Keynotes
Bringing a shared language and question into the room.
Work
Experience
Meaning
From words to values.
Giving values substance by recognizing—and acknowledging—the experiences behind them.
Make sense of real experiences together.
A social process.
Meaning-making is a social process.
An organization is more than its structure, strategy, or core values. What an organization truly means emerges between people. In the stories they share, the experiences that move them, and the choices they make together.
This is how organizational culture takes shape. Through what people experience and do every day, as well as what is considered important on paper.
Leaders cannot prescribe that culture. They can make space for a conversation in which experiences, beliefs, and established assumptions meet. And in which people discover together what matters and what needs to change.
Leaders make the space.
The conversation belongs to everyone.
Working with Values Driven
The format follows the question.
Programs
Connecting experience, meaning, and daily practice.
Leadership sessions
Improving the quality of relationships—with yourself, one another, and the organization.
Advisory
An honest, human perspective grounded in twenty years of experience.
Programs
Employee gathering
One and a half hours
Amongst Ourselves
An inspiring keynote, stories in small groups, and a shared conversation. Through the everyday experiences of employees and leaders, you discover what truly matters and what you want to strengthen or change together.
Explore the programLeadership program
One day
From Words to Values
How do organizational values become meaningful in everyday work? Use stories, ownership, and rituals to develop a concrete approach for your team.
Explore the programEmployee program
Two half-days with a practice period
Values Ambassador
Values come alive through people's experiences. This program helps employees bring those experiences into conversation, collectively discover what truly matters, and turn those insights into meaningful change.
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The book
Betekenis & Bullshit
What happens when subjects such as identity and ethics are taken over by the marketing department? How credible are companies’ polished words—and can it be done differently?
I wrote a book about the lessons from my work on meaning in organizations. About the outside, and the inside.
Order now“Anyone untouched by this book should ask what they are actually doing.”
References
What stays with people.
“Through his message, Stephan Ummelen invited national leadership to reflect: who are we, and what do we stand for?
How do you truly reach employees, and how do you move shared values from abstraction into practice?
Not only his ideas, but also his practical examples and interventions immediately hit home.”
“At our annual management event, Stephan offered a powerful dose of inspiration about the values-driven organization—with several useful ideas for bringing those values to life. A pleasure to work with.”
“During our Values Week, Stephan inspired and challenged us with a talk about integrity and living our values in practice. Sharp, energetic, scientifically grounded, and above all vividly told.”