Higher Humble Purpose E4
Stepping into our higher purpose, we connect to a deeper sense of energy that we experience viscerally, shares Erica Schaper, Chairman of the Board of NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Purpose helps Erica to be decisive, also when she needs to take unpopular decisions. In the heat of a challenging conversation, she keeps an eye on what is truly important, so as not get distracted by emotions, hers or anyone else’s.
Erica finds greater strength in purpose by becoming clear what she is really called to focus on and what is outside of her scope. She humbly acknowledges that we are only on this planet for a very short time and we will not solve all our problems in our lifetimes. Does that dissuade her from giving it her all? No, not at all. Erica stays focused on her purpose and takes small steps towards it every day. This includes taking care of herself, taking time off, spending time with her wife Hetty at their horse farm, or losing herself in a good book.
NHL Stenden. Groundbreaking.
By expanding your boundaries, there is no telling what you might accomplish. That is why we challenge our students, staff and partners every day to discover and develop their talents, as part of a journey that transcends the limits of their own professional field and immediate environment. 
Our multi-campus university of applied sciences is firmly rooted in the northern part of the Netherlands where we are based, while at the same time maintaining a strong international focus.
At all our Dutch and international branches, we are always looking for new ways to successfully integrate education, research and the latest developments in the professional world.
Our students, lecturers and researchers work together in small teams on real-life assignments and share their innovative ideas in practice. Our courses incorporate all the latest trends and developments in the relevant sectors and industries, both at a national as well as an international level.
NHL Stenden offers hands-on English-taught bachelor and/or master’s programmes in the fields of hospitality, tourism, leisure & events, creative business, communication & multimedia design, international business, IT, supply chain, HR and European Studies as well as 2 unique international teacher education degrees.
Around 24.000 students are studying at NHL Stenden, amongst them 3.000 international students from over 100 different countries.
Erica Schaper is a passionate director, executive and supervisor with a social heart and extensive experience in realising strategic reorientations with organisations in the public domain.
She makes sure the focus is on results and efficiency. In doing so, she uses the internal motivation of employees for their profession or the context in which they work. Her strength lies in moving people.
Within an organization, she encourages individual responsibility for employees’ own development and job satisfaction. People experience this as pleasant, but also as decisive, reliable, transparent and honest, with an eye for the human factor.
As a Chairperson of the Executive Board, Erica Schaper carries executive responsibility for NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. January 2018 marks the start of NHL Stenden University after the merger; a brand-new university where 24 000 students and more than 2000 academic staff expand their boundaries every day. NHL Stenden University distinguishes itself with a unique educational concept Design Based Education, inspired by the principles of Design Thinking.
NHL Stenden opt for a solid substantive research profile based on the focus areas Vital Regions, Smart Sustainable Industries and Service Economy. As an international multi-campus NHL Stenden has a strong and varied student body, with more than 90 nationalities, and several campuses located in the Netherlands, and partners in South Africa, Thailand and Indonesia. Therefore, NHL Stenden is one of the most international educational institutes in the Netherlands.
Since 1 January 2014, Erica has been working as managing director for trade union FNV. Her activities focused on guiding the merger process of five organisations, and the establishment of the new FNV work organisation.
In addition, she has extensive experience with merger and change processes in education, gained as managing director of Van Hall Larenstein UAS and as interim manager for, among others, Hanze UAS Groningen and Inholland UAS. She has also worked as higher education supervisor and auditor for the NVAO and the Sirius excellence programme.
Erica Schaper has extensive experience in the field of public administration, and a strong interest in education, empowerment, community building, and merger processes.
Connect with Erica on LinkedIn.
About Rooted & Unwavering
Peace, Compassion, Wisdom, Purposefulness, Creativity and Strength come online in us when we deeply connect with the true, unwavering greatness that lives within ourselves and others.
In this podcast and radio show, Hylke Faber, seasoned transformational coach and author of the award-winning Taming Your Crocodiles series, engages in deep inquiry with leaders from all walks of life about courageously connecting with our true selves, others and the world at large.
How do we stay connected to our true selves and our greatness, especially when we are challenged? How do we rest in the heart, also when our mind keeps us restless? What becomes possible when we truly stay committed to our own and others’ best selves, also when we don’t feel it? How do we practice staying connected to our true selves, in the midst of our busy lives?
Join us and leave inspired to act on your heart’s greatness and that of the people around you.
About Our Host
For as long as he can remember Hylke Faber has been curious about what this life is about. His ongoing inquiry has become his work: helping people individually and collectively to discover what is possible in life and express that authentically and fearlessly.
Hylke started his work life with Towers Perrin as consultant and then as Partner with Strategic Decisions Group, serving a wide range of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, consumer electronics and life sciences companies. A major shift occurred during this critical phase of his life. He had become the typical, hard-charging, 16-hours-a-day strategy consultant, and was burning out at a rapid clip.
When he discovered meditation, everything changed. He was so taken by his new discoveries that he chose to bring to business what he was learning: that there is a way we can have it all – we can be fulfilled, do work we love, and create extraordinary results with others. He thinks of it as creating a sense of ease in business.
He learned how to coach and facilitate human transformation completing his coaching certification with Newfield Network and by working at Axialent, the culture and leadership company. After a few years, he founded Co-Creation Partners together with other leaders in the field of transformation and personal development. Then he formed Constancee to help people grow by creating the conditions where deep personal, interpersonal and organizational shifts happen routinely.
He leads Growth Leaders Network, the culture and team development consultancy. He has also taught coaching at Columbia Business School Executive Education and has contributed to Harvard Business Review. He is currently teaching a course on Climate Conscious Leadership at Arizona State University. His award-winning book, Taming Your Crocodiles: Unlearn Fear & Become a True Leader, was published by Dover in 2018.
His next book, Taming Your Crocodiles Practices for Leadership Depth, came out in 2020. Besides helping others grow, which he loves, he is a trained opera singer, enjoys hiking and writing, is an avid reader, in particular of biographies, and is always in the process of growing himself. He integrates all of what he learns in his work with executives.
Connect with Hylke on LinkedIn.
About Our Sponsor
Realizing Your Greatness
We are a team of experienced facilitators and coaches dedicated to helping individuals, teams and organizations thrive by helping them recognize their innate greatness and putting it to work.
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- Executive Coaching: we work with clients individually to help them connect to their calling and use every challenge as an opportunity to help them grow more into what makes them great.
- Team Performance: we help teams evolve to their next level of excellence, connectedness and impact by working on the root drivers of team performance.
- Culture Development: we help organizations to evolve their culture by creating clarity about where they aspire to go, and by building role models, coaches and systems that catalyze people being energized to work the new way.
- Key Notes: we deliver powerful speeches at conferences and other events that help audiences become energized, more connected to themselves and each other, more open to discovery and ready to commit to the next stage of learning in their career and life journeys.
Growth Leaders Network (GLN) serves Fortune 500 companies, smaller organizations and non-profits globally.
GLN clients report that we catalyze significant business transformational impact and profound shifts in people, team and organizations at the root cause level.
Learn more about the Growth Leaders network here.
