Tom van der Lubbe: Surviving Cancer, The Impact on His Leadership Philosophy & The Workplace Culture

Bio: Tom's the co-founder of Viisi NV, a Dutch mortgage advice company voted #1 Great Place to Work in The Netherlands in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and #1 in Europe in 2021.
Insight: I’ve learned from Tom that surviving death doesn’t ensure happiness, nor does it cure you from fear. But it does shape your leadership philosophy. Tom's journey from surviving a 20% chance of fighting cancer at 20 to leading a self-organized company is about liberation not just from illness but from societal expectations, shaping his leadership style. His authenticity has moved him beyond "me first" mindset and created a philosophy that values collective intelligence. His Dutch roots, academic background in history, and living abroad in Switzerland have also deeply influenced the creation of a collaborative organization and thus future.
The topics we discuss:
Personal Journey and Life Lessons
Impact of Having Cancer on Work Ethic
Balancing Personal Drive & Team Dynamics: Travel vs. Career
Understanding Cultural Differences in Work Environments: Being Dutch, Working in Switzerland
Exploring Self-Organization in Business: The Influence of Working At McKinsey’s on Starting A Self-organized Company
Challenges and Benefits of Self-Organization
Role of Leadership in Self-Organized Teams
Rotation Principle in Government: Should CEOs rotate as well? Example “Tour de France”
Applying Direct Democracy in Business: The Swiss Government Applied to Business
Salary Models & The Impact of Self-Organization on Salary: What matters most?
Tom’s Leadership Philosophy: Individual vs. Team Intelligence
Diversity & Inclusion: Diverse Hiring &. Psychological Safety
A Historian’s Perspective on Business
The Evolution of Self-Organization: Just like democracy, you have to fight for it
The Role of Self-Organization in Crisis
Tom’s inspiration, books, & what he appreciates about the having a rotational CEO role
For audio versions and more stories tune in here:
Apple Podcasts: lnkd.in/gH6gnPtf
Spotify: lnkd.in/gzSMUqrn
Love,
Helena