Endstate

The power of leading from the impact you want to leave behind

“What do you want to remain… when you're no longer in the room?”

That’s a question I often ask. To leaders, to teams — and to myself.

It’s not an easy question. But it’s the most honest one.Because if you want to make real impact — on people, on systems, on the world — you have to start at the end. At the feeling, the result, the experience you want to linger after everything’s been said and done.

Not just what you want to achieve — but more importantly:What the effect should be.

From mission to meaning.

During my years in the military, I learned to think in scenarios, objectives and action. But more importantly: I learned to think in terms of the impact of those actions. If a mission is technically successful, but the result is chaos, insecurity or a loss of trust… you’ve executed the wrong mission. In the years after the military, I still apply this principle — in my guidance of leaders, teams and organizations, I constantly check whether actions truly contribute to lasting connection, trust and safety.

It’s a principle I carry into every leadership journey I facilitate.Whether I’m working with firefighters, teachers, healthcare professionals, team leads, crisis managers or executives — the question remains the same:What do you want people to feel, know or do when you're no longer in the room?

That’s your Endstate.

Working backwards from impact

Too often, leadership is approached as “hitting goals” or “solving problems.”But if you don’t have a clear image of the end, you’ll get lost along the way — in KPIs, to-do lists and endless meetings.

But when you start with the end in mind — a team that trusts one another, employees who feel free to speak up, an organisational culture where resilience is the norm — every decision starts to matter.

You create clarity.And clarity brings direction.

How I apply Endstate in team development

In team development, I never work just on the surface — behavior, agreements, structure.I focus on what really matters:

• What is the deeper reason your team exists?

• What needs to happen when things get tense?

• What feeling should linger after a meeting or collaboration?

To get there, I use tools like:

• Coherent breathing to turn inward

• Body postures to ground yourself

• Reflection on values, behavior and emotions

• Physical and mental challenges to learn through experience and discomfort

Everything is aimed at one thing: Sustainable impact - Not quick wins.

But building a foundation you can trust — especially when the storm hits.

Leadership starts with yourself

The most beautiful part of working with teams?

Seeing people rediscover themselves.Not by running harder. But by standing still and reflecting on their own Endstate.

What do you want to mean?Who do you want to be — as a leader, a colleague, a human?What will you leave behind when you step out of the room? Dare to look at that, honestly.And let that define your direction. Leadership isn’t what you do. It’s what you leave behind.And that takes courage.

Courage to feel, to choose, and to stay true to what really matters.

Whether you lead a team, a classroom, a unit, a department — or just yourself:

Lead from your Endstate.And let your actions align with your intention.

Want to discover your Endstate? Or explore how to integrate this in your team or organisation?

Feel free to reach out. I guide leaders and teams in returning to what truly matters.With clarity, connection and decisiveness.

#Leadership #TeamDevelopment #Endstate

"What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing." — Aristotle