Leadership at HeadFirst Group is not about exercising authority, but about creating an environment where people can grow and be themselves. To transfer that mindset to our executives, they participate in Lepaya's Empowering Leadership training. Natasja Spooren and Klaske Kuipers talk about their experiences.

During the training, they learned that good leadership is more than making strategic decisions. It is about understanding and actively applying principles that can positively influence both the individual and the team. Klaske says, "The training is about translating leadership values into concrete actions. Now I am much more aware of how my leadership style affects my team."

Natasja found the module on difficult conversations to be especially practical. "Sometimes it's quite difficult to get your message across well, especially if it's not what the other person wants to hear," she says. That module gave her tools to meet that challenge. What really made a difference was the module on flexible empowerment. "By adapting my leadership to the needs of others, I can respond effectively to different situations and team needs."

And this whole process was supported by Klaske's supervisor (and CEO) Marion van Happen. In their one-on-one meetings, they regularly discussed progress and planned next steps together. "As a company, we emphasize 'servant leadership.' We want to create a culture of trust in which openness and transparency are central. We listen to what our employees really need and look at their individual talents. It's nice that we can reinforce this with the customized leadership program from Lepaya," explains Marion.