In 2010 a lot changed because of Niek’s accident. Thanks to his spinal cord injury he has learned to experience happiness. That’s why he like nothing better than to tell stories and metaphors about his experiences in the ever-changing world of healthcare. A world in which the workload is extremely high, the labour market is tight and job satisfaction tends to fade to the background. It’s time for change!
His whole life, Niek worked in hospitality as a host but just like that, things switched around and he became a guest himself. As a guest in healthcare, he experienced staff shortages, heavy workloads and high staff turnover. That is exactly the reason why he is so passionate about contributing to this field. As speaker healthcare, Niek uses his own experiences during his training and inspiration sessions.
You would hardly expect it, but Niek loves to be in the spotlight. Noted, only to share his inspirational story and messages with the world. Proudly, he spoke to big organisations such as Unilever, Hyundai, L’oreal, Maxwell Leadership, and Heiniken. Furthermore, Niek is often asked as a guest on TV-programmes, YouTube channels/videos and on podcasts.
Niek inspires more than 50 institutions per year on how to improve the Dutch healthcare system. Workload only increases and job satisfaction tends to fade into the background. It’s time to return to the essence. Not only by just being nice to patients, but also investing in happy employees. Employees in healthcare currently put their patients’ needs before their own, leading to burn-outs. This can’t hold any longer. It has to change. For the employees, and ultimately for the patient.
This is the reason Niek, as speaker healthcare, delivers the remarkable message: put the patient second. Niek: “The best job in the world is taking care of others. Well, it should be. Caring for others is entwined in the DNA of healthcare employees, but they don’t manage to care for themselves. Because of the high workload and administrative matters, healthcare professionals no longer see how amazing their job is.” Job satisfaction is lost, they become irritated, stressed, tired and frustrated. This results in high number of sick leaves and high turnover. In other words: our healthcare system is a ticking timebomb.
”Change what you can’t accept, accept what you can’t change
Time to fix the hospital and shift from disease-care to health-care. Nobody gets into healthcare for the protocols and rules. In healthcare, some people want to mean something to others. That is where the potential profit lies. To Niek as speaker healthcare, this sounds all too familiar: “I always work with the triangle: patient-therapist-family, three factors that should be in balance. But how to do this? How do we make sure that despite all the changes everyone keeps enjoying the outstanding healthcare we have in the Netherlands? How do we recover the fun atmosphere on the wards and ensure patients keep choosing your healthcare institution? How do we involve the environment and the family within the healthcare process?
As speaker healthcare Niek speaks about resilience, customer-focus and leadership, being on stage at 100+ events a year in the Netherlands and abroad. From mental health institutions to psychogeriatric wards, from university centres to smaller hospitals, from general practitioners to pharmacists. Because of his inspiring way of talking about his own experiences in healthcare, combined with what he sees happening as an expert during his mystery visits, his talks are something you’ll never forget.
Niek has experienced first-hand how things are done in healthcare. He was in a healthcare institution for eight months and was a regular at five different hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Niek: “I remember this time I got admitted in A&E. I was feeling down, having a lot of pain and sadness. At that moment a nurse took a chair, sat next to me and listened to my story. This human contact was delightful.” After a few minutes she said: “I have to return to work now.” But… isn’t this your work as well? She was just so busy that listening to a patient no longer fit in with her daily duties.
The Dutch healthcare system is one of the best in the world, but it does ask too much of healthcare professionals. It has become unsustainable because of the high workload and administration. This has to change and it all starts by taking care of yourself first! Do you want to help your (healthcare)colleagues become more resilient, and give them the tools to put the patient second? Book Niek as speaker healthcare. Together we’ll get to work!
Besides speaker healthcare, you’ll also find Niek on stage as speaker resilience, education, customer-focus en leadership.
In 2010 Niek’s life turns into a living hell, to put it mildly. On July, 16th he crashes his motorcycle and suffers a spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Plus something extra: he has a syrinx, a cavity within the spinal cord that continuously threatens the body parts that do still work. According to Niek, paraplegia and a syrinx are the perfect combination for only the toughest guys. But as long as you can live with it, you’d better do so, he says. And in that case, you’d better do it good. Accepting his accident, Niek now feels the spinal cord injury changed his life for the better. He met the love of his life, is proud dad of three beautiful daughters and by helping others, he gained a sense of purpose.
Niek pitiful? Heck, no! With unstoppable energy Niek knows how to transform his suffering to something else: resilience. Mr. Featherforce was born! The heavy pains in the morning are still there, as well as the 37 pills per day, but he knows how to transform a terrible event into love, courage, perseverance, humor and success. Niek helps and inspires a wide variety of audiences in topics as customer-focus, leadership and dealing with change for more than 12 years already.
As speaker resilience Niek gave inspirational talks for a wide variety of organisations and at big events. His clients are happy to share their experiences about this stage animal.
Uwe Reimer
Director Sales bij Hoshizaki Europe B.V.
"What a great inspiration presentation during our kick - off. Great to see you get our people moved to think about their own situation and motivate them to look from different points of view."
Lara Leenhouts-Regnault
Manager Cosentino City Amsterdam
"With his positive outlook on life he manages to whoo his crowd and elevate their spirits. I have a lot of respect for how Niek has overcome adversity and has given it a positive twist."
Is it time for change or rather time for a party? Book Niek as speaker resilience, hospitality, leadership, customer-focus or healthcare and your audience returns home reborn with a bagpack full of inspiration! Go! Go! Go!
Mr. Featherforce \ Niek van den Adel Keynote speaker & best-selling author
+31 (0) 85 004 3074
info@niekvandenadel.nl
