Pathfinders 4 - Esther Dijkstra: From a rural Dutch village to the City of London, lessons in management and creating your own path
Esther Dijkstra is a role model to many young women, showing a drive and determination to be the best, and becoming an outstanding manager and leader of people.
From her early life growing up in a small rural village in the Netherlands and wanting to be a Prima Ballerina, Esther has worked her way up, traveling from Amsterdam to London, dealing with a different culture, and changing and learning along the way.
Esther began her career in management consultancy with IBM in the Netherlands and moved to the UK in 2000. She previously worked for Legal & General where she was the Commercial and Marketing Director of the L&G Network and UK Mortgage Club. She has been at Lloyds Banking Group for almost a decade now, formally Director of Strategic Partnerships and now the Managing Director, Intermediaries.
She is passionate about helping people and inspiring a new generation and has been described as “one of the best managers I have worked for in my 25-year career” by a previous employee.
There are so many nuggets in this episode and Esther really is a delight to talk to in this very open and revealing chat.
In this episode, we chat about many things, including:
• Growing up in a small rural town in The Netherlands which was too small to hold the adventurous Esther
• Wanting to become a Prima Ballerina
• Taking opportunities and changing your mindset
• The nickname that made Esther change
• Travelling to London and working as a foreign female in FS – dealing with cultural differences
• Advice for a new generation
• Management styles and changing attitudes – what makes a good manager?
• The importance of empathy and connection
• The key to leadership
• Esther's definition of success and connecting to the deeper why
• The best piece of advice Esther ever had
• The one person you would want to meet in history and what would you ask them
I am sure her story will be of interest to you.
This is the Pathfinder Podcast, may the path you take be the right one for you.
Esther began her career in management consultancy with IBM in the Netherlands and moved to the UK in 2000. She previously worked for Legal & General where she was the Commercial and Marketing Director of the L&G Network and UK Mortgage Club. She has been at Lloyds Banking Group for almost a decade now, formally Director of Strategic Partnerships and now the Managing Director, Intermediaries.
She is passionate about helping people and inspiring a new generation and has been described as “one of the best managers I have worked for in my 25-year career” by a previous employee.
There are so many nuggets in this episode and Esther really is a delight to talk to in this very open and revealing chat.
In this episode, we chat about many things, including:
• Growing up in a small rural town in The Netherlands which was too small to hold the adventurous Esther
• Wanting to become a Prima Ballerina
• Taking opportunities and changing your mindset
• The nickname that made Esther change
• Travelling to London and working as a foreign female in FS – dealing with cultural differences
• Advice for a new generation
• Management styles and changing attitudes – what makes a good manager?
• The importance of empathy and connection
• The key to leadership
• Esther's definition of success and connecting to the deeper why
• The best piece of advice Esther ever had
• The one person you would want to meet in history and what would you ask them
I am sure her story will be of interest to you.
This is the Pathfinder Podcast, may the path you take be the right one for you.
Esther on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherdijkstrauk
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Andrew Montlake
MD, Brand Evangelist, Spokesperson @Coreco Monty's Blog: Mortgages, PropertyAwards: Business Leader, Mortgage Personality, Spokesperson, Strategist, Marketeer
