Listening Without Defense

“Listening Without Defense”: How Wereldmuseum Director Marieke van Bommel Ensures Dialogue and Vulnerable Leadership. CircleLytics in Conversation with Marieke van Bommel, Director of the Wereldmuseum.

She knew it at a young age: “I’m going to be a museum director.” It’s rare for someone to envision their career so clearly. Yet Marieke van Bommel’s path to directorship has been one of choices, perseverance, and continuous reflection—about her role, her leadership, and the balance between work and private life.[1]

From Museology to Leadership

“I already had an interest in museums as a child,” Marieke explains. “That came from my father, who talked about them with great pleasure. I thought back then: that’s what I want to do later.”[1]

She studied museology at the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten—a young program at the time—and then deliberately chose policy and organizational sciences. “Many classmates went on to study art history, but I thought: I can contribute more if I learn how organizations work. The museum world is small and complex, and I wanted to add something.”[1]

Her breakthrough came when, shortly after the birth of her child, she was appointed commercial director in Rotterdam. “That was special, but also exciting. You grow within your organization, and people often continue to see you in the role you once started in. I had to push through that. I had to repeatedly prove my leadership.”

Balance Between Mother and Director

Running a museum with multiple locations is intensive, Marieke acknowledges. “The balance between a complex job and motherhood is still a search. We’ve got it well arranged at home, but part of it is also in your own head. What is your most important role, where do you really want to make a difference?”[1]

She laughs: “My husband and I used to often say to each other: singing the song ‘Poesie mauw’ puts everything in perspective again.” And that’s true. When you come home, and your little emperor determines how the evening goes, you stay grounded. I think that’s healthy."

That down-to-earthness also influences her leadership: “It keeps me sharp and empathetic. I think my style is soft, intuitive, with compassion. That can sometimes come across as weak, but I know I can trust my intuition.”

Reflection: Always Under Pressure

Reflection receives extra attention in the conversation with CircleLytics. Research shows that leaders are taking less and less time to truly pause and consider their thinking and actions. Marieke recognizes this. “I intend every Friday to reflect, but that time is often swallowed up by operations anyway. Fortunately, our work—with external and internal stakeholders—forces us to continually mirror what we do.”[1]

If she had extra time, she would like to use it to check whether agreements and policies are translated into daily work. “Not as control, but to see if we really do what we say. That’s reflection for me too.”

Open Doors and Anonymous Voices

An important part of Marieke’s leadership is maintaining an open culture. “My door is always open. People can drop by, text, or pop in.” But in an organization with multiple locations, that’s not always practical. That’s why the Wereldmuseum regularly uses CircleLytics’ dialogue tool—where employees can talk and respond anonymously.

“We do that deliberately. Not everyone feels equally free to say something directly to me, and that’s understandable. You’re still the one who decides on leave and budgets. That’s just reality. That’s why I think it’s important that, in addition to that open door, there is also a safe place to share anonymously.”[1]

She shares how an anonymous session in Japan inspired her: “That yielded a lot of openness there, precisely because people felt safe. We’ve been doing it here ever since.”[1]

The anonymous conversation fits seamlessly with the open culture for her: “It’s not a contradiction. In combination, it works well. You hear more, and you hear other perspectives too. That makes the organization stronger.”

Collective Responsibility for Workload

Recently, the Wereldmuseum anonymously asked questions about workload via CircleLytics’ dialogical method. “We got responses to that,” Marieke says with a smile. “Some asked: why do we have to give tips, isn’t it management’s problem? I found that interesting, because workload is everyone’s responsibility. It’s about how we work together.”[1]

For her, this is precisely the power of dialogue: “It makes visible where we don’t yet think the same. And that’s exactly where culture development begins.”