IT, leadership, and the people behind the work.

AI should help people do better work. I start with the problem, the people, and the information they need—then explore where AI can add lasting value.

It happened to me again recently. I was reading an interesting, slightly longer piece on LinkedIn. No selfie in front of a conference banner, no motivational quote about “leadership,” but something that actually needed a few minutes of attention. Then…

When I join an organization as a leader, my first instinct is rarely: who needs to go, which roles are missing, and how could I rebuild this team? My preference is almost always: First understand what is already there. When teams aren’t functioning well, they…

We’ve been talking about Business-IT Alignment for years. As if it’s something you achieve by sitting down together more often. Another steering committee. Another meeting. Another roadmap session. Another workshop to bring the business and IT “closer…

I read a LinkedIn post about someone’s experience with roadside assistance, insurance, and a premium car brand. A car insured in the Netherlands, a problem abroad, a missed client appointment in Alicante, hours of waiting, companies pointing at one another,…

The Next Technical Debt Crisis Is Already Being Written A while ago I wrote about the dirty work of IT. The work nobody celebrates. The projects nobody puts on LinkedIn. The endless cycle of cleaning up technical debt, fixing broken processes, standardizing…

Every organization has two operating models. The first is the one leadership presents in PowerPoint. The second is the one employees use every day. One is documented. The other often gets the work done. We talk a lot about Shadow IT: unsanctioned SaaS tools,…

Over the past few years, I’ve watched a fascinating development. More and more organizations use AI for customer contact, service desks, HR processes, and internal support. That isn’t surprising. AI keeps improving, is available around the clock, never gets…

The debate around digital sovereignty is heating up again. This time, not just around hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services, but smaller software vendors, open-source platforms, and European alternatives too. And honestly, that’s…

Why data classification and data ownership finally need to be taken seriously Organizations are rapidly investing in AI solutions such as Microsoft Copilot. The promise is substantial: productivity, acceleration, better decision-making. But while attention…

Not a choice between right and wrong. A choice between visible returns today… and structural health tomorrow. On one side is pressure from the business: “Can we deliver faster?” “Can we use AI?” “Can we have this new innovation live tomorrow?” On the other…

In every classroom, we recognize the pattern early. The student who races ahead academically is often not the most social. And the most social student—the one who builds networks effortlessly—is rarely the one finishing assignments first. Both excel, but in…

For years we have been told to do more with less. That slogan has quietly turned knowledge work into one of the biggest burnout generators in the modern economy. Every efficiency program, every restructuring, every transformation has pushed people harder…

Last week, I renewed two Microsoft 365 certifications again: Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert and Microsoft 365 Endpoint Administrator Associate. For me, these aren’t certificates to show off. They’re part of the foundation for being a good IT manager. Not…

There’s a recurring pattern in organizations that deserves its own diagnostic code: The Shiny Tool Reflex. Someone in leadership remembers a tool they used somewhere else, decides it was “pretty good,” and suddenly the entire organization is expected to adopt…

Every organization relies on IT. But few understand exactly what they’re relying on. ING executive Ralph Hamers once said: “We are not a bank anymore. We are an IT company with a banking license.” Most people see only the visible 20%: new features, projects,…

Most people only see the shiny parts of technology: the new app, the dashboard, the automation, the “go‑live.” What they rarely see is the long stretch of quiet, invisible work that makes those outcomes possible. The weeks or months where nothing flashy…

My conversation with Richelle van Veldhuisen about pragmatic IT leadership, technical debt, team ownership, and the reality behind green dashboards. Listen to the original Dutch RISE talks episode.

There’s a persistent myth roaming boardrooms and management meetings: “Soon, we can have AI do this entire job.” Sure. Because if your work is repetitive or tightly wrapped in procedures, apparently you are too. First-rate logic. But let’s be honest: the…

The CEO thinks it’s going well. But somewhere in the organization, people are quietly drowning. In the boardroom, the story sounds coherent. The strategy is clear. The priorities are aligned. The transformation is “on track”. Dashboards are green. Steering…

Locking down systems doesn’t make you secure—it makes you irrelevant. In today’s IT landscape, security conversations often start and end with control. We talk about perimeters, edges, and choke points as if the world still runs on a single network boundary.…

Let’s talk about the silent crisis in knowledge work. 🎯 Back-to-back meetings. 🎯 PowerPoint Decks for every breath you take. 🎯 No time to think — let alone pee or…. We’ve glorified productivity theater and forgotten that we’re still… you know… biological…

No, I don’t want your demo. No, I’m not interested in exploring “synergies.” And no, I’m definitely not going to just help you hit your sales bonus. Let me start with this: I love connecting with people on LinkedIn. I really do. I love sharing insights,…

As an interim IT leader, I’ve learned more from people than processes. Technology changes. Tools come and go. But how you show up under pressure, in conflict, or at a crossroads? That stays. Here are eight ways I’ve sharpened my emotional intelligence in the…

How we fool ourselves—and why it has to stop now. There’s a saying I increasingly quote in boardrooms and management meetings: “Lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Honestly, I’ve rarely seen it put into practice as often as in IT management reports. We present…

Is your IT department helping your business grow—or is it just a cost center? In today’s fast-paced business world, companies that treat IT as a cost-cutting exercise risk slowing innovation, frustrating employees, and exposing themselves to security…

Recently, I found myself in a situation that perfectly encapsulated the leadership philosophy I’ve come to embrace. During a change advisory board meeting, I was asked whether I had actually read a runbook prepared by one of my team members. My reply was…

In the fast-paced, high-stakes world of IT, leadership often focuses on metrics, deadlines, and deliverables. Yet, the real secret to building high-performing teams isn’t buried in dashboards or progress reports—it’s in understanding the human beings behind…