- 1. 7 TIPS FOR THE NEW DUTCH KINGA N D A N YO N E E L S E W H O
TA K E S OV E R A FA M I LY BU S I N E S S Prince Willem-Alexander
has a heavy task ahead of him, especially sinceafter 33 years on
the throne, Queen Beatrix is still considered the Queen thatnever
made a mistake. A tough act to follow, but not impossible. Life
& Business coach Eelco Smit provides the king-to-be with
practical tips that should help him facilitate the transition to
his new job.
2. 7 TIPS FOR THE NEW DUTCH KING Dont change everythingPeople
who succeed someone, often tend to dramatically changecourse, as a
sort of self-assertion. Dont! It is killing, and there is nofaster
way to antagonize the masses. People will instantly resistanything
you do and youll be outgunned before you have even begun. 3. 7 TIPS
FOR THE NEW DUTCH KING Get to know your bossEvery man may meet his
match, or in other words, everyone has a boss. Icoach a lot of
managers and executives, and almost every time, they havesomeone
above them they have to answer to. Prince Willem Alexander?He has a
boss as well, Prime Minister Mark Rutte. It is wise to get to know
that boss. Make sure you know what he wants, what he is like,
whathis vision is. But first and foremost: how far you can go. 4. 7
TIPS FOR THE NEW DUTCH KING Have a clear visionPower doesnt just
fall from the sky, power is action + vision. In this day andage,
people wont just follow someone, youll only follow someone if
youknow what he represents and where he is heading. An important
part of thatvision may be the role of the royal family in the
Netherlands, and the role ofthe king within that. Without vision,
the power of a leader will diminishrapidly. Willem Alexander has to
have a clear vision, however, he must makesure this vision doesnt
clash with the vision of his boss (remember, that bosshe now knows
very well)! 5. 7 TIPS FORTHE NEW DUTCH KING Pick low-hanging
fruitsGo for small, easy victories that have an immediate positive
effect onyour image. Find out what people disliked about your
predecessor(Queen Beatrix in this case) and do a better job at it.
How aboutvisiting the troops every once in a while, that always
works well! 6. 7 TIPS FORTHE NEW DUTCH KING Know your friends and
your foesWhenever you rise to power somewhere, youll instantly find
three kindsof people. Your friends, your enemies and the people who
couldnt careless what you do. The first group is a group to keep
close, however, asMachiavelli once aptly put: you should keep your
enemies even closer.Make sure that you know where to find your aid
and your resistance. Thethird group? Let them drown in their
indifference, they wont bother you,nor help you. 7. 7 TIPS FORTHE
NEW DUTCH KING Be visibleOne of the most important tips, especially
in the case of the RoyalFamily. If nobody ever sees you, they will
question the reason of your(official) existence and why they pay
millions of Euros a year tosustain your presence. You are a public
figure so make sure to be justthat: public. Be visible, attend
events and ceremonies, fulfill yourceremonial task to the fullest.
The more people get to see of you, theless they will question what
it is that you do. 8. 7 TIPS FOR THE NEW DUTCH KING Dare to make
decisionsIn particular when taking over a family business, which,
in fact, is what theprince is doing, the biggest burden may be that
your predecessors arelooking over your shoulders. Deal with that as
soon as possible. Beatrixmay serve as a mentor, however, Willem
Alexander and his mother shouldnot sit on the throne together.
Willem Alexander should make his owndecisions, according to his own
visions, and that takes a lot of courage.Should he need help with
that, he can always consult my book : Book forMEN- dare to make
real decisions.