Q.01What is the essence of leadership talent, and how do you recognise it right away?
I do not recognise leadership in the person with the most answers, but in the person who stays curious, takes responsibility and helps others grow. The best leaders create an environment in which people rise above themselves. They give trust, dare to make choices and keep learning at the same time.
To me, leadership is far more about attitude than about hierarchy.
Q.02You led two very different worlds. What is the biggest difference, and what is surprisingly the same?
Baoase is about emotion and experience. Everything is devoted to creating unforgettable memories for guests. Kolibrie is about processes, continuity and taking work off entrepreneurs' hands, behind the scenes.
Yet I discovered that the essence is the same. In the end, leadership is always about people. Whether it is guests, colleagues, clients or partners: when people feel seen, trust follows. At Baoase I was also very much the hostess and the face of the resort. That role of connector is one I have carried with me ever since.
Q.03What did Curaçao teach you about growing teams that the Netherlands had not?
Curaçao taught me that as a leader you first have to understand before you can change anything. Even though I had known the island since childhood, as a Dutch person you are still an outsider. Respect does not come automatically with your title. You earn it by showing genuine interest in the culture, the history and the people.
That awareness travels with me everywhere: listen first, then lead.
Q.04What did you take from the Van der Valk family about leading people, and what do you consciously do differently?
Hospitality, hard work and working together were quite literally fed to me with a spoon. From a young age we waited tables, washed dishes or worked reception. The message was simple: look around you, roll up your sleeves and never place yourself above anyone else.
What I have come to do differently is give more attention to the people behind the work. I believe happy employees ultimately create happy guests and better results. And I have learned that working hard is not the same as always running at full speed. For years I was permanently in top gear. By now I know that slowing down is sometimes what it takes to truly accelerate again.
Q.05When did you feel most vulnerable as a leader, and what did that moment bring you?
When I took the lead at Kolibrie, I entered a completely different world. I had a great deal to learn about Dutch legislation, systems and processes, and in the beginning I relied too much on the knowledge of others. That taught me that trust matters, but that as a leader you also need to understand enough of the substance yourself to ask the right questions.
Perhaps the most important lesson was that leadership does not mean you always have to be the one at the helm. Sometimes your greatest contribution is creating a team in which others can excel.
Q.06The next phase of Kolibrie belongs to Daniëlle. How did you know the moment had come?
After five years I felt that Kolibrie's next phase of growth asked for a different kind of daily leadership. Not because the work no longer suited me, but because my greatest added value lies elsewhere.
The hardest step was not letting go of the role, but realising that I can be of great value without the daily operation. By giving Daniëlle the space, room opens up for her to build further, and for me to contribute from ownership, strategy and innovation.
Q.07Which insight about people do you wish you had understood ten years earlier?
That you do not motivate people by pulling harder, but by giving ownership. That salary is rarely the most important driver, and that everyone needs something different to come into their own.
Perhaps I should also have accepted earlier that leadership can be lonely at times. That is exactly why it matters to gather people around you who dare to be honest with you.
Q.08How do you look at the future of leadership?
I believe leadership is becoming less about control and more about trust. Less about who is in charge, and more about who helps others grow. The challenges organisations face today are too complex to solve alone. The leader of the future connects people, encourages collaboration and dares to be vulnerable. Not the one with all the answers, but the one who asks the best questions.
My greatest value is not being at the helm of everything. It is building strong people, strong brands and strong teams.
For Jesse Zahn-van der Valk, bright leadership begins with attitude, not hierarchy. With understanding first, and only then leading. Her greatest value is not being at the helm of everything, but building strong people, strong brands and strong teams.