"My focus is on calmness and feeling, letting it come more from my heart. And that has already had a proven effect."​

Ricardo Jozen (33) is a proud father of 2 children and lives with his wife in De Meern. He started his career 9 years ago at Rabobank through a traineeship and is now the IT Lead for the Wonen team. In the spring of 2022, he participated in the Rebel Leadership Program. Below he shares what it has brought him and why he would love to motivate others to take part.

How do I function, how do I come across, what do I want to achieve: important questions I started working on during my traineeship 9 years ago. That program was really a kickstart for my career, and through the training, introspection, and guidance, I learned a lot about myself. However, after that, the focus shifted mainly to strategies and the work environment. I believe that personal development is a continuous cycle that needs to be maintained, so it was time to verify whether the image I had of myself still held true. I see the Rebel Leadership Program as an extension of my traineeship. Now I can go full force again for the next 5 to 6 years.

After Rebel, I quickly noticed a significant difference in how I come across and the effect that has. I find that great because I am very results-oriented. I keep it lighthearted with humor and maintain a pleasant atmosphere, but because my focus is on tasks, I can be quite direct and present. When I joined the Rebel program, I only had questions for myself: how have I changed, which competencies can I improve, what can I ‘tweak’, and how can I use what makes me unique and strong to make a move within the organization?

But during one of the first sessions, I got a different perspective. Arnout sat with our group and shared that he had summarized my intake conversation as ‘more calmness.’ I had no idea how he arrived at that conclusion because we hadn’t discussed calmness at all during the intake. His explanation was that he had heard me mention many things, but he didn’t feel that I was truly present. By having more calmness, being more present with my heart and feelings, I could make tangible what I was only talking about.

That insight was truly a turning point for me, and in the follow-up sessions, I began to experiment with it. Previously, I tried to overthink everything and get an overview, walking into a conversation while already several steps ahead in my head. As a result, I often wasn’t really focused on the people I was talking to. Now, I tried to build in moments of calm, to pause and listen. This new perspective led to useful discussions, and I received confirmation from the group. I call this the "hidden acceleration": by fully opening up, you give that little extra to others and also receive a lot in return, which sharpens your own insights.

I also tried it outside of Rebel. In an afternoon meeting with a group of experienced, busy managers, I noticed that no one was really present. So, I asked them if they’d like to join me in a short meditation exercise. This was completely new for me, but to my surprise, everyone joined in, and afterward, they were all very positive. Great conversations started, and the rest of the meeting went much more smoothly. It was amazing to experience.

Yes, I quickly thought, more calmness works. It’s amazing to see how much impact these relatively small changes can have. What’s beautiful is that it also aligns with what I consider good leadership: facilitating the group. As a leader, I want to inspire, achieve something together by coaching and confronting when necessary. My role involves managing IT teams, where there’s always at least one very smart person. But with all six of us, we could perhaps be even smarter by creating the right composition and ensuring that everyone is willing to go the extra mile. Together, we achieve the best result.

This vision of leadership I already had, but through Rebel, my approach has changed: focusing on calmness and feeling rather than on strategic points, and I let it come more from my heart. And that has already proven effective. The big challenge hasn’t come yet, but I now know how to play with my leadership styles, and I enjoy working on it. It also gives me a lot of affirmation in my own abilities. I didn’t make space for that pride before, but now I do.

The insight that Arnout gave me right at the beginning of the Rebel program immediately made me feel like I was in good hands. This allowed me to fully surrender to it. The in-depth combination of giving your best, a group that is fully open, and the trainer, coaches, and one-on-one sessions was unique and positively reinforcing, and I’ve never experienced anything like it in other programs. I would absolutely do it again.

I now radiate more calmness in my appearance, behavior, and words. I think I was always approachable, but by working from the heart, the connection has become much more intimate. I stand there as myself, not as the version of myself that’s needed for the result. This creates a positive upward spiral, because being the natural Ricardo fosters calmness, it receives positive reactions, and that affirmation is motivating, which in turn gives me more calmness and deepens the connection further.