Visionary Interview of Bart van der Vliet, September 2011
Bart van der Vliet, Leadership Development Consultant, Executive Coach and Trustee at Street Child of Sierra Leone, talks about 'taking the leap', moving from an executive position in the financial world to the visionary world of entrepreneur / creator.
To listen to the 35 minute audio recording of the interview, click Download File or right click it to save it to your computer to listen to it later. Read on below for the highlights of this inspiring interview with Bart.
To listen to the 35 minute audio recording of the interview, click Download File or right click it to save it to your computer to listen to it later. Read on below for the highlights of this inspiring interview with Bart.
| bartvandervliet.mp3 |
Taking the leap ...
About 5 years ago my daughter Rosie had an accident -- she fell into the swimming pool and was clinically dead. I brought her back to life by using things I didn't know I had. It was freaky as well as a wonderful turning point in my life. From that point, I started to struggle at work -- it was a very unhappy time -- and I eventually left. I absolutely loved my new freedom. My first week I took a train trip around the UK all by myself and I spent a week in silence riding trains. Then a few weeks later I started my own consultancy. I celebrated my first day, my first invoice, my first payment. In the first five months I made about the same as the whole of the year before and then the 2nd half of the year, I worked about 3 days. I absolutely loved it.
Synchronicity and listening to the signs...
One of the big things I learned in this new world I'd entered was about listening to the signs. As my Christian friends say 'God taps you on the shoulder, then he taps you a bit harder and then he whacks you on the head.' The accident with Rosie was my whack on the head. I could have heard the signs much sooner than that. I now listen deeply to what wants to emerge. I watch for synchronicity (meaningful coincidence) now. Most of my hugely important business decisions are now based on synchronicity and listening to what wants to emerge. One of those signs was meeting the founder of Street Child of Sierra Leone and realising that we had lots of common values. Now I'm chairman of the board of trustees where we work together on the values and strategy of the charity. Street Child of Sierra Leone. I spend 20% of my time now on the charity and it's hugely meaningful for me.
Epiphany....
I went to Sierra Leone and visited a little village where I met a boy who had one leg and walked on a make-shift crutch. He walked 3 miles every day to school. He had in his eyes a determination I will remember that said "I am going to better my life." I realised later that he was the same age as my son when he lost his leg in the war and at the moment of that realisation I burst into floods of tears and it became very clear that this was what I was going to do. This is it. No doubt about it. In one way you wish you had more of these moments and in another way they're physically hard to go through. These moments with Rosie and in Africa completely changed me -- I was reborn. In the beginning, it was hugely uncomfortable and eventually it dawned on me that my physcial life had to follow the changed person that I am. I always wanted to do more, to give back. I didn't know how, but I chose it and then it was there. We don't always have to wait for the big whack on the head, if we listen to the signs in the deep stillness. The big signs are hugely exciting and a huge shock to the system ... it's an emotional, energetic onslaught that shapes us.
Future visions....
I actually don't like the whole idea of charity, asking for funds. I would love Street Child to become self-funding locally in Sierra Leone. We've started some social businesses in Sierra Leone where the money goes 100% into our Street Child work. We have the opportunity there to make it self-funding. I believe we can solve the problem of street children in Sierra Leone, to perhaps 20% of the current numbers. When you say that to a professional charity worker, they laugh in your face and say you'll never do that, that's impossible, grow up, be realistic. I don't want to be realistic. I want to dream that that is possible. I know it's possible and we have a plan to get there, so that we reduce the street child problem to a manageable problem which is dealt with by a self-funding organisation and so that all children, boys and girls alike, have access to primary education in Sierra Leone. What I'd really like to do in the next years is to move this beyond Sierra Leone to have Street Child of Liberia, Street Child of Nigeria, Street Child of Gambia and so on.
Creating the corporate world as a place where we want to work....
I actually had a great time in the corporate world and wouldn't be where I am today without that experience. But then my time was there and I had to leave. Because the corporate world pays my fees, it gives me the ooportunity to spend this time on Street Child. It's important that we work within the corporate world for people to have lives that are meaningful. It's about having a social agenda/purpose whilst making money at the same time. A good example for me is Jamie Oliver who has a great personal brand, makes a lot of money and changes the world at the same time. Can we have more of those companies please! Let's create a world where the corporate world is a place where we want to work.
About 5 years ago my daughter Rosie had an accident -- she fell into the swimming pool and was clinically dead. I brought her back to life by using things I didn't know I had. It was freaky as well as a wonderful turning point in my life. From that point, I started to struggle at work -- it was a very unhappy time -- and I eventually left. I absolutely loved my new freedom. My first week I took a train trip around the UK all by myself and I spent a week in silence riding trains. Then a few weeks later I started my own consultancy. I celebrated my first day, my first invoice, my first payment. In the first five months I made about the same as the whole of the year before and then the 2nd half of the year, I worked about 3 days. I absolutely loved it.
Synchronicity and listening to the signs...
One of the big things I learned in this new world I'd entered was about listening to the signs. As my Christian friends say 'God taps you on the shoulder, then he taps you a bit harder and then he whacks you on the head.' The accident with Rosie was my whack on the head. I could have heard the signs much sooner than that. I now listen deeply to what wants to emerge. I watch for synchronicity (meaningful coincidence) now. Most of my hugely important business decisions are now based on synchronicity and listening to what wants to emerge. One of those signs was meeting the founder of Street Child of Sierra Leone and realising that we had lots of common values. Now I'm chairman of the board of trustees where we work together on the values and strategy of the charity. Street Child of Sierra Leone. I spend 20% of my time now on the charity and it's hugely meaningful for me.
Epiphany....
I went to Sierra Leone and visited a little village where I met a boy who had one leg and walked on a make-shift crutch. He walked 3 miles every day to school. He had in his eyes a determination I will remember that said "I am going to better my life." I realised later that he was the same age as my son when he lost his leg in the war and at the moment of that realisation I burst into floods of tears and it became very clear that this was what I was going to do. This is it. No doubt about it. In one way you wish you had more of these moments and in another way they're physically hard to go through. These moments with Rosie and in Africa completely changed me -- I was reborn. In the beginning, it was hugely uncomfortable and eventually it dawned on me that my physcial life had to follow the changed person that I am. I always wanted to do more, to give back. I didn't know how, but I chose it and then it was there. We don't always have to wait for the big whack on the head, if we listen to the signs in the deep stillness. The big signs are hugely exciting and a huge shock to the system ... it's an emotional, energetic onslaught that shapes us.
Future visions....
I actually don't like the whole idea of charity, asking for funds. I would love Street Child to become self-funding locally in Sierra Leone. We've started some social businesses in Sierra Leone where the money goes 100% into our Street Child work. We have the opportunity there to make it self-funding. I believe we can solve the problem of street children in Sierra Leone, to perhaps 20% of the current numbers. When you say that to a professional charity worker, they laugh in your face and say you'll never do that, that's impossible, grow up, be realistic. I don't want to be realistic. I want to dream that that is possible. I know it's possible and we have a plan to get there, so that we reduce the street child problem to a manageable problem which is dealt with by a self-funding organisation and so that all children, boys and girls alike, have access to primary education in Sierra Leone. What I'd really like to do in the next years is to move this beyond Sierra Leone to have Street Child of Liberia, Street Child of Nigeria, Street Child of Gambia and so on.
Creating the corporate world as a place where we want to work....
I actually had a great time in the corporate world and wouldn't be where I am today without that experience. But then my time was there and I had to leave. Because the corporate world pays my fees, it gives me the ooportunity to spend this time on Street Child. It's important that we work within the corporate world for people to have lives that are meaningful. It's about having a social agenda/purpose whilst making money at the same time. A good example for me is Jamie Oliver who has a great personal brand, makes a lot of money and changes the world at the same time. Can we have more of those companies please! Let's create a world where the corporate world is a place where we want to work.
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Find out more about Street Child of Sierra Leone at www.street-child.co.uk/ and www.sierraleonemarathon.com or have a browse through their 2011 Project Update below. |
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