bio

LENNEKE AALBERS

My purpose is to create more equal, honest, trusting, and resilient working relationships in society, organisations, and leadership teams. By being fully present, leading truthfully and with integrity. And by trusting the beauty, creativity, and possibilities that people bring and enable them to flourish.

My background is in pedagogic and business studies. For over more than 30 years my activities include developing and leading strategy and organisational change processes, learning and leadership development programs and complex collaboration and co-creation challenges, executive coaching, and team coaching. I’ve worked as a consultant, coach, facilitator, and interim manager with more than 1000 leadership and operational teams.

My experience spans many different sectors, networks, and organisations, including international corporations, consultancy firms, technical engineering and energy companies, health, education, and governmental organisations, third sector organisations, the judiciary and social building and housing organisations. I’ve been involved in several national and international programs and networks which support the development of leadership and innovation.

I grew up in Nijmegen and have lived and worked in many other places and countries since.
I now live and work in London, the UK and in The Netherlands (Aalbers Werk & Advies).

Contact (NL): lenneke@aalberswa.com

work

Archaeologist

As a child I was fascinated by what we find by digging deeper in the ground. Layers of earth holding roots and minerals, fossils with images of lost animals, plants. They all tell stories of what happened even before human beings lived on our planet, stories that help us understand where we are now.

It’s worthwhile to make feelings, assumptions, dynamics surface that need to be surfaced, both the treasures as the difficult stuff. And it is good to work with what is happening, is said here and now. Because they both explain a lot about where we are as a team or organisation and what we need to pay attention to in moving forward.

Client Quote:
“Lenneke wants to go deeper and look at what’s going on under the surface, and she is not afraid to clearly formulate what she notices in complex situations or difficult dynamics. She creates containment, a safe space and takes people to a next level of conversation, reflection, and action in a very skilled and brave way.”

Wanderer

We were 8 years old when my friend and I made many imaginary trips to countries nobody ever heard of, crossed many horizons, and spoke many languages, all from our bedrooms. Later in life I travelled for pleasure and for work to different parts of the world.

I have learned how much I don’t know or see, because I come from a specific and privileged place in the world. In society and our workplaces, we can learn from each other, and discover new ways of looking at reality and possibilities, explore new ways of working, if we are willing to wonder, be in awe and have honest, curious conversations about things that matter to us.

Client Quote:
“Lenneke brings a depth and breadth of experiences and capacities build in different situations, places, sectors and in organisations, and in many roles. She quickly creates real connection with a diverse groups and individuals. She is curious, asks good questions and never assumes the way forward is straight.”

Artist

I always have loved to use a pencil, a brush to capture or respond to what I see out there. As an artist I love to look sharply, study the details, see and create bigger compositions, play with shapes and colours, light and shadow, follow my instinct and see the perfect in the imperfect.

I trust my tried and tested methods and approaches, my long build capacities, and experiences to put the right mark on the page for others to see and interpret themselves.

In creating change it’s important not only to reflect and talk, but also to do or try out something, notice what the effect or result is and learn from that, develop a next practice, learn from that.

Client Quote:
“Lenneke always looks for and shows the bigger picture and for details that matter. She brings a free ranging creativity and a structured mind. Her radiating, palpable energy is contagious, and she extends an invitation to each participant to bring their own best energy to the meeting.”

life kit