Esther van Koot runs Flagship Amsterdam the way she leads: fast, commercially sharp, with a bar that is always a notch higher than comfortable. But the leader in this conversation is not the one who pushes. It is the one who learned that her own speed could hold people back, who grows her team leads from the front line, and who will have the hard conversation and then stand right next to you. Drive and warmth, in that order and at the same time.
What is the essence of leadership talent for you, and how do you recognise it immediately?
Leadership talent is the ability to take ownership and make the people around you better. I recognise it when someone sees a problem, acts without waiting for permission, and brings others along. You can often see it long before someone has a leadership title.
You can often see it long before someone has a leadership title.
Which moment shaped you more as a leader than any book or course ever did?
A defining realisation for me was that my own speed could become a bottleneck. I was used to stepping in and solving things quickly, but that does not help people grow. I learned to give clearer direction, make room for others to decide, and still be there when things get difficult.
What should leaders stop doing because it no longer works in this time?
They should stop confusing control with leadership. If every decision has to go through you, your team can only move as fast as you do. Set clear expectations, give people real ownership, and address problems directly when the results are not there.
If every decision has to go through you, your team can only move as fast as you do.
Which leadership decision made you or your team visibly stronger?
Choosing to develop leaders from within has made us stronger. Many of our team leads and business owners started in operational roles. They know the business, the customers and the pressure on the front line. Giving them real responsibility has helped them grow and made the company more resilient.
What gives you energy in other leaders, and what drains it?
I get energy from leaders who take ownership, speak honestly and find a way forward when things get tough. What drains me is repeated discussion without action, or someone seeing a problem and waiting for somebody else to solve it. I do not expect perfection, but I do expect progress.
How is AI changing what you expect from yourself and from your team?
AI allows us to analyse, prepare and execute much faster. That raises my expectations, including of myself: I want us to ask better questions, test ideas sooner and spend more time on decisions that matter. We still have to challenge the output and own the result.
What do the people who work with you every day know about you that the outside world does not see?
People may see that I move fast and set a high bar. My team also knows how much I care about the people behind the results. I will have a difficult conversation when it is needed, but I will stand beside someone who takes responsibility and wants to grow.
I will stand beside someone who takes responsibility and wants to grow.
Which insight about people do you wish you had understood ten years earlier?
That giving someone trust is not the same as giving them clarity. I used to assume that if I saw the goal, others could see it too. People do their best work when they understand what success looks like, where they can make their own decisions, and when they need to ask for help.
What will a bright leader in 2030 do differently from today?
A bright leader in 2030 will use AI to make the organisation faster and smarter, while becoming even better at the human side of leadership. Information and analysis will be easier to access. Judgement, courage, trust and the ability to bring people together will matter even more.
How do you know when to give someone space, and when to step in?
I give people room to make decisions and learn, as long as they take ownership and keep communicating. I step in when a problem is being ignored, the team is getting stuck, or the consequences become too big. Giving someone freedom also means being there when they need you.
“Giving someone freedom also means being there when they need you.Esther van Koot
Bright Leadership, according to Esther.
For Esther van Koot, leadership talent is ownership: seeing a problem, acting without waiting for permission and taking others with you. She learned that her own speed could become a bottleneck, and that trust is not the same as clarity. She grows leaders from the front line, expects progress rather than perfection, and uses AI to raise the bar for everyone, herself first. She gives people room to decide and to learn, and steps in when a problem is being ignored. Because giving someone freedom also means being there when they need you.
