Soul of Sustainability

Looking in the mirror at your own morality…

I’ve been on tour with Ruud for ABN AMRO and our most important private investors. In 16 sessions we explained to our clients and investing customers our vision on sustainability and how you can have more impact with your assets. This is important for our bank because we are ‘banking for a better world’ and want to inspire our customers to join us and do the same.

Ruud focused on “doing well by doing good”, a fabulous and fascinating story about creating true value. Ruud is a great story teller and entertainer. He gives us pragmatic tools to us in work and life. The reactions of our customers were very enthusiastic, some with little restraint because Ruud let you look into the mirror of your own morality. In any case, it made me very enthusiastic! I have even invited my best friends and family to come and listen to Ruud as well.

‘Write book…!”

Ruud is a philosopher with a bright mind and the ability to combine dreams and vision into a plausible future that offers hope for a better world. As a renowned future thinker, Ruud clearly knows how to translate ecologics, economics and technology into the impact on humanity and their well-being.

I recommended that he write a book and give this talk as lecture in as many educational institutes  as possible. The youngsters and future leaders as guides for their parents, a characteristic vision for Ruud and his way of looking at a world that is reflective and searching.

“Een must for leaders…”

What a wonderful lecture by an inspiring philosopher with a pragmatic view of the world and its transformation. In a clear way Ruud outlined a hopeful future and takes us imperceptibly to a world we can hardly comprehend. Without a doubt an “eye-opener” and very inspiring for anyone who wants to create his own future.

A must for leaders and entrepreneurs who want to prepare for an exciting future. Rarely attended a lecture with so much impact on the participants. Bravo!”

Same caliber as Matthieu Weggeman…

I did not know Ruud and had no expectation or whatever about his presentation at SLIMFIT and his vision of the future of education. Matthieu Weggeman was for me the absolute highlight in guest speaker (education) land. 
Analyzing data and combining it with humor, brilliant! Now that I have also seen and heard Ruud in action he comes very close to Matthieu.

Asking yourself every day not the what or how but “The why question” is a piece of advice I definitely took. His question “What if I go to sleep, and I don’t wake up” is confronting, as is his motto ” when did I do something for the last time for the first time in my life”? Why do you go to work every day? This is definitely what I want to impart to my team as well.

“Mega impact: people were still talking about it weeks later!”

After Ruud’s inspirement, his contribution was discussed every day in the staff room for weeks. In the week, following the session, sustainability was the talk in every break. And in a pleasant way. Many employees told each other what they had come up with to do the right thing: Eating less/no meat, cycling to work more often, oat milk instead of diary, plastic-free shopping, no more throwing away food. In the management team it has become a regular agenda item to exchange ideas for the world of tomorrow.

Things turned upside down….

From the very first moment, Ruud knew how to get everyone in the right mindset to actually achieve the goal of this meeting. In an exercise with very personal questions, a special atmosphere was created, in which everyone had an open mind, heart and will. Something really came loose in everyone.

The meeting was such a success that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen saw opportunities to look differently at the drafting and implementation of a more sustainable policy. Ruud has changed the way we interact with our residents in Heerhugowaard, but also how we work in other areas. Values such as connecting, stimulating and supporting are now paramount. Ruud’s most important impact: making policy without any input from citizens – like before – we will never do that again!

I kept wanting to jump up from my seat….

And something happened, during Ruud’s lecture and inspirement. During his story I always wanted to jump up from my chair and shout “yes!” and clap loudly. He knew how to put into words and make concrete the things that I felt deep inside. The things that are not right in our society, the ways in which our education system should respond to this… I recognized myself completely in his story. Highly recommended for teachers, school leaders and other educators!