Bou is a leadership consultant who helps his clients discover how to bring out the best in themselves and others. He designs and delivers customized leadership development workshops for executive teams around the globe, and also has a thriving executive and life coaching practice.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to trust your inner knowing and use community to navigate the complex decisions that come with building an independent career.

Bou and I discuss:

• The difference between conceptual and non-conceptual knowing [00:04:48]
• How the Cynefin framework explains why analysis alone fails in a complex world [00:19:06]
• Why leaving corporate can feel like both a terrifying leap and a profound relief [00:08:13]
• The biological reason hierarchy creates fear and stress [00:09:31]
• Why community is indispensable for sense-making when the path isn't clear [00:23:06]
• What Bou wishes someone had told him when he first went solo [00:28:00]

Learn more about Boudewijn at https://www.spimanagement.com/.

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About Smashing the Plateau

Smashing the Plateau is a podcast for experienced independent leaders who have left corporate roles to build sustainable, expertise-based businesses.

Each episode features a thoughtful, experience-driven conversation about what changes when you no longer have the infrastructure of an organization behind you.

We explore judgment, decision-making under uncertainty, growth plateaus, identity shifts, and the role of trusted thinking partners in sustaining long-term success.

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