Incorrectness of my own perception

In the shade of a tree sat an old man on his haunches. I was in Lewe, a friendly town in the southeast of Myanmar, formerly Burma. The old man had a heavy but manageable rock in his right hand, in his lap a collection of old batteries....

Entrepreneurship with guts

  “The cat in the corner is on its ninth life” I recently read this headline in a Dutch newspaper. The article under the suggestive headline was not a story about a master con man, finally unmasked. Nor did I hear a critical argument from an analytical...

With all due respect to Descartes, it's all nonsense

What makes us human? The question of what makes a human being human and not an animal has been a headache for generations of researchers and philosophers. The answer to that question also changes over time. Only recently were people from Africa not considered human. Today...

Another view on Timo Huges

In 2010 I interviewed Timo Huges, then director of Flora Holland. I am happy to share this old story. It has become part of my book Slangenbezweerders and provides an additional view of the top executive who unexpectedly left the Dutch Railways. Timo Huges...

Experts in the financial sector have great added value

Article in the magazine InFinance Think like a peddler and act like a merchant “Experts in the financial sector have great added value. Their sound professional knowledge determines the financial reach of families. That may well cost a bit.” Hans Ruinemans is...

The self-employed person suffers

  The self-employed suffer. The man or woman can barely make ends meet financially and must regularly appeal to government support. The group of over 800 thousand self-employed people is a deplorable part of the Dutch working population. At least; for those who have not experienced the negative...

Long live the start-ups

  Yesterday I sailed with six young start-ups through the canals of Amsterdam. We live in the Netherlands, and that is a great destination. No matter how crazy you make it here, strictly speaking you never have to live in a sewer pipe. In fact; whoever chooses the challenge of a...

Well-spoken people

“I put that girl down hours ago,” said the old monk. “Are you still carrying her?” Handling difficult phone calls, thinking about a presentation or a keynote speech, and learning a new language. Certain tasks I set myself I carry out at...