It’s not a workshop. It’s a wake-up call.
For organisations and teams ready to turn talent into their greatest advantage. Dive into the Talent Advantage Game with us.
About this wake-up call
This Wake-Up Call is a workshop, but not your typical workshop. It is a gamified approach for teams and organisations that see human talent as the real driver of transformation. This includes HR or capabilities teams, leadership, as well as functional leaders and their teams, particularly in the commercial and innovation domains.
This Wake-Up Call is for teams and organisations that see human talent as the real driver of transformation. This includes HR or capabilities teams, leadership, as well as functional leaders and their teams, particularly in the commercial and innovation domains.
Key takeaways
We bring participants together and unlock the right discussions to:
- reflect on which competencies they need to be future-ready;
- have honest, open discussions about where their team or organisation stand today and what is needed next;
- and walk away fully inspired.
What to expect from the Talent Advantage wake-up call
A high-energy experience built around three components:
Rally the mindset
Rally the team
Rally the future
Rally the mindset
Your full team starts together. What if your people, not your processes, were the real engine of your transformation?
That is the heart of The Talent Advantage: there is far more potential in your organisation than you think, and it can be developed. Not only in the top percentage, but across the whole team. This is how you build an organisation that is truly future-ready.
To unlock this potential, we introduce a simple but powerful 3P model.
What exactly do you want to achieve by developing people’s potential? What is your purpose in doing so? And just as importantly: why should people themselves find meaning in it? We show how leading companies turn their purpose into a daily driver of behaviour and a shared compass for decision-making. This starts not only with clear and robust leadership, but also through simple yet often neglected approaches, such as carefully branding your transformation programmes.
Who are the people we want to bring along in this development journey? How do we intentionally expand the circle of talent beyond the usual suspects? And how do we create the conditions for people to want to engage?
We explore how leading organisations think about their target groups for talent development, which incentives and channels they use to spark real involvement, and how they inform, involve, and empower their workforce in a way that feels authentic. This includes decisions on how to mix talent across roles and levels, how to combine complementary competencies across functions, how to engage people in the right way, etc.
How do we help people truly get better? Change becomes real only when individuals practice, experiment, and apply what they learn in their daily work. We look at how organisations build the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that matter most, especially the higher-level and attitudinal competencies that drive performance and adaptability.
We explore how to design powerful competency journeys, how to apply the proven 10-20-70 learning logic, and how to use tools, templates, and simple structures that make growth practical and sustainable. And finally, we show how AI can be used intelligently — not to replace people, but to accelerate human development and support teams in becoming more future-proof
Rally the team
Your group splits up in small teams of approximately 5 people. They are ready to play the discussion game.
After the keynote, the real magic happens: your team talking openly and honestly, with structure, safety, and energy.
Small teams of about 5 use the 7 Talent Advantage Card Decks, designed to capture and steer discussion around:
- A competencies card deck: To discuss which competencies required to be future-ready.
- A talent card deck: To explore your views on talent.
- The 3Ps card decks: To steer discussion on Purpose, People, and Proficiency.
- The Provocation and Pitfall card decks: To spice up the discussion by challenging common wisdoms and reflecting on common traps
Different card formats invite everyone in.
The card decks are designed with a variety of question and statement types: from reflection prompts and discussion starters, to experience-sharing cards, dilemmas to choose between, and even “myth or fact” challenges. This variety means every personality finds a way in. Whether you prefer to reflect quietly, share stories, think critically, or spark debate, there’s a card for you. It creates a space where everyone can contribute in their own way and no voice gets left out.
Rally the future
The whole group comes back together, and this is where the energy really further lifts. Teams share the insights, reflections, and different viewpoints that emerged during the discussions. These are captured visually in the Talent Advantage Canvas, creating a clear and inspiring overview of what the team has surfaced. You end the session with a lot of energy, enriched perspectives, and a shared understanding you can build on afterwards.
Wake-up call format
Half day wake-up call
Selection & customisation of the card decks
With The Talent Advantage book as a companion
Alignment call to tailor the session to your objectives
One expert facilitator (Stefan, Nuno, or Isabel)
For 4 to +200 people
What others say about the workshop
"I absolutely loved the concept of gamification and the topics on the cards."
“Super presentation and workshop! I came away really energized by the discussion"
“The questions of the Talent Advantage game can be interpreted in different ways. That's good, because it made it super exciting at our table.”
Find all endorsements on the book and additional resources on www.thetalentadvantage.org
The Talent Advantage wake-up call facilitators
The workshops are provided by the key author (Prof. dr. Stefan Stremersch) or one of the partners (dr. Nuno Camacho or dr. Isabel Verniers).
Prof.dr. Stefan Stremersch
The visionary who rewires how you think about talent
Founder MTI² • Author • Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL) & Ghent University (BE) • transformation architect • endurance sports fanatic
Stefan is the visionary mind behind The Talent Advantage, and one of Europe’s most respected thinkers on innovation, talent development, and organisational transformation both academically and professionally. He has advised over 100 companies like Merck, KLM-Air France, SABIC, ..., always with one mission: to reveal the untapped talent that drives real performance.
Expect big ideas, sharp insights, and the kind of perspective that leaves people saying: “Wow, I’ve never looked at talent like this before.”
And yes, the discipline and grit you feel in his work comes straight from his endurance-sports mindset. Transformation is not theory for him, it’s lived experience. Expect to be challenged but it will be the type of challenge that leaves you wanting more!
Signature vibe: “Prepare for a mindshift. You’ll walk out thinking differently.”
Check out his Linkedin
dr. Isabel Verniers
The energy, the empathy, the action
Partner MTI² • Visiting professor Ghent University (BE) • commercial & innovation talent builder • inspirational quote lover
Isabel helps teams grow, in skills, in mindset, in confidence, in momentum. Over the last 15 years she has worked with teams all over the world with one clear mission: upskilling on innovation and commercial competencies.
She’s known for her high-energy style and empathic questions that make people feel seen, understood, and willing to open up.
She turns the principles of The Talent Advantage into real conversations and real actions.
And yes, she is famous for dropping the perfect motivational line at exactly the right moment.
Signature vibe: “Let’s make this real...together.”
Check out her Linkedin
dr. Nuno Camacho
The coach with rhythm
Associate Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL) • behavioural expert • AI & data whisperer • musician
Nuno combines behavioural science, data, AI, and a dose of calm Portuguese wisdom to help teams really get what drives human motivation and learning.
He loves going into depth and can make complex concepts feel like common sense.
He’s also the team’s musician, which shows in how he facilitates: structured, rhythmic, and always tuned in to the group.
Signature vibe: “Let’s find the right rhythm, and move your team forward.”
Check out his Linkedin
Get in Touch
info@mti2.eu