At ELiN Partners, we believe strong leadership begins with clarity. Clarity about who you are, what you stand for, and how you move your organisation forward. In our series Reflections on Bright Leadership, we invite prominent leaders to reflect on the choices, insights and qualities that shape their leadership.
For this edition, we spoke with Marit van Egmond, former CEO of Albert Heijn. Her reflections highlight a style of leadership rooted in curiosity, craftsmanship and connection.
What is the essence of leadership talent for you, and how do you recognise it immediately?
Talent begins with curiosity. Curiosity about developments, about people, and about possibilities.
Marit recognises talent in openness, eagerness to learn, the ability to reflect, and the speed with which someone translates insight into responsible action.
I recognise talent by the curiosity with which someone embraces direction, responsibility and renewal.
Which leadership challenge should leaders truly prepare for in the coming years?
Leaders must prepare for a world in which dynamism and ambiguity are permanent. Technology, globalisation and shifting customer expectations demand faster decisions and sharper priorities.
Simultaneously, leaders must stay grounded, slowing down at the right moments and staying close to themselves. Resilience and adaptability will be essential for both organisations and individuals.
What should leaders stop doing because it no longer works in this time?
Leading purely from hierarchy. Complex challenges require the right talents at the table, regardless of job title.
Hierarchy structures an organisation, but talent creates progress. Bringing together diverse talent leads to stronger decisions, more ownership, and greater momentum.
Which leadership decision made you or your team visibly stronger?
Working fully from one shared mission and one focused growth plan, always starting with the customer, elevated the entire organisation.
This clarity created direction. Everyone knew what mattered. And it created space. Teams could accelerate and take responsibility within that framework. Making clear choices also meant choosing what not to pursue. This avoided fragmentation and kept the strategy connected and powerful. Transparent communication, internally and externally, invited everyone to participate and strengthened collective ambition.
Which trait or leadership style in other leaders genuinely gives you energy?
Perspective. The ability to celebrate both successes and learning moments consciously. Lightness strengthens team dynamics and ensures people feel seen. Humour, including the ability to laugh at yourself, plays an important role for Marit.
Which way of leading costs you energy, and why?
Excessive process steering. Processes support. They should never lead.
If the conclusion becomes:
We followed the system, but we didn't achieve the intention.
...value is lost, for the customer, the business and the team. Leadership is about direction, trust and responsibility, not ticking boxes.
Which leadership quality is structurally underestimated?
Craftsmanship. A deep understanding of the business and sector. Not to micromanage, but to recognise signals early and translate them into strategic decisions and growth opportunities. Good leadership is listening, especially to what is not said.
Which insight about people do you wish you had understood ten years earlier?
Behaviour is rarely about the moment itself. It is shaped by experience, drivers and the context someone carries with them.
Understanding perspectives creates connection. It brings calm and confidence.
Listening to what is not being said is often the most underestimated skill of strong leaders.
Finally, how do you view the future of leadership?
The future belongs to leaders who bring technology and humanity together. Not as opposites, but as one integrated force.
Leaders who remain approachable, stay close to themselves and others, and make decisions with customers and society in mind.
The leadership of the future is not choosing between technology and humanity, but seeing both as one unified force.
At ELiN Partners, we continue to explore Bright Leadership with leaders who shape the future of their sectors. The next conversation in this series will be published shortly.
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