The hospitality industry has always fascinated me.
I guess it has to do with my curious mind, love for discovery and travel, and passion for making a difference in people’s lives.
When you work in hospitality, you need to have a feel for the fact that your customers are looking for a good experience while being away from their zone of comfort.… Read the rest
I’m not a big believer in a sense of urgency as a driver of culture.
Every time I hear that sentence, the hairs on my neck raise, and a shiver runs through my spine.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in speed. Just not in urgency.
Almost always, when managers (not leaders) utter these words, there’s more to it than just urgency. … Read the rest
“I don’t pay you to think; I pay you to execute.” — Old School CEO.
Earlier in my career, I spent four years in a company where that was the culture early on.
I was on an expat assignment abroad, and part of my responsibilities was helping design en deliver interventions that would change the culture. … Read the rest
Last Friday, I started the day with a slight concern that it was going to be one of those days when you ask yourself at the end of the day:
“What did I actually accomplish today?”
I woke up a bit restless.
I knew I had set pretty aggressive goals for the day.… Read the rest
Consistency is key.
When you want to progress in life, you need to show up and deliver what you set out to deliver.
That’s what I’ve shown with my writing in 2022.
52 weeks. Two stories per week, every Tuesday and Friday morning. One hundred four accomplished.
There are days you will not soon forget in your life.
Last Friday was a day I rather forget, but that’s probably not going to happen.
You’re reading this post today, the following Friday. A lot has happened in between, so the news is old.
Last week we spent a few days in the Netherlands.
I had work to do, we visited family and friends and had a good time in The Hague.
Sunday, we drove back.
We benefitted from one extra hour because daylight saving time ended, so we left early and returned home before it got dark (again).… Read the rest
Last week I asked a business partner how he was doing.
I asked him what that meant.
He explained that he was almost always busy, ranging from extremely busy to good busy.
Good busy meant that work was not crazy but did not allow much thinking or reflection time.… Read the rest
Everyone is an alien somewhere.
And sometimes those aliens come together in a football stadium to be entertained for two + hours by a rock band.
That happened to my wife and me a few weeks ago in Frankfurt, Germany. A Santa gift that still needed to be redeemed.
The band is Coldplay, and the tour name is “Music of the Spheres.”… Read the rest
That was the argument from a traveler last Friday morning at 5.18 am when I was in a massive security line at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
The lady was talking to a security assistant and making her case that she was about to miss her flight with her group if she would not be allowed to get to the front of the line.… Read the rest
Some people have it by nature; others get it by training. Some never do.
Some people have a serving mentality just by being who they are.
Erikjan Lantink
This story is about them and to honor them.
Concretely, it is about two people working in the bar of the hotel I’m staying in while working in Ljubljana, Slovenia.… Read the rest
Most likely, when you, or the person or team you’re in conversation with, do not demonstrate a sense of urgency.
I’ve heard the term many times in my life.
In non-urgent situations, when I was confronted that my conversation partner(s) thought that I was not showing a sense of urgency.… Read the rest
What’s your first thought when you read the word obsessed?
It’s probably negative, right?
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with collecting Panini football cards. I did everything possible to get my book completed.
Including the chores I most resented, only to get a little bit of cash to buy cards and complete my album.… Read the rest
“Challenge the status quo with innovative and beautiful designed products.”
Apple
Which company do I refer to here?
Big chance you have one of their products, be it a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop, and use one of their services.
I’m not planning to have a love fest about Apple here and its products or services.… Read the rest
It’s Easter Monday and a travel day for me. In the morning, a four-hour drive from my in-law’s home and a two-leg flight to Ljubljana in the evening.
A lot of time to reflect on some past events. One of them was the cup final my team lost yesterday evening.
Have you ever seen a woodchopper running around in a forest trying to chop ten trees simultaneously?
Imagine the scene.
Every time he gets to a tree, he chops at it a few times, and then he goes on to the next tree. After some considerable time running around, all ten trees are still standing, and the woodchopper is worn-out and on his last legs.… Read the rest
First Chaos. Then Structure.
I just completed ten stories about each growth cue in my playbook.
It was fun to do. It gave me some structure for five weeks in a row. I basically knew what I was going to write about next.
Sort of.
I knew the topic, but the story still came from what was happening around me.… Read the rest
Lessons from Max
Max Verstappen was four years old when he started karting with his father.
He had only one goal.
To become the best racecar driver in the world.
That has been his focus for twenty years, and last week Sunday, he accomplished his dream.
I will spare you all the details of the drama that unfolded.… Read the rest
What you do is who you are.
There are many variations to this sentence, but the principle behind all of them is the same.
Whomever you want to become, or whatever you want to accomplish, you need to have discipline and consistency in your execution to get there.
If your ambition is to become a writer, you need to write frequently.… Read the rest
I love good design.
I’ve always been interested in design, both personally and professionally.
Good design helps tell and sell a story.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t great at math and other exact subjects at school. Otherwise, I would have become an architect.
Architecture is the bridge between imagination and execution.… Read the rest
