A superhero without a mask
“Simply amazing” was how Danny Visser described his own purpose training during his leadership programme. It was so amazing that he not only decided to become a TFLE subgroup facilitator, but also immediately signed up as a Session Lead when it became apparent that the purpose training would be rolled out for employees as ‘Purpose to Impact’.
True to yourself
“My purpose is ‘Be Superman to help you be true to yourself’. It wasn’t easy to find the right words. I initially wrote a different purpose for myself – it sounded great, but it just didn’t feel right. It nagged in my mind for weeks. Then a couple of months later I was supervising another session and I re-did the exercise for myself too, going right back to the very first step in the process. That’s when I realised what it’s all about for me: personal integrity and listening to my heart: ‘Being true to myself’.”
Modest superhero
“I hit on the idea of Superman when my group members said that I told my story like a superhero. I must admit, that’s not how I see myself; I was always shy as a child and I’m still pretty modest nowadays. But I also recognise that I have certain talents and I’m not afraid of fighting my corner when necessary. So rather than being some kind of mysterious superhero in a fancy costume, I’m one without a mask. After all, I want to be true to myself.”
Top scorer
“I can see traces of Superman in my younger years; I used to dream of being an all-round athlete who won everything: the 100-metre sprint in the summer, speed skating competitions in the winter and top scorer for the Dutch national football team in between. I was actually pretty good at sports, but I never pushed myself to the limit. I was equally – if not more – interested in having fun, so I let my talent go to waste a little, I guess. I’d never let that happen nowadays, and I try to help other people avoid making the same mistake!”
Different perspective
“Another reason I chose Superman is because I tend to view things from a different perspective than other people. Superman does too – whether looking down from above, seeing through objects or using his enhanced senses. I don’t have superhuman powers, of course, but I do have a strong sense of intuition plus I know where my talents lie – and I put those talents to good use by doing a post-graduate degree in coaching. It was something I really wanted to do, so I stayed ‘true to myself’ and went ahead and did it.”
Music
“My purpose is relevant in my personal life too. In fact, I used to play in a band and ‘Be true to yourself’ was the name of one of our songs. The purpose training made me realise how important music is to me and how much I’ve missed it in recent years. As part of my purpose plan, I decided to start listening to more music again and create my own ‘music room’ at home. I finished the room in December and I love it. In fact, I recently performed with my old band for the first time in 18 years – and yes, of course we played ‘Be true to yourself’. It was fantastic!”
About Danny
Danny is Center of Expertise Lead of the CoO Risk and Finance process management team. During his own purpose training, the positive vibe was what impressed him most. “There were around 80 of us, all Leads from across ING’s wide spectrum of domains and countries. We quickly developed a strong bond – so strong, in fact, that it was a shame we all had to go our separate ways again the next day. The atmosphere made it really easy to open up to one another. I didn’t feel at all embarrassed about sharing my story, and it was inspirational to hear other people’s stories too. I came away feeling a little overwhelmed but hugely motivated.”