From CEO, Matthijs Glastra:
I recently spent some time reflecting on leadership from a few different angles – through conversations with leaders in healthcare, spending time with MBA students, and facilitating discussions about technology, culture, and career decisions.
Those conversations gave me pause. They reminded me how often the most important leadership lessons are learned not in the abstract, but through reflection and dialogue.
I want to share a few of my thoughts.
1. Using technology to remove friction and focus on what matters
One idea that stood out to me: The challenge is not just clinical or technical—it’s operational. Too much time is still spent on administrative work, navigating inefficiencies, or searching for the right tools.
Technology should exist to remove that friction and enable people to focus on what matters most. Whether in healthcare or in our own work, the opportunity is to use innovation thoughtfully to support people, improve outcomes, and free up time and energy for higher-value work.
That same principle – enabling people to do their best work – is at the heart of how I think about leadership.
2. Leadership is mostly about people
Reflecting on my own experience, a large part of leadership comes down to people: communication, talent, and culture.
Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating followership and building teams that are aligned, cohesive, and capable of multiplying impact.
That requires consistency and intention. It requires being genuine, vulnerable, and clear about what you stand for.
And it requires remembering that people are always watching what you do, what you say, and where you spend your time. That shapes culture more than anything else.
3. How I think about career risk
I’m often asked about career risk: when to make a move, take a leap, or try something new. I’ve wrestled with those questions myself.
One thing I believe deeply: Work for people who inspire you, stretch you, and are willing to take chances on you. That’s where you grow the most.
At the same time, don’t stay in environments where your values don’t align. The single most important career decision you make is who you choose to work for.
Careers don’t follow straight ladders. They’re much more like climbing walls. Lateral moves, new experiences, and even roles that don’t work out build capability and confidence over time.
In my experience, it’s often the assignments and failures I learned the most from that stay with me.
4. Leading through hard moments
Leadership challenges are rarely defined by a single moment. They’re the accumulation of growth, uncertainty and change over time, and it’s our responsibility to lead teams through them.
Leadership demands energy, and that energy – physical, mental, emotional – has to be managed intentionally.
I’ve also learned that you can’t please everyone. As leaders, we need clear values and conviction, especially when decisions are unpopular in the short term.
Some of the hardest calls involve culture, not performance. Those moments define what we stand for as a company and the culture we are building.
5. On allyship and opportunity
Allyship is not a checkbox for me. It’s a leadership responsibility.
Creating environments where the best talent can grow and contribute, regardless of background, is critical for an innovative company like ours. Innovation thrives with diverse perspectives.
Our role as leaders is to make sure we are creating real opportunities by how we spend our time, the expectations we set, and the behaviors we model.
Progress may take time, but intention matters. Where we focus as leaders sends a signal, and that signal shapes culture.
What it all comes back to
If I had to sum it up, it’s this: Mastering the soft stuff is the hard stuff.
Leadership is built on trust, values, and people. It requires continuous learning, self-awareness, and the willingness to stay true to what you stand for, especially when it’s difficult.
Ultimately, it’s about how we show up for one another every day.