Original Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/davidducheyne_yesterday-february-14-my-wife-gave-me-flowers-activity-7031580575220006912-EyhS?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Yesterday, February 14, my wife gave me flowers.
Ha, it’s Valentine’s day, you think.
But no, it was to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Otolith, the company I founded in 2018.
Indeed, on February 14th of that year, I was at the notary’s office to create Otolith, a boutique consultancy. Against almost everybody’s advice, I called it Otolith.
I coined the name in 2011 when I visited an art exhibition by a group of artists that use the otolith name, in the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA). The name struck me and stuck with me.
An otolith is a small particle in the inner ear of vertebrates that creates a sense of direction, balance, and acceleration. Without otoliths, we are lost. We lie on the floor.
In the same sense, every person and organization needs purpose, support, and progress. That makes them resilient over time.
We help organizations to develop leadership, collaboration, change capabilities based on trust, because that’s what makes them resilient.
I want to thank everyone who walked the road with me, with the risk of forgetting someone:
– My wife Pascale Verpoest for supporting me in taking the risk after 25 years of corporate life.
– The early customers who gave me a chance, of whom I would like to honor the late Philippe De Bruyne (Zorgbedrijf) who passed away last year.
– The many customers who came and returned, there have been more than 100 of them.
– Philippe Persyn, Karl Van Hoey, MCC, ACTC, MP, Eva De Winter, and Leen Cole for partnering up or working together with me (longer than 6 months) during that period
– Kurt De Vlieghere and Jana Vervoort for helping me to build the brand and Arie Mout to help me protect it.
– Steven Decorte and stefanie@Dfisc for helping me to manage the financial side.
– Luk Smeyers for helping me to focus and position as a trusted advisor.
– Vladimir Blagojević for helping me with managing the sales funnel.
– Joeri Beuren for helping me with the legal stuff
– VDS for the IT support
– Hannah Ducheyne, Ella Ducheyne, Mareline de Schipper, Annelien Langendries for the research, the work, the contributions, the questions.
– The many people who gave me advice, coached me, challenged me, believed in me, and criticized me.
We live in turbulent times. But in these times, the solutions for our challenges are human. It’s about behavior. Always.
And for now, I am grateful for the adventure it has been and there is more to come.
David
