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The baseline skills needed for responsible AI use (Part 2 of 3)

Better world

Most AI training programs overlook a fundamental truth: teaching prompt engineering won’t help people use AI responsibly without foundational skills to recognize what good communication looks like. AI operates like Michelangelo’s chisel. It didn’t make him a master sculptor, it allowed him to execute expertise he’d already developed. The principle is simple: strong baseline skills multiplied by AI equals enhanced productivity. Weak baseline skills multiplied by AI equals scaled problems. Effective AI upskilling requires two distinct layers: foundational professional skills first, then AI augmentation skills. You cannot skip Layer 1.

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Better world
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Responsible AI in communication starts with the right foundation (part 1 of 3)

Better world

As an inclusive leadership and communication consultant, I believe in “communication for good”. Communication that creates understanding, builds bridges, and breaks barriers. Workslop is the opposite. Recent research shows 40% of workers received low-quality AI content last month, costing nearly two hours per incident to fix. But we’re diagnosing the wrong disease. This isn’t about the tool. It’s about the skills gap. The real conversation we should be having isn’t “Is AI good or bad?” but “How do we support everyone in using it well?”

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Een hand houdt verschillende glanzende parels in zachte tinten wit, roze en grijs boven een doos met vakjes vol parels. De parels zijn ongelijk van vorm en grootte, wat hun natuurlijke en authentieke karakter benadrukt.

Echte parels: over authenticiteit en leiderschap dat glanst van binnenuit

Belonging, Better world, Bridging

Toen mijn zoon een parel vond en vroeg of ze echt was, liet ik hem voelen: een echte parel is een beetje ruw, een neppe is glad. Dat moment bleef hangen. Want hoe vaak doen we op het werk alsof we echt zijn, terwijl we eigenlijk gepolijst gedrag tonen? Het lijkt veilig, maar het doet ons geen goed. Authentiek leiderschap glanst niet omdat het perfect is, maar omdat het oprecht is. Echte parels, en echte leiders, ontstaan door wrijving.

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Belonging, Better world, Bridging
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Internal communication and the missing link in fostering neuroinclusive leadership

Belonging, Better world, Bridging

After a recent conversation with internal communication professional and researcher May Oostrom-Kwok, I found myself thinking more deeply about the role we play in making neuroinclusion a reality. May’s research explores how internal communication can support line managers in fostering a neuroinclusive workplace. Her findings are a powerful reminder that inclusion doesn’t start with a policy. It starts with trust, dialogue, and the everyday actions of people leaders. This post reflects on what I learned from her study, and why it matters now more than ever.

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Belonging, Better world, Bridging
A diverse group of hands wearing colorful friendship bracelets in unity.

BDEI myths and how they spread

Belonging, Better world, Bridging

2025 has become the year of backlash. Against BDEI, against justice, and, apparently, against facts. From false claims of reverse discrimination to political spin that blames inclusion for everything from job loss to social division, misinformation is being repeated so often it’s starting to sound true. This blog unpacks the most common myths about BDEI and social justice backed by data, not drama. If you’re tired of opinion pieces dressed up as fact, this one’s for you.

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Belonging, Better world, Bridging
A close-up of a child and parent holding hands in a park, symbolizing love and trust.

Everything I needed to know about behaviour, I learned from parenting

Better world

After eight years of parenting and over two decades in communication, I’ve realised the most powerful lessons on human behaviour came not from a classroom or conference but from my own child. In this post, I share some key insights that apply as much to toddlers as they do to workplace programmes: connect before you correct, validate emotions without accepting all actions, teach the skill (don’t just assume the will), and above all: make it easy. Because behaviour change isn’t about being smarter. It’s about being more human.

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Better world
Full length of anonymous toddler squatting barefoot on floor playing with round wooden shapes of different size and pasta and putting biggest shape on while developing fine motor skills at home

What Montessori taught me about inclusive leadership

Belonging, Better world, Bridging

When I enrolled my child in a Montessori school, I wasn’t looking for leadership lessons. I just wanted him to be seen, not just tested. But as I observed how the classroom worked, how the guide watched before speaking, how the space invited belonging, how even toddlers had real agency, I realised I wasn’t just looking at an educational method. I was looking at a masterclass in inclusive leadership.

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Belonging, Better world, Bridging
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Flat as a pancake: what Dutch workplaces taught me about hierarchy

Belonging, Better world, Bridging

This year, my eldest niece turned 18. A milestone. She can now vote, buy a beer legally, and roll her eyes with full adult authority. For me, though, her birthday meant something else: I’ve also been living in the Netherlands for 18 years. Long enough to gain citizenship, develop a sixth sense for spotting free samples at Albert Heijn, and, perhaps most shockingly, get used to calling my boss by their first name.

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Belonging, Better world, Bridging
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What the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement taught me about SLOW Leadership

Belonging, Better world, Bridging

I’m writing this from a small restaurant in Bra, Italy, where the slow food movement began in 1986. What started as a protest against fast food culture has become something much deeper: a philosophy about honoring ingredients, respecting traditions, and creating space for authentic connection around shared tables.
As I savor my meal in this historic place, I can’t help but see the profound parallels between slow food principles and what I’m calling “slow leadership.” Both movements ask us to slow down, pay attention, and recognize that the best outcomes emerge when we honor what each contributor brings to the table.

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Belonging, Better world, Bridging
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