Speaker on leadership, emotions and complexity
I speak for executives, managers, medical specialists and professionals working in complex organisations. As a speaker I share what I have learned about the human side of leadership and the future of medicine — two different worlds, but with a common core: how we deal intelligently with complexity.
Leadership and emotions in the boardroom
We sometimes think emotions are irrational outbursts — evolutionary remnants from a primitive brain that we need to keep in check with our reason. That picture is wrong. Emotions are not a glitch of evolution. They are actively and purposefully generated in the unconscious part of your brain, a system that processes 11 million bits per second, while you are conscious of only 40. In my talks I make this science accessible for boardroom practice.
Emotions as data for decision-making
Your unconscious brain knows more than you do. It processes information at a speed your consciousness can never match — and presents the outcome in the form of an emotion. Anger in a meeting, unease after a decision: these are not interference, but important signals.
Why fear doesn't listen to logic
You cannot think your fear away, you cannot rise above it. But you can experience it away with new data — new experiences. About why it doesn't help to admonish your emotions, not in yourself and not in your team.
The authenticity guarantee of emotions
That we feel emotions — the pain of grief, the heat of anger — is not a glitch. It is a necessary authenticity guarantee. If you could show emotions without experiencing them, nobody would believe you.
Emotions, reputation and leadership
Emotions are not always right. They also guard your reputation — and sometimes that reputation is better than you deserve. When someone then offers justified criticism, you still feel genuine indignation. About reputation, self-image and how you deal with that as a leader.
Consciousness, reason and decision-making
Forget the battle between reason and feeling. There is no battle. There is a sophisticated collaboration in which you — your consciousness — are an important link, but not the boss. About what that means for how you make decisions.
My talks are suitable for conferences, leadership programmes, medical symposia and in-company gatherings. The content is always tailored to the context and audience.
The new brain of the doctor
Drawing on my book Het nieuwe brein van de dokter, I speak about the fundamental changes in the medical profession — about knowledge, technology and the future of healthcare.
Knowledge in healthcare
Medical practice can lag up to 17 years behind the latest scientific knowledge. How is that possible? And what can we do about it?
Artificial Intelligence in medicine
Will algorithms replace doctors — or strengthen them? About the promise of AI, the impact on personalised medicine, the role technology can play for better care, and the potential effect on physicians' earning power.
Joy in work
Burnout is common among physicians. The relentless pace of science can create a feeling that it is impossible to keep up. How can the profession remain truly enjoyable for doctors?
Bookings
Talks can be booked through Speakers Academy. There you will also find references from previous clients.