Nienke Schaap

For as long as I can remember I have felt the urge to broaden my perspective on the world and surround myself with people from different cultures and backgrounds. In 1990, I left my safe haven in the North of the Netherlands and became the coordinator of the medical preparation course for first time volunteers with Doctors without Borders. Later I became one of their training advisors, which enabled me to design leadership courses and to work in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Canada. During this period, I experienced the value of working within a diverse team and learned how to cope with stressful situations.

 

After living in Canada for 5 years together with my family, I knew it was time to move back home. I found an organization in the Netherlands which was in a challenging situation and could benefit from my international experience with Doctors without Borders. During this phase of transition, I was part of the management team and learned about the HR field in the broadest sense of the word. After that I worked for different organizations as an HR consultant. This experience fueled my interest in the behaviors of people as well as the cultures of organizations. Especially during the economic crisis of 2008, I became fascinated by change management and helping leaders and employees cope with uncertainty.

 

In 2009, I began my own company in HR consulting, training and coaching. I realized that the only certainty we have is change, which inspired me to guide individuals, teams and organizations on their path of transition. Since then, I have witnessed people having the courage to change their habits, reflect upon their fears, and transition towards becoming more and more of their true self.

 

To facilitate ways to overcome limiting beliefs and fears, I followed the Immunity to Change program of Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey in Boston, Massachusetts. Just after that I met Hylke at a conference where he was a keynote speaker. We instantly clicked and within six months we had organized the first faculty training ‘Taming your Crocodiles’ in the Netherlands. In 2018 we established Growth Leaders Network Netherlands. We serve great clients, who want to grow their leadership and build resilient organizations. All of them invest in the personal growth of their employees. Working for GLN is a great and never-ending growth cycle: by helping others grow, we grow ourselves, our team and our company. And we continuously share our new awareness and insights with the clients we serve.