What always surprises me in organizations is that management, the CEO or the board have enormous knowledge and insights about market conditions, the economy and their products, but have little interest and knowledge about people's behavior.

This book was written to give the management more insight into their own behavior and the behavior of people.

To get organizations up and running, you need to be able to quickly put the hot potatoes on the table. Then you need something that people quickly understand. I have always used quotes such as: “I understand it but I don't understand it”, “If you need a warm feeling, pee in your pants”, “Changing people is like pulling a cow by its tail.” With this kind of approach people understand quickly how I look at the world. Simple and with common sense.





This is why people and colleagues reached out to me to write a book in the style of no nonsense. My wife, Anne-Christien, in the role of editor, and I have been working on this beautiful project for more than four years. We not only wanted to write a book with special content, but also want to publish a beautiful book. Without compromises in the choice of paper, finish and design. We are going to develop the webshop into a Business Concept Store with designer products made from sustainable materials and expertly manufactured.

We have put together a professional international team. Simon Philipson from England, designer and specialized in typography. Massimiliano Aurelio Illustrator from Milan, known for the magazine Monocle and house illustrator of AC Milan. Joel Meter from Amsterdam, Art Director, creating and developing the webshop. Edwin Schoon from Amsterdam, journalist, helped me to structure the book.

Dear people, enjoy the book and enjoy each other.
Lots of love Anne-Christien & Sven

Massimiliano Aurelio

I don't know if he is a direct descendant of Marcus Aurelius, but his name says a lot about the origins of this fantastic illustrator. On the cover of my first Monocle I saw the first illustration by Massimiliano. He works for clients all over the world with his very unique and clear style. His interpretation of my texts was not always the same as what I saw in front of me, but I was sometimes so surprised by the simplicity and clarity that I was sometimes more willing to change the text than the illustration. Massimiliano worked on these illustrations for months. A book called Elephants Fucking Elephants doesn't need any fucking elephants on the cover.

Simon Phillipson

The Master of Design. Simon studied typographic media design at the London College of Communication. Simon is something of a wizard when it comes to design and typography. I met Simon at the advertising agency where I was interim director. He has written and designed several books and has been awarded for numerous design projects over the years. Simon guided me from start to finish. We were together in Milan with Massimiliano Aurelio to discuss the illustrations. Simon not only helped me to realize this book, but to realize a particularly beautiful book. In addition to being a designer, Simon is also an esthete who makes a whole from color, font to paper.

Joel Meter

Joel created the backbone for this book, the website, and the webshop. He is an exceptionally talented designer with immense skills in digital applications. Joel and Simon have accomplished several major projects together and have also produced two books as a team. Joel is a faithful soul, youthful in spirit, and a loyal man. Many thanks for your dedication and spontaneity.