What does it take to move mountains as an organization and as a team?
During the Manager’s Kick-off on April 20th, Dutch mountaineer Katja Staartjes will take us on an expedition. As the first Dutch woman to have climbed Mount Everest, Katja has multiple ‘eight-thousanders’ on her name. She has led several alpine expeditions, and together with her partner Henk Wesselius, they were the first Dutch alpinists on the Gasherbrum I (8068 m) and the fore-summit of Manaslu (8130 m).
Katja is, without a doubt, one of the most experienced team coaches in circumstances where the team makes the difference between the top and survival. Resilience and cooperation are fundamental to making it to the top together. Teams are put under strain when pressure mounts, whether from weather conditions or fatigue. Building on her experience as an expedition leader and senior manager in several organizations, Katja draws clear parallels between mountain climbing and organizational challenges.
At PGGM, we have our own mountain to move. In 2030, we want to be able to build and manage the best 3D investment portfolio for PFZW. What does this require from us as an organization? How can we climb the top together through excellent teamwork and without losing people along the way? What’s the role of communication and leadership? Katja will take us on a journey. Learning from her insights, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of how to prepare, climb the mountain, and make it to the top together. Our question for this first session is: how do we collectively move mountains?
“If you exclude any risk, you get nowhere.”
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