7 March 2014: Toine Simons: ‘Choose or Lose'
The Amsterdam MBA Leadership Speaker Series hosted Toine Simons, Partner at Beerschot & Simons, on Friday, March 7, 2014 on the topic of ‘Choose or Lose'
In an engaging and animated presentation, Toine Simons used insights from Stoic philosophy to challenge attendees’ thinking about their ambitions. In front of around 80 students, alumni, friends and other guests of the Amsterdam MBA program, Toine explained how we can choose “inspiration” over “irritation” by breaking down our blocking thoughts. According to Toine, beliefs formed during our early years condition our thoughts and create obstacles for our ambitions and energy. With an interactive style that was direct and personal but non-confrontational, Toine showed how the successful pursuit of our ambitions, whether to learn Dutch fluently or more open to others, are a function of our thoughts and the choices that we make – not outcomes determined by constraints in our environment. Using entertaining personal examples ranging from Belo the Frisian stallion’s search for love, to his wife’s refusal to take out the garbage, Toine imparted upon those present the message that our own happiness is never anyone else’s responsibility. If you really want to achieve your goals, cast aside your blocking thoughts and pursue those goals with conviction. In other words, choose! – or lose.
Click here to see his presentation online.
Toine Simons has been a Management trainer since 1988 and is a popular keynote speaker. Using Stoic philosophical principles, he has developed a method to facilitate change in organizations, including prominent clients such as CapGemini and Quest Software. With his thought-provoking workshops and master classes, Toine quickly generates extra dynamism and decisiveness.
About the Amsterdam MBA Leadership Speaker series
The Amsterdam MBA Leadership Speaker Series is a series of events organized on a bi-monthly basis during the academic year, in which members of the business community are invited to speak on topics related to leadership and management. The series aims to serve as inspiration and provide networking opportunities to MBA students, alumni, friends, colleagues, and other interested members of the Amsterdam MBA community. For information on upcoming events or opportunities to speak in the series, contact the director of the MBA programme, Dr Alan Muller (amuller@uva.nl).