Connector of Talent and Success 💼 | Empowering Businesses to Thrive through People | Culture Growth Strategist | Coach | Writer | HR leader | #1 LinkedIn Belgium | Top #150 LinkedIn 🌍

Who I help: Ambitious introverts and people-first companies

Problems: Visibility without burnout, quiet leadership, culture that enables deep work

Outcomes: Promotions, role transitions, retention, high-trust cultures

STRATEGIC HR LEADER AND COACH WITH HANDS-ON APPROACH AIMING FOR THE BEST EMPLOYEE/BUSINESS EXPERIENCE - INTROVERT ADVOCATE

International HR Executive passionate about the link between employee experience and business dynamics. Combining a strong focus on strategic thinking and planning with a structured and factual hands-on approach. A positive well connected team coach with a natural sense of empowering team members in a spirit of challenge, learning and mutual recognition. Sound decision making capabilities based on critical reflections within companies focusing on innovation, change, digital transformation and learning.

A. Group HR Director Alter Pharma (200 FTE - BE/IRL/US) – private equity backed firm defining & implementing HR strategy (from strategy to operations) including definition of mission/vision/strategy & values.
B. Global HR Business Partner BU Kerley international/Tessenderlo Group (+/-300 employees - 11 countries) developing/transforming key HR processes (talent resource planning, talent acquisition, performance management, competency management, learning, reward,..) - HR project lead new factory Rouen, France. 
C. Global HR Executive SWIFT (+/- 3.000 employees in +25 countries) transforming/coaching business and HR into new ways of (digital) working/thinking to improve the employee and business experience 
D. Global Head of Reward Tessenderlo Group (+/- 5.000 employees in +25 countries) - strategic development/transformation reward strategy
E. Development new holistic performance management framework for Tessenderlo Group, including full implementation recognition stream.
F. HR Project Manager : move of the Chiquita EME Headquarters from Belgium to Switzerland (social plan negotiations, c&b setup, recruitment, mobility, new policy/process design,...)

Professional coaching certification Better Minds at Work               2018 - 2019
Centre for Creative Leadership - senior leadership program           Q1-2 2018
Management Development Programme Vlerick (17 days)		  2010 - 2011
Strategic Compensation & Benefits Management, Vlerick 		  2007      
Master degree in Law&Taxation, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven    1997 - 1998

Steven Claes

This visual stopped me mid-scroll.

Not because it was poetic.
Because it was accurate.

For 20 years as CHRO, I sat across from introverts who apologized for being exactly this.

For needing silence after back-to-back meetings.
For choosing one real conversation over five surface-level ones.
For slipping out before the small talk started.

Last year, a senior director asked me permission to skip the team dinner.

He thought I'd mark him as "not a team player."

I told him I'd been doing the same thing for two decades.

What most people get wrong about us:

They confuse selectivity with coldness.
Solitude with sadness.
Quiet with empty.

All three are dead wrong.

What work actually taught me:

→ Selectivity is a self-management skill
Choosing fewer interactions protects your best thinking. Not coldness.

→ Solitude is a recharge, not a retreat
The best boardroom decisions? Made by someone who sat alone with the problem first.

→ Quiet is not empty. It is focused.
That depth is a career advantage most never develop because they're too busy performing.

The quiet life is not a consolation prize.
It is a chosen one.

And if you are in an introvert's inner circle, know this.
You were not a convenience.
You were a deliberate choice.

That is quiet confidence in action.

Which line on the visual hit you the hardest?

♻️ Repost to help a fellow introvert feel seen

Introversion isn't a bug. It's an operating system. I spent years apologizing for who I am.

Too quiet. Too reserved. Too much "in my head."

I tried to fix myself.
Fake energy. Forced small talk. Endless networking events that drained me by Tuesday.

Then something shifted.

I stopped treating introversion as a bug to fix.
And started seeing it as my operating system.

My quiet? It's deep listening.
My reserved? It's strategic thinking.
My "in my head"? It's where the best ideas live.

20+ years as a CHRO taught me this:
The leaders who know how they're wired outperform those who fight it.

Every time.

So I wrote this on my whiteboard.
As a reminder.
As a declaration.

I'm done apologizing.

And if you've ever felt like you needed to become someone else to succeed, I see you.

♻️ Repost for the introvert in your network who needs to hear this.

📩 These are the daily techniques that helped me stop fighting my wiring:
https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

COO at SisuSemi | New Ideas Into Results | Expert in R&D, Product dev and Program mngt | High Tech Leader | ex Chief Eng. @ SCHOTT | ex Dir @ MSFT | Empower Others and be Better | Look Out More for Leadership & Growth

𝐼'𝑚 𝑎 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑦 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔. 
𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑦 𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑓𝑡. 
𝑃𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡.

That blend defines how I approach challenges: bringing clarity to ambiguity, guiding people toward shared direction, and turning complex ideas into progress.

Over 20 years across semiconductors, photonics, and AR/VR hardware, I have learned that great ideas only succeed when structure, discipline, and empowered teams bring them to life. 
Leadership, to me, is about balance - aligning vision with structure and innovation with execution.

I lead deep-tech innovation from draft to scale - turning complexity into clarity and ideas into impact.
I bridge structure with freedom, depth with progress, and people with purpose.

I build teams that move fast, think deeply, and deliver what others only plan.


𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫
• 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 – Built and led orgs of 36+, sustaining performance while prioritizing wellbeing.
• 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Developed roadmaps and multi-year investment strategies; embedded agile culture for long-term growth.
• 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Brought AR display innovation from R&D to market at Microsoft and SCHOTT; achieved >35% cost reductions and 2.5x process capability improvements.
• 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧 – Managed $10M+ budgets; secured multimillion-dollar investments to scale innovation.
• 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 – Delivered results across startups and global programs through resilient teams, robust processes, and scalable manufacturing pipelines.

𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 & 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
• SisuSemi – Co-founder & Board Member; strategy, investors, agile growth leadership.
• Summa Semiconductor – Board Member; governance, finance, transition planning.
• Community & Housing Boards – Leadership roles in governance, strategy, and engagement.


Today, I share insights on 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝, 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ - especially how to scale deep-tech innovation, build resilient teams, and drive lasting impact through leadership and board work.

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: 
Leadership • Strategic Planning • Program Management • Product Development • Operations • Semiconductors • Photonics • Technology Management • AR/VR Hardware • Manufacturing Scale-Up

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Note; The views expressed in my post are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or thoughts, of my employer.

Pasi Pietilä

There’s a special challenge for mid level managers. (What ever their title is.)
You can’t change things above you. 

Things might look chaotic from your perspective. 
* Decisions are ad-hoc. 
* Meetings start without preparation.
* Work gets invented in the room instead of reviewed.

As a middle manager, this is the hardest position to sit in.
* You don’t set the strategy.
* You don’t control the broader system.
 
But you are still accountable for delivery.

1st, let's align with clarity of reality:
* You cannot remove global ambiguity.
* You can’t change others. 
  
But you can stop amplifying it locally.

Here's a few actions... 

When direction feels broad, translate it into a small number of concrete outcomes for your team. 
Define what “done” actually means. 
Protect that definition.

When meetings drift into improvisation, shift the expectation quietly. 
Ask for written context beforehand. 
If it doesn’t come, move the topic. 
Over time, people adjust to the standard you consistently hold.

When new urgent work appears, don’t resist it. 
Clarify sequencing. 
Make the trade-off visible. 
Capacity is real whether acknowledged or not.

None of this requires authority over the whole company.
It requires discipline over your own operating system.

Most stalled teams don’t lack talent.
They lack structured clarity. 

And middle managers shape more of that reality than they think.

I’m working with a book to discuss how to build on top of clarity instead of control. That is not only helping you to lead others but also helping you to navigate in the ambiguous environment. 
In the book I'll go deeper into these root-causes of friction and introduce methods to bring clarity, alignment and action.

COO & Co-Founder | Deep-Tech Scaling (Semiconductors, Photonics, AR/VR) | Strategy → Execution → Growth | MSc | eMBA Candidate ’27

𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑦.
𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠?

This is the most frustrating leadership moment.

The roadmap is clear.
The roles are defined.
The objectives are agreed.

And still... 
- Team is not doing decisions.
- Energy feels low.
- Deadlines slide without visible resistance.
- Smart people stay busy without making real progress.

At this point, most leaders tighten control...
More check-ins.
More tracking.
More pressure.

It feels responsible - But none is good. 
Because alignment is not the same as clarity.

There is a third layer of clarity most teams never fully establish - Clarity of reality.
It’s not:
* What we’re building.
* Who owns what.

It’s whether the team sees reality clearly enough to act decisively.

Reality clarity means:
✅ Explicit trade-offs
✅ Visible constraints
✅ A shared understanding of consequences
✅ Brutal honesty about the gap between ambition and capacity

When that layer is missing, execution becomes polite fiction.
Everyone agrees.
No one escalates.
The system absorbs delay.
And leaders compensate with control.
 
But control cannot create momentum. 
Only clarity can.
 
In my upcoming book, I describe a discipline I use with technical leadership teams to restore momentum with help of clarity-alignment-action arc.

It starts with three things:
1️⃣ What problem are we actually solving and Why?
2️⃣ What evidence proves it matters?
3️⃣ What part of the system must change so progress becomes irreversible?

When those answers become concrete (not political) energy shifts.

Not because pressure increased. But because ambiguity decreased.

Momentum is not driven by intensity. It is driven by clarity at the right level.

If your organization feels “aligned but stuck,” you are not missing effort.

You are missing one layer of clarity.
I’m have a few open beta-reader spots. More diversity gives better feedback. 
 Comment “book” or send me a DM if this topic matters in your world.

In the meanwhile, share your thoughts in the comments.

It’s a draft. A book draft.

For past months I have been writing about stalled progress.
Clarity vs control.
Roadmaps that don’t translate into execution.
Smart teams that stay busy - but don’t move.

That hasn’t been accidental. That has been on purpose. 

I’m now working on a book focused on one core problem in deep-tech environments: Why capable leaders with strong teams still struggle to create visible progress - and how to build real momentum with help of clarity instead of taking control.

This isn’t a motivational leadership book.
It’s a structured, practical framework for leaders who:
✅ Carry accountability without full authority
✅ Operate in cross-functional complexity
✅ Try to find direction in the middle of ambiguity
✅ Need progress, not theory

The first phase was messy... really messy – raw drafts, rewrites, research, argument testing.

Now I’m moving into next phase with beta readers stress-testing clarity and usefulness.

I already have a beta-reader group.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩-𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.
If that’s you, message me.

More to come.

Why do capable teams still struggle to create visible progress?
In deep-tech, the problem isn’t competence.

Teams are strong.
Leaders are smart.
Roadmaps exist.
Metrics are tracked.

And yet progress feels slower than it should.
 🛑 Reviews circulate.
 🛑 Secondary priorities absorb attention.
 🛑 Critical decisions stall.

It’s not because people lack effort. 
People operate within the constraints they see.
 
The issue is structural.
Clarity, alignment, and execution drift apart under complexity.

When that happens:
 🛑 Ambiguity accumulates.
 🛑 Decisions slow down.
 🛑 Trade-offs remain implicit.
 🛑 Leaders compensate with control.
 🛑 Momentum erodes.
 
Over the past months, I’ve been structuring a manuscript around this recurring pattern.

The focus is specific:
How mid-level and emerging leaders create measurable progress - without relying on authority, reorgs, or micromanagement.

If you have experienced the gap between strong teams and slow progress, you will recognize the problem this book is trying to solve.

Most leadership problems I see are not execution problems.
They’re clarity problems.

* Teams are busy.
* People are working hard.
* Decisions are being made.
And yet… progress feels stuck.

In deep-tech environments especially, leaders needs to:
- act without complete information
- align experts who don’t always report in simple and effective manners
- deliver results while reality keeps shifting

The instinctive response is control.
More meetings. More oversight. More decisions pulled upward.

It feels responsible.... but it often slows things down.

What I keep seeing instead is this:
When leaders invest in clarity - Of all 3 levels; thinking, of direction, of reality, alignment follows more naturally,
action becomes easier to trigger,
and results start to compound.

Not because people are pushed harder.
But because they finally know what really matters, what doesn’t, and what to do next.

I’m currently shaping a book around this idea - Clarity over Control -
for managers and leaders navigating complexity where answers aren’t obvious and progress feels stalled.

Before it’s finished, I would love to sanity-check it with people who live this reality:
- mid-level or newly promoted leaders
- technical or deep-tech environments
- pressure to deliver without breaking trust or morale
If this resonates, or if you have struggled with the tension between clarity and control,

I would genuinely love to hear your perspective (comment or DM).

For me, the biggest thing in leadership is making things clear enough so others can move faster.
How about for you?

Do you start with the big rocks - or the small wins?

We have all heard the jar metaphor.
* Put the big rocks in first.
* Focus on what matters most.
* Be strategic.
And sure... I believe in that thinking as well. No questions around that.

But after years of leading complex deep-tech programs and teams, I have learned something deeper:
✅ Leadership doesn’t start with efficiency.
✅ It starts with trust.
Trust that is build from the small dust of sands – from the small wins. 

𝐼𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑗𝑎𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑡𝑠.

That’s why small wins often come first.

Collecting the small wins, 
Collecting the trust, 
Creating the clarity. 

In my latest article, I introduce what I call 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭.
1️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 – small, visible wins that create belief
2️⃣ 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 – use that credibility to tackle the real strategic challenges

This idea is also part of the broader leadership model I explore in my upcoming book - where clarity, alignment and execution must work as an integrated loop.

If you’re leading in high-tech, deep-tech, or transformation-heavy environments, this one might resonate.

Read the article below.

Would love to hear - when have you seen leaders jump to “big rocks” too early?

Why Small Wins Come Before Big Rocks Every new leader faces the same question: Where do you start - with the easy wins or the hardest problems? We hav

Open article: The Sequence of Trust by Pasi Pietilä • 4 min read

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