‘I am more conscious of my priorities, I can find them in myself, not my schedule.’
Olga Pleumeekers is 37 years old and lives with her husband and three children in De Bilt. After completing an internship at Nelen & Schuurmans, specializing in water management consultancy & IT, she has worked her way up within the company over the past 12 years to become the director of the consultancy division. In October 2021, she started the Leadership program at Rebel.
The development of my career at Nelen & Schuurmans has been very natural; I was truly trained within the company. My growth is partly due to my belief that hard work and success are simply important. At the same time, I place a high value on having fun at work. I often found that joy in my agenda: what needs to be done, what can I check off. That was satisfying, but at times I felt like I was just going through the motions instead of consciously steering in a specific direction. Although I believe in ‘learning on the job,’ I had mostly modeled my way of working based on people around me rather than developing it myself. I missed the feeling of directing things from within, from my intrinsic motivation. I was looking for some direction and had not attended many training programs during my career. That is why I joined the Rebel program.
During the first sessions of Rebel, the focus was heavily on the personal aspect. At first, I thought, "Isn't this supposed to be about leadership?" But this led me to ask myself different questions, and it opened something up. Once I saw that connection, I not only became an eager participant but also encountered uncertainty. I hadn't expected that because I'm not an insecure person. Control, for me, means that everything goes as I had planned it in advance—that's when the day is a success. I found comfort in ad hoc tasks, both at work and at home, and that caused stress. In practice, this meant I focused on tasks I already knew I could do well. For new things, I don’t know that, and it makes me insecure. I maintain this by avoiding things, and I avoid things because I find the unknown intimidating. To uncover this, I had to first be confronted with myself.
Especially thinking about my long-term vision for the company was something I avoided. Yet, that's so necessary to provide conscious direction. When Arnout asked me during Rebel what would happen if I did something different from what was in my agenda for the day, and my reaction was, "No, that's not possible, what in the world would I do?"—that really opened my eyes. If I can take a week off for vacation, why can't I step out of a project for a week to think about the company strategy? Ultimately, I am responsible for my own agenda. No matter how much I blame "the busyness," it's mainly a way to avoid facing the fact that I stay within my comfort zone.
To let go of some of that control over my day, I need to focus on what I want and find meaningful. There’s nothing wrong with a tight schedule, but I’m now more aware of my priorities. I find them in myself, not in my agenda. I often ask myself now: what does it matter if things go differently—whether it’s work or a canceled drink with friends? I’m not always ready to trust that things will work out, but by consciously working on it and just doing it, it’s becoming more natural.
For this, I need to go back to what matters, quieting the busyness in my agenda and my mind. It’s like I’m standing on a mountain meadow, surrounded by nothing, just beautiful views. Then I also notice: it's all inside me. I do have a long-term vision. What I need is space to brainstorm with others and some calm in my head. That realization gives me a lot of self-confidence. And with that comes relaxation and more joy in my work. Certainty remains important, but now I need to fill that certainty differently—not by clinging to what I already know, but by trusting myself and my vision.
Going back to myself consciously is key to leading from my intrinsic motivation. Impact matters to me; we’re in a sector where we can really make a difference, but not at any cost. I prefer to combine the best of both worlds: letting the employees do it themselves, just like I grew within Nelen, but with a safety net. Coaching, but not soft. For that, I need to let go of some certainty sometimes. I could go after checklist tasks and clones of myself because they are familiar and comfortable, but is that best for the company? Responsibility and trust are motivating and create job satisfaction. That’s how commitment grows, and with it, the impact we can have.
By letting go of my own ad hoc control, there’s more space for the human aspect, and I can be approachable and lead from there. This has made me more of a sparring partner for the four business managers under me, guiding them consciously while keeping the long term in mind. Because now I know, I do have that vision.