Wouter Torfs finds balance in his personal life in business

"Balance is something that lives, not something static," Wouter Torfs explains in our podcast. One of his building blocks for balance is "the desire to learn"—a form of radical aliveness, "eros," as he calls it, which is also a central theme in his new book.

Two of his core tips:

1. Dare to try something new: personal development is the foundation, especially for managers and CEOs. Gaining insight into your own pitfalls, strengths, but also demons => this personal transformation allows for transformation within the company => this is super productive because people have changed profoundly.

2. Break through shame and create openness, make things discussable - such as feeling bad or needing time off - and that the top should set an example in this . The Flemish saying, grit your teeth and keep going, destroys people.

Torfs was named 10x best employer by, among other things, "daring to show vulnerability, even daring to admit things aren't going well," as a cornerstone of their culture. In cases of burnout, a significant responsibility lies with managers to hold up a mirror to these highly engaged employees when they overstep their boundaries.

Torfs's strength: the yin-yang balance, e.g., decisiveness and listening. We also got a sneak peek at his upcoming new book, based in part on "eros," the passion and shared identity of employees for their company.

Wouter also shares vulnerably about his confrontation with finitude due to health problems, and contrasts this with the beauty of growing older – more gentleness and more social concern.

Listen to the podcast here: