Vision of De Baak
Sustainable growth requires reinvention – not only of the financial and economic system, but of society as a whole. It demands a change in mindset. Can empathy conquer greed? Is there such a thing as sustainable economic growth? What does reindustrialization mean in practice? What changes are needed?
The future of the Netherlands relies on value driven leadership and entrepreneurship in an increasingly international knowledge economy. In this context, leadership stands for striving to achieve higher goals, living out a vision, breaking out of habitualized patterns and maintaining a focus on people. Entrepreneurship is all about taking risks, recognizing or creating opportunities, and demonstrating dedication and tenacity. Where leadership is primarily person-oriented, entrepreneurship is business-driven. De Baak links leadership and entrepreneurship by focusing on personal development: the human side of enterprise.
Mission
Leaders and entrepreneurs are keen on finding and following emergent trends, looking for networks and platforms to be inspired and to learn, both for themselves and for their employees and co-workers.
De Baak’s mission is to help others and itself make progress through learning. Our objective is to promote the quality of entrepreneurship and its positive long-term effects on the lives of individuals, the environment and society. We have been doing so since our establishment in the early 1950s, following the devastating effects of WWII. De Baak now aims to help facilitate the recovery of the Dutch economy and Dutch society at large, focusing on the human side of enterprise.
Company Activities
De Baak acts as a partner in learning and promotes the ability of people and organizations to learn for themselves. Learning itself is embedded within the context of the organizations from which participants come, and incorporates action-learning projects and mentorships.
De Baak builds on known facts, formulas and techniques, encouraging individuals to use their own initiative, free thought association, and their ability to challenge familiar and accepted viewpoints, helping them develop their creative intelligence. New perspectives open up and opportunities arise for the creation of new connections: uniting knowledge with insight, individuals with other individuals, current with new worldviews, and science and scholarship with natural leadership and intuition. De Baak also provides a high quality physical learning environment, making its locations at the beach, in the forest and in the city available to third party programs.
View on Sustainability
The problems we face seem endless: the failing economy, the disintegration of social cohesion and the distrust of authorities, to name just a few. On the positive side, new initiatives to tackle the complexity of issues are coming up left and right. Such initiatives include bringing people with ‘unlikely’ backgrounds together, resulting in fresh new insights and solutions. This involves not only new products, but also smart process changes, daring leadership, innovative cooperation, unexpected business models, and new forms of organizations and ways to work.
De Baak believes that internal entrepreneurship as well as entrepreneurship proper can start, change, and improve things. Within your circle of influence, you can actively contribute to a sustainable world and society. Sustainability is a guiding principle at De Baak, including our buildings, our estate and our day-to-day operations. We are committed to supporting diversity and equal access to learning.
