I used to find it terrifying to stand on a stage. Speaking in front of a room full of people – my palms would be sweating. But something has changed. In fact: I am starting to enjoy it.
And that is not because it is always easy now. On the contrary. Sometimes I am on a stage while feeling vulnerable. Because life gets to me, as it did during my period of burnout. There are stretches when I mainly live from day to day. It is precisely then that I notice how important it is to have something you really go for.
For me that is: the fight against wasted talent.
More and more I dare to stand up for what I really think matters. For what I believe. And it is this: we still waste far too much talent. Of people who are not in the right place. Who get stuck in work that gives them no energy. Who have more in them, but who are never told so.
And yes, that goes for me too. I have sometimes stayed on in roles or projects that did not fit. Until I found the courage to say it out loud. To let go. Or to walk away from something. Sometimes it is handing a task back. Sometimes something much bigger – resigning from a job or choosing a completely new direction.
That takes nerve. And trust. In yourself and in the people around you. Because you need others who see your potential. Who sometimes give you a push. Or feedback, even when it lands raw. But when you stand up for what you excel at, things start to flow. In yourself, and in the world around you.
That is why I believe so strongly in the power of data and AI – not to replace people, but to strengthen them. As a coach. As a mirror. As a compass. So that you discover: what am I good at? Where can I grow? Where do I belong? And how can I organise work so that others can use their talent too?
At the same time I know: I am also speaking from a privileged position. Thanks to my education, my work experience and where I was born, I have had chances that many people never get. I am financially less dependent on work than others. And yes, some people may find my message sickening. Because they cannot imagine what it is like to actually be able to make those choices.
I understand that. And yet that is exactly why I feel the responsibility to stand up for systems in which everyone is seen. In which nobody has to stand on the sidelines.
Because wasted talent is a far bigger problem than a so-called ‘labour shortage’. Is that shortage really there, if we make good use of the talent that is available?
That is my mission. And I keep saying it – on stages, in organisations, and here online: we have to organise more cleverly. More intuitively. Data-driven. Radically honest about what people need in order to flourish.
📸 The photos are from my talk for Baandomein – thank you Kevin Cordewener📸 for capturing this moment.
Would you like to be there when I tell this story again? These are some of the places where you can find me in the coming period:
- 1 July – HR Festival HRcommunity , Doorn
- 10 July – HR Leaders Summit , Berlin
- 17–19 September – Zukunft Personal Europe, Cologne
- 24 September – Global Talent Intelligence Conference , Amsterdam
- 7 October – Digitaal Werven Event, Amersfoort
- 26 November – Recruitment Tech Event, Utrecht
Fancy joining? Feel free to send me a message – I can often arrange something where tickets are concerned. And do you have a network or an organisation where this story deserves to be heard? Invite me. I would love to come.
💥 Let’s make the difference together. For everyone. Every single day.