Navigation skills and change competencies
Towards flexibility, navigational expertise, and adaptability in turbulent times. Guidance during a change process + enhancement of skills to navigate change
Darwin got it wrong. Evolution is not about survival of the fittest, but about survival of the most adaptable. Adaptability or the ability to navigate change is the most valuable skill we can possess as a species, as individuals, or as organisations. If there are things we’d like to create.
This programme supports your organisation through a phase of change with the aim not only to ride the current wave of change successfully towards its desired outcome but also to train the organisation’s overall change management abilities.
Change may be driven by necessity or ambition. In either case, we use the desired outcome—where you aim to be—as the starting point.
Change management in the cultural sector
The cultural world faces high demands for change. We need to become cultural entrepreneurs, be inclusive, ensure fair pay, and improve governance. At the same time, we are expected to create societal impact while navigating the many crises and transitions that are taking place right now.
A number of elements are essential for effective change management and will be thoroughly addressed in this programme.
Strategic creativity
One crucial element is creativity. Creativity is the ability to discover unconventional paths and to find new ways where others are blocked. Creativity is a combination of freedom and focus:
- Focus on the desired outcome.
- Freedom to find the best path to that outcome without being constrained by previously devised strategies.
A plan represents our best guess of how to move from point A to point B. Executing the plan tests this hypothesis. One key question governs our strategic plans: Did it work? Yes or no?
- Yes? Great.
→ Upwards and onwards! - No? Why not?
→ Adjust and redesign.
A common phenomenon among coaches and consultants is that individuals and teams sometimes unconsciously start treating a strategic plan as a rigid procedure, losing sight of its purpose: to create the path of least resistance from the present to the desired outcome.
“In war, plans are worthless. But planning is everything.”
said Eisenhower, Churchill, or Nixon
Seeing reality clearly
To practise strategic creativity, we must develop a sharp ability to see what is, here and now—reality.
Every action step in a strategic plan is made up of elements from current reality. Although it is born of a vision of the future, each step can only be executed with the resources and conditions available now.
Seeing reality clearly might seem straightforward, but it’s more often than not the hardest element of any creative process. Humans are masters at overlooking what’s right in front of us. Moreover, we naturally gravitate towards action—solving problems and acting immediately. Studying reality requires deliberate effort, and organisations must allocate structural time for it if they wish to become better creators. Seeing reality clearly is vital for building our creative muscles.
Energy moves where it is
easiest to go
Business expertise on non-profits
During this process, my experience in business management for non-profits and as an all-round copywriter is at your disposal. A career in business professionalisation within arts and culture has equipped me with knowledge of finance & control, bookkeeping, process optimisation, operations, legal structures, fundraising, and public subsidies. My work as a writer has spanned marketing copywriting and co-authoring business documents such as policy plans, annual reports, and grant applications in the cultural sector.
This knowledge is mostly based on how thing works in the Netherlands.
Fees
The first session is free in order for both of us to find out whether we are a good match. Additionally, I offer a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee if things don’t work out.
- hourly rates (non-profit en for-profit)
- programme fees (sliding scale based on income)
- funding through a grant
| For organisations |
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| Strategic plan – From ambition to business plan to results. Clarity + the easiest way forward + business development. Skills for change – Adaptability is the most important skill an organisation can have in times of change. I guide your change process and train your change skills. Management information – Towards well-informed managers, intuitive financial reporting structures and good co-creation with the financial team Process redesign – A process is the path of least resistance to a desired outcome. Or is it not? Towards processes that smoothly align with the business strategy. |
| Free form consulting – How can structural dynamics support your organisational development ? |
| For ambitious people |
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| Coaching – Structural design for leaders, solo-entrepreneurs and people with challenging realities and spicy goals |
