A container plant owner, it must be a man. Kristel Groenenboom often had to deal with that assumption when she started as a director. Her first book is not called for nothing May I have a word with Mr. Kristel?.

Despite the challenges of being young and female in a male-dominated industry, Groenenboom sees the benefits of starting early. "If you start young, you have more time to learn, but you also have to take responsibility seriously," she says in the latest episode of the podcast The Work Professor.

Nerves and stress

Groenenboom values honesty, transparency and enjoyment of work, and encourages both personal and business growth. Her leadership style combines innovation with responsibility. She recognizes that failure and risk-taking are necessary for success, but stresses the importance of deliberate risk-taking. "You have to experiment small and factor in risk to avoid big mistakes.

The now 38-year-old director-major shareholder talks about her struggle with fear of failure, especially early in her career. She often suffered from nerves and stress, but learned to get over it by doing the right thing. Then you think: oh, it went well. Then you get the confirmation that it worked out and you grow into that.'

In addition, she believes in lifelong learning. "To avoid becoming the cork on your own bottle, you have to keep investing in training and keep developing yourself. Continuing to develop yourself is crucial to your own growth, as well as that of your company and team. She also has a clear social mission: to get more women into engineering.

Three takeaways from the podcast:

• Failure is part of growth - Groenenboom shares her experience with fear of failure, especially early in her career, but emphasizes that stress and failure are a crucial part of personal and professional development. She encourages working through stress because it helps to stay fresh and sharp.
• Training and development are essential - For both young and experienced entrepreneurs, attending training courses is important to stay abreast of changing knowledge. Groenenboom herself is a strong proponent of lifelong learning and continues to invest in her own development.
• Social responsibility at the core of entrepreneurship - Every entrepreneur must have a social mission. For Groenenboom, this means promoting women in engineering, with the goal of creating more diversity in an industry that desperately needs it.

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