Author Arjen Van Berkum

8 oktober 2015 by Arjen van Berkum Leave a Comment

Businesses of the future: understanding business ecosystems

Business ecosystem: fish in the sea

A sea with just sharks will soon be a sea devoid of life. The fish in a sea are as important as the predators. They keep the circle of life in balance. Our human society is not that different from natural ecosystems. In order to survive as an apex ‘predator’ one needs to understand the workings of an ecosystem, without misinterpreting the connection of ‘large’ and ‘success’. It is not the survival of the biggest, but the survival of the fittest. Successful organisations of the future are not by definition large, but they are capable of managing an extensive network of people and businesses, with only one purpose: customer centricity. What does this mean? How do businesses acquire the skills that are needed to build and maintain a business ecosystem and make sure they thrive in it?

24 september 2015 by Arjen van Berkum 2 Comments

Lifelong learning has become key to society and individual careers

Lifelong Learning

Our education system is dormant and stagnant. It stirs up a lot of discussion, but what is actually changing in the nearby future? With that question in my head, I recently gave in to the urge to find out what is withholding us from creating an educational system that is based on lifelong learning. Why? Because in this volatile world that is disrupted in so many ways by innovation and technology, it seems impossible to ever stop learning when you want to keep up with society.

14 augustus 2015 by Arjen van Berkum Leave a Comment

Empowering cultural behaviour as driver for diversity

Cultural fit

Put a group of people together and you will discover there are many corresponding and contradicting characteristics, believes and opinions in that one room. These can level, reinforce, but also sabotage a situation. If you want to strengthen your business, how can you ensure that the first two values, the ones that create synergy, will dominate within your organisation? It’s all about behaviour and the culture that is steering that behaviour.
Recently I read an article on Linkedin about Michael Jordan’s attitude as a ‘jerk’ and how that was actually empowering his team, not sabotaging it. The writer states that hiring for cultural fit is overrated. Is it? In sports you often hear outrageous behaviour from leading talents. What happened first, their success or their jerky, arrogant outbursts? So you could question what causes what in these cases. How does this work within companies?

29 juni 2015 by Arjen van Berkum Leave a Comment

How to succeed as an authentic leader

10 do’s and don’ts for leadership success

Do you know who you are, what you believe and why you believe it? Are you able to be yourself in any given situation? Recently I read an article that contained a nice comparison for leaders that are facing their greatest challenge, namely integrating their personal and work lives:

Think of your life as a house. Can you knock down the walls between the rooms and be the same person in each of them?”

It takes a lot of courage to be a visionary, to walk your talk every step of the way. Especially when you still need to build your follower base. How can you find the inspiration to make an impact in the world as an authentic leader? Don’t strive to achieve success in tangible performances that are recognised in the external world. Strive for significance. Make a difference with your contribution: constantly build legacies by adding deep value to everyone you deal with. This is what makes good performers great leaders. Therefore self-awareness is a vital part of successful leadership.

Here are some principles that evolved from the values that I have ranked during my leadership journey.

Author Arjen Van Berkum

10 do’s and don’ts for leadership success

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