About

Why a blog?
I decided to create this blog for a number of reasons. First of all because in the last six months I discovered the blogosphere! And it really is an amazing place, and I want to be part of it! Most of the people I mention below are bloggers as well, just google them.
Next to that, I also simply created it to structure my thinking a little bit…

The title:
"Boiling or Leaping" refers to the Boiling frog syndrome, a widespread anecdote describing a frog slowly being boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.
I chose this title, because lately I've been wondering if we, as a people, will be able to react to all the changes that occur gradually around us, e.g. the 6 major schocks described by Geert Noels in his book Econoshock
Small side note: According to contemporary biologists the premise of the story is not literally true; an actual frog submerged and gradually heated will jump out.

To give an idea of who I am and what to expect, these are my heroes:

  • Sara, forever number one!
  • Lucas, my one year old son, teaching me a lot, without words…
  • Gib Bulloch: Founded ADP, a program I did at Accenture, for which I worked half a year in Kampala in Uganda. Exilerating experience! Gib has a great vision on the convergence of business with the development sector
  • Obama, of course…
  • Geert Noels, economist, cycling fanatic, author of Econoshock
  • Thomas Friedman: I first read The Lexus and the Olive Tree when it came out in 1999 and have been a fan ever since
  • Patrick Chovanec: Professor in Beijing, nice nuanced view on China from within, making sence of the revolution over there.
  • Jon Stewart
  • James Montier
  • Paul Volcker
  • Alain de Botton
  • Dan Pink: For his keys to Motivation and Drive: Autonomy, mastery, purpose! and his six key abilities for the 21st century: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning
  • Jeremy Rifkin. the emphatic civilization. I hope he’s right.
  • Santiago Calatrava, my favourite architect
  • Arne Quinze, a-typical Belgian, that’s why I love him. Gutsy, crazy, refreshing.
  • Tomas De Soete
  • Mom and Dad!
Other Favourite Stuff

  • Google (all of it!)
  • Apple
  • Woestijnvis
  • TED!
  • National Geographic, loving it since my granddad gave it to me as a present in 1987
  • Wikipedia

Professionally:
Daniel T. Jones & James P. Womack, for books like “Lean solutions”, How Companies And Customers Can Create Value And Wealth Together

Of course,  everthing changes, all the above changes as well, so this is the view for now, april 2010.

Where I grew up
Kortemark, Belgium

Places I’ve lived and favourite places I travelled to
Kampala, Uganda; cabanaconde, peru; Tulum, Mexico; antigua, guatemala; Gili Trawagan, Indonesia; Chang Mai, Thailand; Luang Prabang, Laos; Stone Town, Zanzibar; Nairobi, Kenya; Rome, Italy; Stockholm, sweden; cap corse, france; valreas, france; Korcula, croatia; tarifa, spain; Oudtshoorn, South Africa; cape town, South Africa

Companies I’ve worked for
Solutia (currently);Accenture; Ferranti; Mobistar; Barry Callebaut; Ericsson; GSMA; Celtel; Bombardier

Schools I’ve attended
KU Leuven