Leadership Journeys [175] - Robin van Breukelen - "I do not have all the answers but I can help you"

Choosing Leadership with Sumit Gupta

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

Join us as we dive into an insightful conversation with Robin, the COO of Avisi, a software development company.

From his early days as a developer to traveling the globe as a consultant, Robin shares his journey and the valuable lessons he learned along the way.

Discover how he mastered the art of flexibility and communication, crucial skills he acquired during his consulting years.

Robin also opens up about the challenges of leadership, emphasizing the importance of transparency and continuous learning.

With a blend of personal anecdotes and professional wisdom, this episode offers practical advice for anyone navigating the complexities of leadership and business.

You can find Robin van Breukelen at the below links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinvanbreukelen/
• https://avisi.nl/

In the interview, Robin shares

• "As a developer, I always had an interest in seeing more of the project than just simply doing the coding."
• "Flexibility is something that you must have as a consultant. Prepare something, but also be flexible around what you're gonna find."
• "It's good to have a plan, but also accept when the fundamentals of your plan have changed."
• "Being a leader is not about pretending to have all the answers, but about being transparent and taking action to make the right choices along the way."
• "Not knowing is the gateway to future learning. If you say 'I know,' then there's no scope for learning."
• "I think if you put in the time, you should be able to learn at least the basics of business. That's how I came to understand finance."
• "One of the benefits is that I'm someone who really wants to know how things work. When I'm confronted with something I don't know, I want to learn."
• "One of the foundational elements of our culture is trust. We give team leads a credit card to buy things for their project, trusting them to make the right decisions."
• "While we grow the company, really focusing on nurturing the culture side of the company is gonna be paramount."
• "I'm most grateful for having the opportunity to fail, make bad decisions, and learn from them without being judged by others."