My Faith
I thought long and hard about whether to write this page, but then I decided that it's important for clients and business partners to know who I am and what I believe in. That's why I share my values and what matters to me beyond work, to give as complete a picture of myself as possible.
My Family
First and foremost, I am a very happy husband and father with a wonderful wife named Helen, an amazing son named Lean, and an amazing daughter named Yara.
Clayton Christensen writes in his well-known HBR article "How Will You Measure Your Life" that people who strive for greatness often spend too little time with their families and invest too much in their careers — even though loving relationships with our families are the strongest and most enduring source of happiness. I don't want to make that mistake. No matter what I do and how motivating my professional goals may be, my family will always come first in my life.
Faith in My Professional Life
I discovered the Christian faith while working at UPGREAT. UPGREAT is an IT company committed to living Christian values in the workplace. Before my encounters at UPGREAT, I had no particular relationship with faith. During my time at this company, I heard so much about Jesus and the Bible that I wanted to know more. I think that's a kind of pattern in my life — I listen and observe, but after a while, I start educating myself and in that sense begin my own journey. So I started reading about it, trying to understand the 'big picture,' and during that process, I got to know the personality of Jesus and discovered how liberating, loving, and welcoming he is. Eventually, at the end of 2008, I decided not just to read about it, but to follow Jesus.
My faith naturally influences the way I work and how I collaborate with people. While reading the Bible, I noticed that it contains so much wisdom that is more relevant than ever to our professional lives in times of profound change. Throughout my journey as a leader, I have repeatedly thought about the right organizational model and have always been convinced that a group of people can achieve more than the sum of its parts. But what does such a high-performing team look like?
Research and my own experience show that the best and most creative solutions come from a diverse group of people with different backgrounds, cultures, skin colors, countries of origin, religions, or worldviews. Given these different perspectives, however, it is more important than ever to collaborate on the basis of shared values. The Bible helps with this in Matthew 7:12:
"Treat others the way you want to be treated."
This universal truth applies not only to teams of believers. People of all backgrounds generally agree that this is a good starting point for any team. However, it is sometimes difficult to treat everyone with respect. What helps me deal with this tension is the firm conviction that God made no mistake when he created each one of us differently. Every single person is valuable, and every single person has a perspective that I genuinely want to understand and incorporate into my own thinking.
When we genuinely care about our colleagues' convictions, we can embrace these different opinions and grow as individuals. This doesn't mean I always have to agree, or that everyone can contribute to every challenge, but everyone deserves to be heard and treated with respect.
To achieve such an open dialogue, nothing is more important than authenticity. Especially as a leader, I don't believe you earn respect by playing a role. It's far better to have rough edges than to be everyone's favorite. I'm on my own journey to become better at being authentic every day, and I have to admit that it's sometimes hard.
A quote by John Wooden, a famous college basketball coach, became my own definition of success and helps me stay authentic in this regard:
"Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."
Summary
As you can see, my faith has influenced my professional life because I have thought deeply about how to build high-performing teams and how to act as a leader. I am more convinced than ever that the Bible teaches us a universal truth that works not only when collaborating with Christians, but with people of all backgrounds.
This is only possible when you genuinely care about how others see the world, are willing to incorporate different perspectives into your own thinking, and treat others with respect. This is important not just for a leader, but as a cultural principle in any group, to ensure that people interact as equals. When a team understands what it truly means to 'treat others the way I want to be treated,' it's a wonderful first step toward a work environment where people feel safe, have fun, and can reach their full potential.
I'll close with a quote by Clayton Christensen, whose conclusion I really appreciate: