Perform in the storm

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Motivation in Moderation

Former submarine Captain Berend van de Kraats learned through experience that a well-meaning forward drive can be an overkill. Personally eager and enthusiastic, he occasionally had the tendency to overpush fellow students and, later on, officers under his command. In this episode he shares with us openly his lessons of optimizing team performance by creating a safe space for personal experimentation and growth.

Former submarine captain Berend van de Kraats on encouraging without discouraging

Key insights

  • A personally driven leader can overdrive motivation: Leaders tend to be highly motivated individuals. Yet even motivation can be exaggerated. When trying to perfect processes constantly, you run the risk of missing out on the good work already done by team members.

  • It helps to have a close and honest team member who can reflect a tendency for perfectionism: A naturally driven leader may struggle to recognize his/her superfluous push forward. A trusted and open team member can be crucial in reflecting this tendency and knowing how gently to tone it down.

  • Clearly defining operation space and boundaries allows for growth: A leader’s role is to share the vision, priorities and room for manoeuvre, and then stand back and allow team members to experiment, learn and grow within their agreed space. Be ready and present to listen when a listening ear is needed.

  • Make clear to your team that each member has their own place and responsibility: Each individual member’s role counts, for the benefit of the bigger picture.

  • Foster trust within the team by being honest and open yourself: When you recognise and share your own limits as a leader, you create the trust needed to ask for help when necessary.

Dive deeper

Can you do what Martin can?

To help you keep your energy levels high and stay positive throughout your day it is essential to take breaks regularly. To help you get more out of your downtime, Martin Pet, a seasoned sport and performance psychologist and physiologist, will challenge you to perform a wide range of exercises that will do just that.

Martin Pet does 4 exercises in 2 minutes with 2... tea towels?
Find out how he does it and why
Time to clean the house and make it a fun activity at the same time. In today’s video Martin shows four exercises you can do with cleaning towels. Push-ups, fly’s and two that strengthen your core. By the way, a good range of motion makes your workout a lot more effective. Look closely to how deep Martin goes with his pushups for example. He comes down low and extends his arms completely when he pushes up. Another technical tip; to support your lower back during all these exercises, keep your hip twisted. How to twist your hip? Imagine your reflex if you would get a little punch in the belly.

About the crew member

Berend van de Kraats • Former submarine captain
Berend van de Kraats

Berend is a former submarine Captain Royal Netherlands Navy. Nowadays Berend uses his knowledge to support companies and individuals with his initiative OceansX, a do-tank, catalyzing collective potential around social issues. Perform in the storm is the fourth movement to which OceansX is contributing.

Your journey until now

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Motivation in Moderation

Former submarine Captain Berend van de Kraats on encouraging without discouraging

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