Auteur: alexandre

Meet the team

Meet the team

Meet the team: Charlotte van Veelen  – Program & Experience Manager

In this series of “Meet the team” we will introduce you to all our team members, one by one. This is done by asking a standard set of questions, including the Question for the Future of that month! This time we will introduce you to our one and only program & experience manager, Charlotte van Veelen!

 

1. Why did you join Minkowski?

After my masters, I found it difficult to decide what direction I wanted to move into. I didn’t see myself working for a big corporate with a learning curve set in stone. I found it more important to find an organization that shared my beliefs and values and where I could learn at my own pace. This is where Minkowski came in! I was given the opportunity to explore and learn what I wanted to contribute to the team, while working on very cool and impactful programs. And it’s just that; being able to spend your time and energy on building impactful programs with a purpose you truly believe in, is what makes working here so meaningful. 

 

  • Question for the future: “If you could be the CEO of an existing company, what would it be and what would you change? Explain.” 

I think the power to change lies in the shared knowledge of big corporates, governmental institutions, NGO’s and universities, but we might be lacking courage, vision, and collaboration to fully utilize this potential. The famous Shell argument “If we don’t do it, someone else will”, shows how uninspired and scared of the unknown we can be as humans. Anyway, if someone has to drag a Shell or KLM out of their limiting beliefs and into a future direction, I guess I’ll volunteer? 😉 

 

2. How do you make history by changing the future?

Making history by changing the future starts by finding your personal motivation to drive change – how big or small that may be. What I hope to contribute to this through Minkowski is making sure our programs are designed in such a way that participants really live through our programs and experience individually as well as together how they are a part of shaping the futures. Hopefully that triggers something in each individual to drive the change they wish to see. 

Meet the team

Meet the team

Meet the team: Stijn van Erp  – Program Facilitator

In this series of “Meet the team” we will introduce you to all our team members, one by one. This is done by asking a standard set of questions, including the Question for the Future of that month! This week we will introduce you to one of our program facilitators, Stijn van Erp!

 

  • Why did you join Minkowski?

As an industrial designer by study, I am fascinated in creating meaningful solutions to pressing challenges.  The process of spotting an opportunity and using the imagination to translate it into something meaningful is a thrilling one. I saw an amazing opportunity at Minkowski to do exactly that: enabling organizations to create better future(s) – yes, plural indeed – to challenge assumptions, to let them look at the future from another perspective and to create history by changing the future.

 

  • Question for the future : “As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up – and how does it compare to your current career?”

At around the age of 10, I dreamt of becoming a car designer. I was always busy sketching cars, at home and at school, and even ‘founded‘ my own brand. Together with classmates, who ‘joined’ my company we designed a portfolio of cars. I guess this is where I developed my entrepreneurial spirit. Though I’ve never studied to become a car designer, design itself remained very close to my heart. At Minkowski, I apply this entrepreneurial designers mindset to not design cars, but help organizations design better future(s).

 

  • How do you make history by changing the future?

By challenging the assumptions of myself and others, by looking outside to what makes people – or society at large for that matter – tick, and by always being optimistic and seeing opportunity in change.

 

Do you want to know more about our team? Check about us.

 

Meet the team

Meet the team

Meet the team: Cathalijne Bol-Oudijk – Head of Leadership Development

In this series of “Meet the team” we will introduce you to all our team members, one by one. This is done by asking a standard set of questions, including the Question for the Future of that week! We start off with our Head of Leadership Development, Cathalijne Bol-Oudijk!

 

  • Why did you join Minkowski?
    I like to work with people who want to make a positive impact on the world around them. I also found the energy around here really refreshing and welcoming at the same time.I love how we co-create programs that help leaders see themselves,others and the world around them through different eyes and empower them to take conscious actions and transform into something better.

 

  • Question for the future : “Cross-cultural encounters can be an opportunity for personal growth. What is the biggest lesson you have learned from other cultures?”
    I’ve worked with many multi-cultural teams in my career and the diversity of perspectives coming from all these different backgrounds often left me speechless. I’ve learned it is a humbling, enriching, mind opening (and blowing!) experience to listen to others who have a different story from your own…and yet…we all speak the same language: the language of the heart.

 

  • How do you make history by changing the future?
    The future is not what happens to us. The future is what we do with what happens to us. I hope to change the future by offering people a better understanding of themselves and others and transform the way they act. 

 

Do you want to know more about our team? Check about us.

 

Meet the team

Meet the team

Alexandre Janssen – Head of Engagement & co-founder Minkowski

In this series of “Meet the team” we will introduce you to all our team members, one by one. This is done by asking a standard set of questions, including the Question for the Future of that week! We continue with our Head of Engagement and Co-Founder of Minkowski, Alexandre Janssen!

Why did you join Minkowski?

“When I first met my partner Jörgen who founded Minkowski in 2017, we saw an opportunity to join forces in order to grow the organization and accelerate our mission; creating one million Einsteins within organizations to create better futures.

I love the challenge to build an organization that is bigger than just the two of us, and since I joined in 2018, we have been able to grow Minkowski to where we are now; a great team of people working on client programs as well as on Minkowski as an organization itself. “

Question for the Future: What advice would you give your younger self if you were to make an important decision that would affect your futures?

“Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions due to the unknown situation that lies ahead. But unknown situations also create excitement; if everything was known upfront there would be no fun in life.  Hence, I would say to myself; be open to unknown situations, don’t try to control everything, challenge your own assumptions, explore the different paths ahead, but most importantly, one you’ve made your choice, believe in it, stick with it and focus!”

How do you make history by changing the future?

“Almost nobody knows Hermann Minkowski, but everyone knows Albert Einstein. That is exactly what our philosophy entails. It’s not about us, it’s about the people we reach in our programs and how we can help them change little (or big) things that drive change for the better in the organization they work for.”

 

Do you want to know more about Alexandre or our team? Check about us.

 

Meet the team

Meet the team

Jörgen van der Sloot – Head of Futures & Founder Minkowski

In this series of “Meet the team” we will introduce you to all our team members, one by one. This is done by asking a standard set of questions, including the Question for the Future of that week! We start off with our Head of Futures and Founder of Minkowski, Jörgen van der Sloot!

Why did you start Minkowski?

“I started Minkowski as an alternative to traditional consultancy. I’ve always felt that those models lacked the activation of futures thinking in organizations. Very often the strategy deck disappears in a drawer somewhere or it relies on contracting these outside consultants to get to execution. But the problem with that, is that as soon as the consultants leave, the plans die. I believe that you actively have to involve the people in an organization all the way. Strategy should be a co-creative, everyday experience. That is usually a messy, inefficient process, but it is highly effective in making change happen. Minkowski is built on the principles of co-creation and helps people inside organizations to move from best practice to next practice and apply the future to today.”

Question for the Future: We have less than 2847 days left to 2030, what will you change tomorrow to create better futures?

“I feel it is a daunting task when you think of it. I have solar panels, I bike more than I drive, I recycle waste, etc. but all of that always feels like it is too small to really be impactful. So, I have had quite an extensive period where I felt that what I did really didn’t matter; but of course that didn’t help at all. So I focus on the small things that I do every day, with a belief that altering those small things will eventually lead to a better future. One thing that we have applied in our household is that we now use ‘traditional soap bars’ instead of using shower lotion from plastic bottles. It seems small, but it has proven to be an ‘easy adjustment’ to my daily routine.”

 

How do you make history by changing the future?

“Personally, I don’t think I am the guy that is making history. In fact, my ambition is to help as many others do that as I possibly can. So, what I do in the programs that we facilitate is to focus on at least one participant. If I can help her/him change something small, then I think I’m contributing to making history (even though I will never be known for it…and that is the way it should be).”

 

Do you want to know more about Jörgen or our team? Check about us.