Cees de Graaff, consultant & coach for your organisation, your team or yourself
I found this story fascinating even as a child. Still to me it is such a simple, but effective allegory. How can it be that a person is so busy with the distractions of the day that he forgets essential maintenance to achieve his goal? Take time for reflection, for sharpening the most important tool you have: yourself.
After my childhood in Eindhoven and its surroundings, I left for Amsterdam to study Social Sciences. During my studies, I was active as a theatre maker, singer and activist. I learnt the principles of consultancy work for STOA, Consultancy Office for the Arts. To be closer to the fire, I then went to work as business leader/director at various organisations, such as the Kirill Kondrashin Competition (Netherlands Broadcasting Cooperation) and Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel.
In search of the social and international power of culture, I left for Addis Ababa in 2001 as director of the Youth Circuses of Ethiopia. Back in the Netherlands, I became director of Arts and Culture Noord- Holland and founded Cultural Heritage Noord- Holland. In 2012, I became the first managing director of DutchCulture, the Dutch centre for international cultural cooperation.
I also have extensive administrative experience as chairman and member of various boards in the international and national cultural sectors. Besides my work, I have completed training and coaching programmes around strategy definition, vision formation and leadership. Since 2023, I have been established as an independent consultant and coach.
fotografie cees: Annaleen Louwes