Why would you hire an external consultant? Granted, if the consultant has a set of expertise your organisation does not have, then the question is quickly answered. We need you as a consultant because you know stuff we need but don’t know. Legal stuff is a nice example. Formulating your own advice But for [...]
Travelling through Russia can get tough. A few years ago I was standing in a long queue for a train ticket. At a certain moment the lady behind the counter stood up, arranged her hair and closed the desk. I got mad! I had been standing for almost 4 hours! It was almost my turn! [...]
Where are we heading to and why? Most change programmes are about adapting to economic times (being able to sell more or to keep the level of sales). But the discussion on why we need a certain change on a deep intrinsic level is hardly addressed. When asked, the most probable answer will be that [...]
Observation is all about getting new insights. The better you observe, the quicker new insights will come. I was reading the ‘Art of Innovation’, the bestseller by Tom Kelly of the hugely successful design firm IDEO. Observation is a cornerstone in their innovation and design approach. Confronted with an innovation challenge, they start observing the [...]
When I entered the meeting room I was not happy. A big U-shape filled the room. The four round tables I had requested for were squeezed in a back corner, hardly noticeable. They were not even the tables I had requested for. These ones were awfully small. In a split second I was reviewing my [...]
On Friday 11 February I organised the Creative Green Forum as part of the Green Innovation Platform. An interesting discussion about the definition of innovation started between one of the speakers and the audience. One participant claimed that innovation was a lonely activity; many of the greatest ideas had been produced in glorious solitude. The [...]
M. was holding a passionate plea. He vigorously drew a circle on a flip chart and pointed at to the top: ‘we’re here now. At the same spot as a few years ago. Then we went down to the bottom of the circle in which we all had to be “one”. It cost us a [...]
Most of the interventions I design and lead are about gathering people in a meeting room for a specific purpose. When participants enter the room they all have their ideas and expectations about the meeting to come. And I often encounter cynicism. Many of them have had their share of ‘strategic meetings’ and the feeling [...]
A friend of mine once wanted to organise a Delphi method with several hundred experts. And he had a problem. A Delphi method consists of several rounds in which experts fill in a questionnaire on a specific topic. The questionnaire is sent on-line and every expert answers the questions behind his/her desk at work. But [...]
Your innovation or change going astray You want your innovation or change to be successful. But once past the excitement of your original idea, you’re suddenly confronted with a few challenges. At first they seem small and your initial energy is enough to overcome them easily. You’ve built a nice team, you have enough funds [...]
About you
You're leading a team. And you hold meetings; regular ones, occasional ones.
Meetings consume valuable time so you want to get the most out of them. You want them to energize the participants, develop your team and help you achieve your change or innovation.
About Ruben
I'm Ruben van der Laan and I'm here to make your team flow.
I coach, (re)design and lead your meetings unleashing creativity, building teams and organising expediency.
