Isabelle van der Merwe
I've always been fascinated by why certain people and teams are more capable, more engaged and more content than others. I love making sense of complex connections and distilling them into something simple and practical that moves people and organisations forward.
Experience and background
- More than ten years of experience in leadership, cultural change, change management and leading complex projects
- M.Sc. in Business Administration / B.A. in Communication
- CAS in Applied Psychology
- Certified Product Manager (SAFe)
- Certified NLP coach, hypnosis and mental performance coach
- Former competitive athlete and national team captain
Leadership from business and sport
Personally, I see leadership as the task of taking responsibility, asking the right questions, bringing people along and enabling them to grow their strengths.
In doing so, I combine my leadership and coaching experience with my background in business administration and my interest in psychology, sport, neuroscience and IT.
I love simple frameworks that make complex situations manageable and can be applied straight away.
Often a small change in the right place can move a great deal in a short time.
Understanding the person and the role
For me, working together starts with careful listening and good questions. I help people recognise their own patterns and develop new options for action.
I'm particularly interested in what happens unconsciously within us: how we react, make decisions and deal with tension. I find it fascinating how we can learn to regulate our reactions better and act deliberately even under pressure.
When selecting leaders, I want to understand exactly what responsibility a role carries, what a person needs to meet it and which requirements will matter in future.