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We believe that developing an Inspiring Organizational Culture is all about investing in both the hearts (emotion) and heads (ratio) of people.
"Talent, combined with hard work and dedication, can lead to new perspectives and great impact."
Last March 17th, we kicked off a new yearly tradition with our new and fresh Inspire to Grow: Food for the Heart event. This was the first post-COVID event at our new international InspiringPeople - home in Spaces Amsterdam Amstel. A great group of people joined us personally at the venue and online through a webcast.
We collaborated with singer-songwriter Steffen Morrison, Constance Scholten, tech entrepreneur and investor, co-founder of EarthToday, and Marcel Kampman, international speaker and creative strategist, to introduce our global audience to the inspiring power of creativity and how it can lead to positive change and impact within organizations.
Sebastiaan van Rijnsoever, one of our InspiringPeople partners, hosted the event, welcoming our audience and facilitating the dialogue between our guest speakers and the audience.
Musical creativity to stimulate personal growth
Stephen Morrison began by performing a few of his soulful songs. He then described being brought from Surinam to Amsterdam as a child. Growing up with a hardworking mother taught him that true dedication, strong bonds, and hard work can lead to change, opportunity, and new perspectives.
Great inspirations for him were Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye Steffen. He decided to pursue a career as a singer and enter a national talent show, which led to his breakthrough as an international soul singer and composer. In a joint initiative with over 80 volunteers called "Tussen Zang en Dans" (transl. Between Song and Dance), he brings his musical creativity to school children and stimulates their personal growth.
Nature protection through entrepreneurship
Constance Scholten told us about her background, growing up in an entrepreneurial family, and how she launched her own business at a very young age. Aside from her early success, she was also thankful for her strong family roots and support. Kees Zeegers, a friend of hers, was her source of inspiration. During one of his travels, he thought up an ambitious plan to begin protecting nature with an entrepreneurial approach.
He envisioned a community of brands, individuals, and an environmental organization working together to create a powerful and entirely new model of environmental protection, which led to the founding of EarthToday. One day, she explained, after seeing death in the eye and nearly being wiped out by an avalanche, she realized there was more to life than work. As a result, she became involved with Earth Today and became its face.
A better world through Creative strategy and strategic creativity
Marcel Kampman gave a vibrant talk to round out the afternoon. He is one of those people who is difficult to pin down precisely what he is about. Marcel is a truly multi-talented individual, combining his design talent with excellent creativity, entrepreneurship, vision, and being a power-global citizen. He brings an incredible boost of energy, disruption, and inspiration every time you meet him.
During our conversation, Marcel talked us through his personal and professional journey. His career began as a designer, discovering the power of design by giving meaning and form to abstract ideas and concepts. Currently, he helps global and local brands reinvent themselves, educates people, travels the world to meet unique people, and connects people to make the world more exciting and happier. We invite you to learn more about his initiatives HappyKamping and WeMakeTheCity to get started!
Inspiring lessons
Finally, let us share four lessons learned that should help you be an inspiration and a change agent at your organization:
Lesson #1 Often people mistakenly believe that finding inspiration and putting it to use just fall from the sky. In reality, it is a lot of hard work.
Lesson #2 Creating lasting change and impact is most effective when driven by a solid and motivated coalition of believers.
Lesson #3 The aftermath of a life crisis or event often results in a personal reset, a new perspective, and a disruptive direction.
Lesson #4 Time has no relevance to inspiration - you cannot sit down and become inspired. It is all about cultivating the right mindset and mental space to breathe.
Upcoming events
Would you like to learn more about Culture Transformation theory with practical examples through a playful roadmap game format? Sign up for a half-day online Master Class: Building a Culture Transformation Roadmap taking place on the 16th of June.
Hopefully, we'll be able to have some inspiring and meaningful conversations at one of them!
GALLERY 'Food for the heart'