Product label: Soft skills & Leadership

Aligning with many different stakeholders can be a big challenge. Getting everybody on board especially when there are conflicting (and non-technical) stakes often is a struggle. You want to create the right discussion and drive it towards a way-forward that is supported by all and is the best for the company and the client. To approach this in a straightforward and logical manner you need tools. These you will learn in this one-day intensive course. One cannot learn this from a book, it needs practical practice. And that is what we will do during the course. As a result, you will know how to deal with it.

Working can be a lot of fun. But are you always in a hurry? Do you feel your work is never finished? If so, this has a negative influence on your productivity, your peace of mind and your health.

Do you recognize one or more of the following issues:

• Losing overview and having difficulty prioritizing between tasks;
• Being too optimistic in planning;
• Spending more time than you want on e-mails;
• Getting distracted from important tasks;
• Finding that doing things yourself is the quickest way;
• Having difficulty saying ‘no’?

It is possible to change bad habits and do things differently. Those who know what they want and plan, have time to relax. This training will show you how.

You’re skilled at developing technology and guiding projects. But knowing the right direction to take is one thing – getting all the stakeholders to buy in is another. And it’s a vital skill: if you aren’t able to get everyone aligned, you might spend your precious time arguing, eventually even implementing the wrong solutions. It’s a short step from there to unnecessary costs and frustration. You want to make sure that doesn’t happen. As a technical leader, you need to steer both the project and the company in the right direction. To do that, you must be able to convince stakeholders, influence without authority and exhibit personal leadership. You’ll learn how to do all these things in our four-day program (split into 2 two-day sessions), specifically designed for architects, head engineers, and project leads who want to increase their impact.

This training is available for open enrollment as well as for in-company sessions.

As a more senior engineer you start delegating tasks and coaching other more junior engineers. You might start guiding a team. This brings its own challenges. Maybe you recognize some of the statements below:

• I still rather do things myself than delegate them to others
• Coaching and motivating colleagues takes more effort than I wish
• Is it hard to find the right balance between letting go and stay in control?
• How to move from a group of individuals to a high performing team?

The goals of delegating and coaching is to get more work done together and grow professionally as a team. To make sure the work is done successfully, and your colleagues are happy to work for you, a structured and skilled approach is necessary. In this training you will learn how to become an inspiring delegator and (team)coach.

This training is available for open enrollment as well as for in-company sessions.

How to become a high performing team?

Most teams work together in a nice and friendly way, but often there’s a lot of stuff under the waterline which remains unspoken. This hampers the team or individual to grow and can lead to irritation and unnecessary escalations. An open feedback culture will enable your team to become high performing. 

How nice would it be when we feel comfortable to give and receive feedback? If we could receive feedback as a present instead of feeling attacked? How pleasant would it be to help each other to grow together?

In the training “How to create a feedback culture” you will learn why it’s important to know how to give and receive constructive and respectful feedback and also you will practice it together.

The training will also touch the cultural and personality (a personality test is part of the training) differences which you can consider when practicing feedback. During the day you will put the learned feedback skills into action for effective decision making within your team.

As a team, you will create a safe learning environment.

 

Public speaking is a key skill for effectively communicating ideas in the workplace and beyond. It’s not just about speaking—it’s about delivering your message clearly to achieve the results you want for yourself and your organization. By mastering this skill, you’ll navigate conversations and presentations with confidence, clarity, and impact, ensuring that your knowledge is heard and understood.  

Do you recognize any of these challenges?

• Are people distracted or checking their phones when you’re presenting, or does your message fail to land as intended?
• Do you feel anxious when addressing your team or presenting a project?
• Does your voice lack authority, or do you struggle with body language that undermines your message?
• Do you have all the technical knowledge but still find it hard to convince or inspire others?

Mastering public speaking gives you the ability to effectively share your insights and expertise, ensuring you’re heard and can influence outcomes in any professional tech setting. 

As soon as there’s sufficient interest, we’ll organise a new open-enrolment session. Let us know if you’d like to be kept informed. This training is available for in-company sessions as well.

Are you having difficulty with:

• Explaining the added value of a solution?
• How to deal with different stakeholders at the client as well as internal?
• Selling the solutions or service to a client who needs it but maybe does not realize it yet?
• Dealing with \”pushy\” customers who want a service only when it’s quick, short and cheap?

\”Sales\” might not be your forte but creating new work, helping the client and your organization is beneficial for all parties involved. This course teaches you how to recognize, explore and create business opportunities without feeling \”commercial\”.

Intensive practice using actors as clients
On the first day of the course we will share the theory and you practice it step by step. The second day is of intensive practice, using a professional actor in the role of your client where you will be challenged to put all the learnings in practice. As a result, after these two days, you will be skilled and feel more confident in selling your solution to your clients.

This training is available for open enrollment as well as for in-company sessions.

Are you new to Holland and confused by Dutch corporate culture? This intensive boot camp will give you all the insight, practical soft skills, and confidence you need to make the most of your career in the Netherlands.

If you’re new to Holland, a lot of things may be different from what you’re used to in the workplace. For example, Dutch colleagues expect you to always say what you think – even if it means contradicting your boss. And you can expect them to comment on your work, too. Dutch jobs come with a lot of freedom – and a lot of responsibility, right from the start. What’s the best way to handle that? And all those seemingly endless meetings – how do you ever get things done? How do you move decisions in the right direction, when it’s unclear who’s in charge of making them?

All these unfamiliar things can frustrate you and make you feel like you’re not performing at your best. Fortunately, many of the skills you need to work effectively and rewardingly in the Netherlands can be learned. And once you’ve learned them, you may join the ranks of the many professionals who wouldn’t want to live without them.

This training is available for open enrollment as well as for in-company sessions.