Eric de Nijs

The de Nijs Company
11831 Sandy Bluff Drive
HENRICO, VA 23233
USA

804-338-5030

eric@ericdenijs.com

Dr. Eric de Nijs is an experienced coaching partner for individuals desiring to harness the power of their potential. Eric specializes in executive coaching and leadership development, and his mission is to help create the catalyst for personal and professional transformation to equip individuals to engage their passion, leverage their strengths, improve their leadership effectiveness and presence, and overcome obstacles that stand in the way of their success.

Over the past 20 years, Dr. de Nijs has worked with executives in organizational effectiveness, continuous improvement, and management development in diverse businesses including finance, marketing, manufacturing, food processing, fund raising, and not-for-profit organizations. Eric believes that strong alliances, powerful conversations and learning are at the heart of great leadership. Great leadership isn't about having all the answers. Great leadership is about helping others increase their capacity to contribute and add value. He has served as an examiner for the quality award programs of both the State of Michigan and the State of Virginia, and as the President of the Board of Directors for the Inner City Christian Federation, a housing ministry for low income families. Eric also serves on the faculty of Georgetown University's Leadership Coaching program helping prepare the next generation of coaches.

Eric's positions the coaching relationship as a learning space, a safe place for clients to think out loud, to see themselves from a different perspective, and to learn new things away from the grind of the regular work routine. Eric encourages his clients to commit to self-reflection and the practice of new skills and perspectives that will create breakthroughs to sustained success.

Eric's coaching focuses on assisting his clients to create catalysts for personal transformation that equip them to engage their passion, leverage their strengths, and overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of success. He positions the coaching relationship as a learning space, a safe place for clients to think out loud, to see themselves from a different perspective, and to learn new things away from the grind of the regular work routine. Eric encourages his clients to commit to self-reflection and the practice of new skills and perspectives that will create breakthroughs to sustained success.

Eric has a doctorate in Human Resources Development from Western Michigan University, master's degrees from Bowling Green State University in Counseling and in Higher Education, and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Calvin College. He is a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF).

Eric and his wife, Nancy, have three children and enjoy camping, hiking, and traveling.

Areas of Expertise

Leadership Development/Effectiveness
Organization Development
Talent Management
Team Development
Change Management
Career Management
Coaching

Mentoring
Performance Management/Intervention
Emotional Intelligence
Relationship Building
Leadership Training
Leadership Curriculum

Professional/Corporate Experience

Executive Coach, Capital One
Leadership Coaching Faculty, Georgetown University
Present Examiner, US Senate Productivity and Quality Award for Virginia
Training and Development, Amway Corporation
Adjunct Associate Professor of Business, College of Business, Western Michigan University
Director, Continuous Improvement, Bil Mar Foods Division of the Sara Lee Corporation
Development Consultant
Resident Director, Calvin College
Coordinator of Orientation and Retention, Adrian College
President, Board of Directors, Inner City Christian Federation
Senior Examiner, Michigan Quality Council

Education

Ed.D, Human Resource Development, Western Michigan University
M.A., Counseling, Bowling Green State University
M.A., College Student Personnel, Bowling Green State University
B.A., Psychology, Calvin College
Certificate Program, Leadership Coaching, Georgetown University
Certificate Program, Corporate Coach, Corporate Coach University

Languages

English
Dutch (conversational)

Professional Affiliations

Certified Coach, International Coach Federation (ICF)

Client Results:

Coached a Fortune 200 company business unit President and his direct staff during organization-wide culture change, which resulted in an overhaul of the organization's leadership style, introduced a team based approach, and lead the development and implementation of a cost savings program, training curriculum, and leadership development processes. The savings funded not only the cost of training but also generated additional revenue.
Coached a Vice-president of an IT organization to help him improve his ability to present and facilitate major changes in his department and across the organization. The VP transformed his ability to connect with others in way that communicated greater confidence and created greater engagement with key stakeholders.
Coached a Director to improve his work-life balance and develop the skills to delegate and develop his direct staff. This client was able to avoid derailing his career and personal life by re-evaluating his assumptions about his role, his expectations for staff and colleagues, and creating clear requests and standards for performance. He was subsequently able to influence even larger segments of the organization with less effort and stress.
Coached three executives through massive organizational restructuring which involved two site closures and one major outsourcing initiative. The executives and their staffs managed the change process smoothly.