blue notes

an optimist walks into a pandemic.

Oxford Languages’ philosophical definition of an optimist is, “a person who believes that this world is the best of all possible worlds.”

learning to navigate in an unmapped world.

Meet Captain. Captain is my dog, a 90-pound (and still baby-minded) brown labrador that my family and I welcomed one year ago.

in all honesty.

As a gay man in the role of CHRO for Randstad, I have thought for a long time about whether I should make a public statement about my experience. Lately I have been inspired by people who have taken a stand and publicly stood proud in who they are.

with crisis comes opportunity.

Reflecting…Pushing pause…Being in the moment…Taking stock…

In our lives as leaders - especially in the rush of leading in the fast lane - we sometimes forget to hit the pause button and take time for ourselves. I’ve come to realize that times of crisis are a wake-up call to cherish the important stuff.

resilience, endurance and time for reflection.

"We all encounter hardships," Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook writes in "Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy." "The question is: When these things happen, what do we do next?"

make your mindset your greatest asset.

Leadership lessons have been 'done to death,' argues Michael Smith in his Blue Notes column. Instead, Michael examines how to make your mindset work for you in the most positive way possible.

leadership lessons in trust and vulnerability.

Earning the trust of your employees in times of uncertainty, means showing vulnerability. In your next team meeting, leave out the numbers, reporting and brass tacks to talk about emotions.

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you are on mute.

In a time when social distancing is key, we're not letting go of each other. Keep your distance, 6 feet at least. But human beings were made to connect. Generally speaking, people want to be together.

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message from our CEO.

Every week, our CEO shares his views on current and relevant topics or offers his colleagues a platform to share their articles.

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