Blog - salomons.coach

02 Jan 2026

Results are never the problem. They are the mirror.

Leadership is not revealed in intentions, values, or language. It is revealed in results. In my work with leaders and teams, I always start with outcomes — and then work backwards to what leadership truly demands under pressure. Not to judge, but to understand which patterns, decisions, and behaviors are quietly shaping performance. Results are never the problem. They are the mirror.

31 Dec 2025

Practical CV rewriting guidance

hand with pen correcting resume on a desk with laptop and other papers

After job loss, many CVs become longer — and weaker. This article explains why modern CVs must shift from career history to relevance, and how AI screening has made positioning non-negotiable. Your CV is no longer a record of the past. It is a focused case for why you fit this role, now.

27 Dec 2025

After redundancy: how to introduce yourself without explaining your career

person walking in hallway with other people blurred

Especially after redundancy, many professionals explain themselves too much — in interviews, CVs, and conversations. But interviews are not about telling your story. They are about positioning. This article shows why “tell me about yourself” is a strategic question — and how to answer it with relevance, not biography.

18 Dec 2025

One-on-ones as a leadership discipline: from status updates to development dialogues

By salomons.coach
In Blog, Closing leadership capability gaps

2 persons having a one-on-one conversation in a meeting room behind a table with icons above their heads illustrating content components

One-on-one meetings are one of the most powerful leadership tools — and one of the most frequently misused. Drawing from personal leadership experience and evidence-based research, this article explores how leaders can design and execute one-on-ones that go beyond status updates and become conversations that build clarity, trust, and sustainable performance.

17 Dec 2025

Why silence makes better leaders: the neuroscience of stillness

Man meditating is great nature with head with brains projected in the air

In high-pressure leadership environments, silence is often mistaken for indecision. Yet the most important insights rarely emerge in the middle of noise. They surface afterwards, when reaction stops and space is created to think. Drawing from decades of leadership experience and supported by neuroscience, this article explores why silence is not the absence of leadership, but a condition for it. Silence reduces cognitive load, calms the nervous system, activates reflective brain networks, and supports clarity, creativity, and better decision-making. You will learn what silence actually does to the brain, why different forms of silence serve different purposes, and how long silence needs to last to be effective, from brief pauses between meetings to deeper periods of reflection. In a world of constant stimulation, silence has become a strategic capability. Not as withdrawal, but as a deliberate leadership discipline, especially when complexity and...

12 Dec 2025

My leadership journey: from engineering teacher to global executive to leadership (team) coach

man leaning against glass window with his reflection in it

In this personal leadership journey, Jan Salomons shares how he transitioned from an engineering teacher to a global executive and ultimately to a leadership and executive coach. Drawing on more than 35 years of international leadership experience across complex organisations, he reveals the pivotal insights that shaped his purpose: leadership is human work, not just technical or operational skill. His evolution into coaching grew from a belief that sustained behavioural change and self-awareness unlock real performance and resilient teams

11 Dec 2025

Evidence-Based Impact of Coaching: What the Most Reliable Studies Show

By salomons.coach
In Blog, Closing leadership capability gaps

The latest scientific research on workplace coaching shows a clear, measurable pattern: meaningful change happens in four stages. Leaders first gain emotional clarity and self-awareness, then release limiting beliefs, realign their behaviour and skills with a stronger identity, and finally see measurable performance improvements. This progression mirrors the 4R Model (Reflect–Reset–Re-Align–Rise™). Backed by meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials, the evidence confirms that sustainable leadership performance begins with inner clarity—not with KPIs.

10 Dec 2025

45+ and you need a new job? This is why professionals struggle more than their CV shows

Many professionals over 45 hear the same reassuring phrases when they lose their job—yet the reality they face in the Dutch labour market is far more complex. This article explores why experienced mid-career professionals struggle not because of capability, but because the hiring system interprets their broad value too narrowly. Based on the 4R Model (Reflect–Reset–Re-Align–Rise™) and real client insights, it reveals the hidden dynamics that shape career transitions and what truly helps professionals rise stronger.

09 Dec 2025

Stillness and reflection: the hidden courage behind authentic leadership

In a world full of noise and pressure, the most courageous leaders are not the loudest ones, but the ones who create space for stillness and honest self-reflection. Like a quiet bridge reflected in calm water, authentic leadership emerges when we stand steady in who we are and dare to look inward. Clarity, integrity, and presence begin not with action, but with awareness.

05 Dec 2025

Happiness as a Leadership Strategy

By salomons.coach
In Blog, Sustaining performance under pressure, Video

Watching Arthur Brooks’ talk on the science of happiness offers a powerful insight for leaders: happiness isn’t a mood — it’s a disciplined practice that shapes how you lead. Brooks reveals that enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning form the foundation of true well-being, and only a small part of it depends on circumstances. The rest comes from daily habits rooted in relationships, purpose, and service. For leaders, this is transformative: it shifts happiness from a personal luxury to a strategic imperative. When leaders cultivate happiness intentionally, they strengthen resilience, deepen trust, and create the conditions in which teams can thrive.