By Manfred Kets de Vries Against the cult of excellence that dominates contemporary political and cultural imagination, the idea of being “good enough” begins to look strangely appealing. Not incompetence or apathy, but procedural thinking,...
Looking beneath the surface By Manfred Kets de Vries There’s an old tale about a girl and her drum. Day and night, she was beating on it relentlessly. No one could stop her. But the constant drumming drove the villagers to distraction. One by one,...
In many organisations, silence speaks louder than words. While leaders often say they value feedback, the reality is more complex; people withhold insights, soften the truth, or avoid difficult conversations altogether. Yet in today’s environment...
By Manfred Kets de Vries Let’s face it — being in the upper echelons of leadership is a little like starring in your own surrealistic play. Everyone is properly dressed, everything looks neat and tidy, and yet chaos reigns. Not loud, dramatic chaos...
By Manfred Kets de Vries As a member of the New York Explorers Club, I am no stranger to thrill-seeking people. Perhaps, in some ways, I belong to this group myself. The club attracts individuals who are compelled to push boundaries — to climb...
By Manfred Kets de Vries High performers often resist easy classification. Their effectiveness rarely fits neatly into a formula because so many “filters” shape how success is defined and displayed. Not surprisingly, the first of these filters is...
Ever feel like you're playing multiple roles at once: boss, mentor, fixer, visionary, therapist, and crisis manager, all before lunch? You’re not alone. Today’s leaders are juggling more than ever: hybrid teams, cultural shifts, climate anxiety, AI...
By Manfred Kets de Vries Managing ambiguity sounds noble in theory. In practice, it’s disturbing and exhausting. Take, for example, a recent “brainstorming session” I attended at a high-tech company. The major investor, who had just taken over,...
"There is more to life than increasing its speed." - Mahatma Gandhi In our hyper-connected world, doing nothing has become a lost art. Modern society has developed an addiction to busyness: we check emails compulsively, fill every moment with...
It was around 100 years ago that Henry Ford, talking about teamwork, remarked: “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” While at first glance that still seems applicable in 2024, in reality, the concept of a team...
Oriane Kets de Vries is CEO and owner of the Kets de Vries Institute. She leads a global team of coaches, consultants and educators dedicated to developing reflective, emotionally intelligent leaders and cultivating workplaces where people can thrive. In her faculty role, she draws on extensive experience designing and directing leadership programmes for senior executives, contributing her expertise in psychodynamic coaching, organisational culture, and transformational leadership development.
Oriane has served as consultant, coach, and programme director for clients including Pictet, Deutsche Bank, Merck, UBS, Mishcon de Reya, and Engie, and she has taught on open-enrolment programmes with leading institutions such as Cambridge Judge Business School, Oxford Saïd, INSEAD, ESCP, ESMT and CEDEP. Her interests centre on the human side of leadership, particularly identity, creativity, entrepreneurship and gender dynamics. She holds an MBA and Executive MA in Coaching and Consulting for Change from INSEAD, has trained at the Harvard Kennedy School, and brings more than a decade of professional experience in creative and entrepreneurial industries into her work with leaders.
Manfred Kets de Vries is a pioneering authority in leadership development, coaching, and organisational change. He is a founder and director of the Kets de Vries Institute (KDVI) and served as Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organisational Change at INSEAD. With academic credentials in economics (University of Amsterdam), management (MBA and DBA, Harvard Business School), and psychoanalysis (trained in Canada), he brings a uniquely interdisciplinary perspective to leadership. His work bridges management theory and clinical insight, establishing him as a global thought leader in executive coaching and transformation. At INSEAD, he founded the Global Leadership Centre and led the flagship programme The Challenge of Leadership for 31 years. He also served as scientific director of Coaching and Consulting for Change, an 18-month Executive Master’s programme that has shaped over 3,000 senior leaders and executive coaches worldwide. He has advised and coached senior executives at global firms including Goldman Sachs, BP, Shell, Unilever, McKinsey, and Volvo. A prolific author of over 60 books and 400 articles, his work appears regularly in The Financial Times, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. Recognised by Le Capital, Wirtschaftswoche, and The Financial Times as one of the world’s top 50 management thinkers, he is widely regarded for advancing more human-centred approaches to leadership.
Senior Adviser (Luminary) at Accenture and executive coach with over 12 years of board experience. Formerly a banker and McKinsey consultant, Yulia has led banking transformations in digital, agile, organisational change, and talent development. Her coaching spans the finance, tech, and consumer goods sectors, blending technological insight with emotional intelligence to guide leaders through transformation. Recently, she advised BBVA on agile methodologies and senior talent development. Influenced by thought leaders such as Manfred Kets de Vries and Gabor Maté, Yulia brings an analytical, reflective approach to leadership. She has lived and worked across the UK, Spain, the US, and Russia.
Elizabeth has worked closely with Manfred Kets de Vries for many years and has served as a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at INSEAD. Her extensive background in leadership development spans organisational consulting, executive coaching, and academic research. She holds advanced degrees in Organisational Development and Clinical Organisational Psychology and is a certified Coaching Supervisor through the Tavistock Institute. Her doctoral research explored experiential domains in executive education, and she has authored or co-authored numerous academic articles, case studies, and books on leadership and organisational dynamics. Elizabeth led the development teams behind KDVI’s diagnostic instruments, including the GELM, OCA™, and ITI. Drawing on her diverse training and global experience, she brings deep cross-cultural insight to her work with leaders worldwide. Originally from California, Elizabeth has made France her home for over 30 years.