Leadership Insights
Imagine...Today's Thinking for the Future of Tomorrow
Inside the World of Professor Dr Peter Verhezen, Global Expert on Strategy, Sustainability and Corporate Governance
Professor Dr Peter Verhezen’s early career was spent developing his own company as a successful entrepreneur before joining academia to share his passion for learning and developing his specialist research interests.
As a Professor of Strategy, Sustainability and Corporate Governance, Verhezen has shared his wisdom with boards and senior executives from around the world. He suggests that the key to becoming successful in his field is not the accumulation of advanced knowledge and research but, instead, the ability to educate and inspire others.
Verhezen is both a complex analytical thinker and someone who embodies a sense of deep emotional intelligence, as evidenced in his writing. His most recent project, Making Wise Decisions in a Smart World: Responsible Leadership in an Era of Artificial Intelligence, was released in March of this year.
Living a global nomad lifestyle, Verhezen currently splits time between Antwerp and Bali, navigating a busy yet enriching life between both locations. He also spent many years living in Jakarta. There is that relentless itching of curiosity that our discussion with him reveals.
Selion Global caught up with Professor Dr Peter Verhezen to sit down together to discuss his life’s work, passions and inquisitive DNA, which drives him forward to explore new projects. He is continually adapting, evolving and walking his own path.
Compassion. Humility. Reasonable. Responsible. Passionate. Share.
One of the most important lessons to learn in life, I feel, is that of maintaining balance. My advice is to share your knowledge (material and learnt) generously so others may benefit.
Try to think about things on different levels; be rational and sensitive, and follow your intuition yet stay analytical. We each are on our own path, so imitation has no place. Be passionate about what you do and prepared to wait for the results graciously. No matter what, remember that knowledge is temporary while wisdom goes deeper – always go deeper.
I would want to ask them many questions and would be most interested in understanding what motivates them. So, I would lead with, ‘Why and how do you develop the resilience to keep doing what you’re doing, knowing that the impact [on another or your own life] may be very limited? What is the purpose of all those efforts?’.
My life plan was supposed to be to go straight into academia, but instead, I became an entrepreneur enjoying 15+ years before I decided to sell my company. I just loved what I was doing and continue to advise boards and senior executives, even now after my return to academia, supporting and giving what I know best. Initially at the University of Melbourne and now at the University of Antwerp, where I teach Strategy, Sustainability and Corporate Governance. I enjoy sharing my experiences and knowledge whilst acknowledging I don’t hold all the answers!
I’ll split my answers here into two sections to cover my academic and business life experiences.
Academia: Accumulating knowledge and advanced research will make you a great professor. This is greatly overrated, in my opinion, and our job should be about helping people learn, discover and inspire themselves to pursue their goals.
Business: Achieving high material performance is proving you’re good in business. So many elements and people result in whether you are successful or not. Luck certainly plays a part, and many will deny the ego-centric thinking that they did it all alone. This is most definitely a myth!
By being Socratic, you may impact the critical development of those you work with. Asking and thinking about the big questions of life - can make a positive difference in their environment which acts as ripples flowing outwards from their experiences with you.
Appreciating, connecting and bridging ‘different’ perspectives and the multitude of diverse journeys our lives can lead to the same overall conclusion that only ‘what you may have compassionately done for and with other people may have a lasting impact’; the rest will be forgotten or a minuscule footnote in the history of humankind.
Trying by doing so to establish some impact to make the world a little less hostile and a little more divine… and walk your talk!
I try to be both… because I enjoy my job and the tasks I undertake…
Continuously studying, reading, and writing, and trying to talk with masters in the field. Living your words, walk your talk…this is how you remain relevant and understand that the world is rapidly changing around us. Huge shifts are taking place right now, and it's important to be part of the conversation and gain insights into where we are collectively headed.
I follow tech companies and their founders and leaders because they have an enormous impact on the daily life of us all. What inspires those leaders? What’s in their mind? What drives them? We are living through great changes in technology and data, where history is being rewritten almost on a daily basis. It’s a fascinating time to be alive!
I have many things I’m looking forward to this year. After being imprisoned for 2.5 years because of the global pandemic, being involved again with some impactful executive training on ‘wise decision-making in a smart world’ and governance-risk-related projects is something on my radar.
If I had to choose one, it would be to complete and publish my next book, Geopolitics: A European Perspective in a Turbulent World.
In my early development, two spiritual teachers, Michael Aivanhov Omraam and Krishnamurti had a great impact on me, as well as the novelist Dostojevski in my early twenties. Later, numerous interested specialized literature…
Be thankful and grateful for what I have received and for the gift that is about to follow that day…
There are a number of remarkable defining moments in my life… including being allowed to accompany beloved ones through death to the next mysterious level… I imagine there are plenty still ahead of me that I’m yet to encounter.
I am happy as it is (Antwerp-Bali)… though Melbourne will always remain very special for me.
Thankfully no regrets. Yes, I would do exactly the same… with some small calibrations.
I follow the big ‘pictures’ in the Financial Times and The Economist and avoid social media echo rooms. Ultimately, I am more interested in the ‘essential understanding’ behind the daily phenomena of every day. Hence my inclination to get back to philosophy or spiritual readings – besides my professional interest in governance, strategy and risk.