The making of making purpose work
Ever since my childhood I’ve been intrigued by how things work. By how things are connected and interconnected.
I remember myself wondering one very early morning, I was 5 years old, whether I could swap the doorknob of my bedroom with the one of a closet downstairs. The answer was yes. By 6 I was reading basic technical books on car design. By 10 coding in Basic.
When studying business economics there was a strong focus on accounting, algebra and statistics.
I knew there was more to success of an organization. So, whenever possible, I would follow courses focusing on internal organization, organizational dynamics, marketing or leadership.
My first job was with EY. As an accountant, I would truly enjoy meeting our client to get to understand the organization, really frame the problem and set the desired goal. I also found out I’m not made for repetitive or solitary work.
These learnings led me to financial project and team management. On paper I was the financial guy, but I knew back then – and know now, that I’m no typical finance guy.
And there lies my strength, I think. I was bringing to the table strategy, digital, business and way of work angles. This made it easier for me to speak different languages and connect different worlds.
As a result, I could reach beyond financial challenges and task myself to surface -and address- underlying organizational needs.
The natural next step for me was to be selective about what I really enjoy doing. So I focused on organizational change.
Early on I noticed a pattern with my clients. They had been struggling with the consequences of ill-designed ‘big transformations’ and one-size-fits all thinking.
And there I could polish my other strength: to quickly get to the core of the issue, align all relevant teams on next steps and fast-forward change.
After successful projects in public, corporate and startup environments, I founded making purpose work.
My passion is clearly driving organizational change when conventional approaches have made things worse instead of helping to move forward.
My only goal is for leaders and teams to be inspired and equipped… and to succeed. My role is simple: make it easier for them to do so.
To me it’s a thrill to turn gridlock into flow and accelerate meaningful growth.