Andre Oost

As I child I learned at a very young age to cope with big changes in life. My parents where immigrants who moved to Canada in the 1950´s.  After 25 years living in Canada, when I was 10 years old, they decided to move back to the Netherlands with the whole family.  My parents showed me that if you just work hard and be courageous you can be successful. 

So, that’s what I did. By working hard, I became the HR director in an insurance company.  Even though I was successful and being appreciated in what I was doing. There was something holding me back. This was something I didn´t understand at the time. 

I always had an affinity with leadership. I therefore initiated many leadership programs.  But also, here I was puzzled with the question: Why is it so difficult to change?   And after years of leadership programs why hasn’t it changed?

In 2017 I did a Leadership program with Hylke Faber. This program changed the way I looked at transformations.  It wasn’t only about how the company needed to change, it was about what I needed to change to help myself and others and as a result the company. I learned then that leadership it is all about the fully conscious choices I dare to make.  

I couldn’t be part of a transformation without making my own choices - like a child following its parents to another continent and feeling comfortable within their caring and safety bubble.

I needed to be courageous and make powerful choices (breaking through my comfort zone) like the parents that choose to start a new life on a new continent with their whole family.

For years I had been staying in my comfort zone and fixed on my own patterns. I was my own barrier.  

So, I decided to make a courageous choice and in 2020 I cofounded Growth Leaders Network in the Netherlands. And I left the safety of being employed with all the benefits behind me. In this period, I have been successful despite of covid. And I have had the privileged to help many others and companies in their transformation.

In this period, we have developed a full Dutch leadership program including an online leadership game “Taming your Crocodiles”.

I live in Friesland, a northern province of the Netherlands where I can enjoy the peace of the nature with my family. I also love to go hiking, playing, and listening to music and being inspired by others through their stories.

The power of our programs is that our principle is that we learn together. By sharing my stories and my experiences I help others grow. And I learn from others through their stories and their experiences. This helps to reflect and ask ourself one of the most import questions “What choice(s) did I make today?”