Prince Willem-Alexander has a heavy task ahead of him, especially since after 33 years on the throne, Queen Beatrix is still considered the Queen that never made a mistake. A tough act to follow, but not impossible. Life & Business coach Eelco Smit provides the king-to-be with practical tips that should help him facilitate the transition to his new job.

1. 7 TIPS FOR
THE NEW DUTCH KING
A N D A N YO N E E L S E W H O TA K E S OV E R
A FA M I LY BU S I N E S S
Prince Willem-Alexander has a heavy task ahead of him, especially since
after 33 years on the throne, Queen Beatrix is still considered the Queen that
never made a mistake. A tough act to follow, but not impossible. Life &
Business coach Eelco Smit provides the king-to-be with practical tips that
should help him facilitate the transition to his new job.

2. 7 TIPS FOR
THE NEW DUTCH KING
 Don’t change everything
People who succeed someone, often tend to dramatically change
course, as a sort of self-assertion. Don’t! It is killing, and there is no
faster way to antagonize the masses. People will instantly resist
anything you do and you’ll be outgunned before you have even begun.

3. 7 TIPS FOR
THE NEW DUTCH KING
 Get to know your boss
Every man may meet his match, or in other words, everyone has a boss. I
coach a lot of managers and executives, and almost every time, they have
someone above them they have to answer to. Prince Willem Alexander?
He has a boss as well, Prime Minister Mark Rutte. It is wise to get to k
now that boss. Make sure you know what he wants, what he is like, what
his vision is. But first and foremost: how far you can go.

4. 7 TIPS FOR
THE NEW DUTCH KING
 Have a clear vision
Power doesn’t just fall from the sky, power is action + vision. In this day and
age, people won’t just follow someone, you’ll only follow someone if you
know what he represents and where he is heading. An important part of that
vision may be the role of the royal family in the Netherlands, and the role of
the king within that. Without vision, the power of a leader will diminish
rapidly. Willem Alexander has to have a clear vision, however, he must make
sure this vision doesn’t clash with the vision of his boss (remember, that boss
he now knows very well)!

5. 7 TIPS FOR
THE NEW DUTCH KING
 Pick low-hanging fruits
Go for small, easy victories that have an immediate positive effect on
your image. Find out what people disliked about your predecessor
(Queen Beatrix in this case) and do a better job at it. How about
visiting the troops every once in a while, that always works well!

6. 7 TIPS FOR
THE NEW DUTCH KING
 Know your friends and your foes
Whenever you rise to power somewhere, you’ll instantly find three kinds
of people. Your friends, your enemies and the people who couldn’t care
less what you do. The first group is a group to keep close, however, as
Machiavelli once aptly put: you should keep your enemies even closer.
Make sure that you know where to find your aid and your resistance. The
third group? Let them drown in their indifference, they won’t bother you,
nor help you.

7. 7 TIPS FOR
THE NEW DUTCH KING
 Be visible
One of the most important tips, especially in the case of the Royal
Family. If nobody ever sees you, they will question the reason of your
(official) existence and why they pay millions of Euros a year to
sustain your presence. You are a public figure so make sure to be just
that: public. Be visible, attend events and ceremonies, fulfill your
ceremonial task to the fullest. The more people get to see of you, the
less they will question what it is that you do.

8. 7 TIPS FOR
THE NEW DUTCH KING
 Dare to make decisions
In particular when taking over a family business, which, in fact, is what the
prince is doing, the biggest burden may be that your predecessors are
looking over your shoulders. Deal with that as soon as possible. Beatrix
may serve as a mentor, however, Willem Alexander and his mother should
not sit on the throne together. Willem Alexander should make his own
decisions, according to his own visions, and that takes a lot of courage.
Should he need help with that, he can always consult my book : Book for
MEN- dare to make real decisions.