenda. I have found the ‘Leadership Productivity Model (LPM), by Dobbelstein and Geiselhardt, to be a helpful tool to see how to increase leadership productivity and identify areas of improvement in four categories: …
25. March 2021The Power of Well Calibrated Confidence
In a transformational situation, it’s crucial to find the right level of confidence about what an organization can achieve and the likelihood of results. Overconfidence can lead to serious problems, as can a lack of confidence. I like Don More’s recent book “Perfect Confidence” and took away some important advice on how to calibrate our …
19. March 2021How to persuade the unpersuadable?
Often in organizational transformation situations, powerful people who look unpersuadable need to be persuaded. I found Adam Grant’s article in HBR interesting as he describes how people at Apple were able to change Steve Jobs’ unpersuadable views. I like the proposed solutions versus traits of people who are difficult to convince. Overcoming the tendency of …
- 26. February 2021
The Power of Experimenting
To innovate is key in a transformation. Do you have the right balance between planning and rapid experimenting? For example, as most know, at Google, when there is a decision to be made whether ads should have a blue or yellow background, this is not resolved by debate but by running an experiment. It became …
17. February 2021Which personality are you?
When dealing with a transformation, people tend to have different positions. In the classical metaphoric book ‘Who Moved my Cheese’ by Spencer Johnson, four positions to unexpected change are illustrated which you could summarize as follows: The Innovator: is expecting, looking for, and anticipating change. The Producer: once change is happening, moves into action to …
2. February 2021How deliberately do you use decision rules?
How do you make decisions in a transformation? Are you deliberate on what type of decision rules to use for what type of decision? There are several decision rules a leadership team can use. In my experience, if not explicitly managed, teams tend to gravitate to a certain rule, such as consensus, for example. This …
14. January 2021The Openness Model
In a transformational journey, it’s key for leaders to get new and better insights and ideas. This requires a certain level of permeability to new views and experienced by leaders. New ideas always arrive via a minority view, even when they’re unanimously adopted. In their book “The Infinite Leader,” Chris Lewis and Pippa Malmgren write …
10. December 2020Break the Innovative Paradox
I enjoyed Jeff Dyer, Nathan Furr, and Michael Hendron’s article in MIT Sloan Magazine ‘Overcoming The Innovator’s Paradox.’ They interviewed 100+ innovative business leaders who transformed companies and industries with radical ideas while securing enough resources. The authors highlight idea amplifiers to help secure the resources for more daring, risky ideas: Comparing: finding the right …
20. November 2020Strategic Doing Cycle
I like the concept of Strategic Doing to drive transformation in a complex environment, developed by Ed Morrison at Purdue University. He established it based on insights from networks of people solving problems together to transform local communities. It’s also shown success in agile business contexts, where hierarchy has become ineffective in setting and delivering …
5. November 2020Outside-in vs Inside-in Leadership
I like the provocative ‘outside-in principle’ for transformational leadership, described in Herminia Ibarra’s book ‘Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader.’ The premise behind it is that thinking and introspection should come only after taking action and experimenting in a transformational situation. It’s key to plunge into new outside projects, interact with different people …
23. October 2020The Power of Questions
Asking questions to challenge status quo beliefs and assumptions is a key element in any business transformation. Many new disruptive business models are based on a different perspective on what’s possible and questioning status quo assumptions about how things are. Often in hindsight, established businesses ask themselves, “How did we not see this?” In his …
7. October 2020ABCD Decisions
Great decision making can bring vitalising energy to a transformation. It’s crucial not to treat different decisions with the same approach. A McKinsey & Company article, ‘Untangling Decision Making’ suggests a practical triage: Big-bet decisions: These shape the future of the company. Regularly reviewing them is key to overcoming cognitive biases. Good practices: appoint a …
26. September 2020Power of small wins
The motivational power of celebrating small progress wins is a key ingredient in successful transformations. Many tend to focus on and celebrate only big achievements. However, research shows that creative teams found ways to create micro-moments of celebration while maintaining motivation. I found the work of Harvard prof. Teresa Amabile, ‘Power of Small Wins’ very …
15. September 2020MAD Change Matrix
“If you dislike change, you’re going to dislike irrelevance even more.” A recent MIT Sloan Management Review article explains the MAD Change Matrix, defining 3 types of transformation strategies depending on the context. Enhance Magnitude: Step up the execution of the current position/proposition in the market when the market is still attractive and the business …
25. August 2020Your Impact Matrix
In a transformation, real focus and high engagement are key ingredients to achieving impact, in my experience. A helpful question to regularly ask is how the business overall, the different leaders, departments, projects and team score on the above matrix? In every situation, there is a constant gravity to dilution of focus due to new …
31. July 2020Value Creation Matrix
What is real transformation? In his great book ‘Zero to One,’ Peter Thiel shared some provocative views on how to build the future: be optimistic and have a definite view/plan on how to shape it. He introduced the concept of two levels of progress. One is creating a new, better service/product (from 0 to 1), …
3. July 2020From “Knowing It All” to “Learning It All”
In his great book ‘Hit Refresh’, Satya Nadella describes his inspiring journey in transforming Microsoft inside-out, by rediscovering and refreshing its purpose, setting clear priorities, changing the portfolio, etc. but maybe most importantly, by refreshing the culture/mindset from “Knowing It All” to “Learning It All.” He illustrates that a key element was to empower people …
18. June 2020Do you have a transformative leadership posture?
How to unleash people around you in transformational situations? Frances Frei and Anne Morriss published a great book called ‘Unleashed’. One of the frameworks they introduce is the ‘Standard-Devotion Matrix’. One axis shows to what level you are raising standards towards others, and the other indicates how high your level of devotion is to people …
5. June 2020Busy vs Productive
Transforming an organisation is challenging and it requires change on many fronts. Given the often big agenda and many moving pieces, I have frequently seen management fall into the “busy-ness” trap. It’s appealing because it creates an artificial sense of progress. Real progress, however, calls for productive behavior focused on purposeful, quality work on the …
30. April 2020Are you balancing the right mix of your internal leadership personas?
‘Winning from Within’ is this great book by renowned and inspiring leadership expert Erica Ariel Fox of Mobius Executive Leadership. In it, she introduced the practical concept that everybody has multiple leadership personas inside of them. She defines four key personas. Dreamer: taps into intuition, sees a path forward, develops a future vision, defines purpose …
8. April 2020Fixing vs. Transforming in face of a crisis. What is your framing?
When faced with a challenge/crisis, the framing of how you respond to it makes a big difference. If the framing is more focused on deficit gap closing, most of the energy goes towards fixing the problem. The mental questions tend to focus on: What is wrong? How did we get here? Whose fault it is? …
19. March 2020Creativity Thrives Under Contraints
How to deal with remote working? Imagination is unleashed by limitations. In psychology, constraints have been studied as a means of being more resourceful and creative and many artists, business people or even athletes are known to set limitations for themselves. Mondriaan used only certain colours and lines in his works, whereas Steve Jobs demanded …
2. March 2020Avoid the Don Quixote Trap
I have found that having a clear, compelling vision with conviction behind it is often key to change a status quo. However, keeping an open mind and regularly testing the underlying vision assumptions/beliefs are good practices to avoid falling into a tunnel vision ‘Don Quixote’ trap. I personally found the concepts developed by former Harvard …