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Meet Your Guide
My name is Ralph van Roosmalen, and I've spent over 25 years in Management and Leadership. But my real passion lies in helping people like you—managers, leaders, and teams—tap into their full potential.
True leadership growth happens when we step outside our comfort zones and connect with something bigger than ourselves. That's why I created Leadership Hikes, a unique program that blends the transformative power of nature with practical leadership techniques.
My Business Career
I started my career as a software developer, but I soon realized I got more energy from helping people and improving processes. I took my first steps in Management and Leadership around 2000. As a group lead, I was responsible for managing the team and the goals, managing stakeholders, and reporting on progress. I had many roles: Scrum Master, Test Manager, QA Manager, Development Director, Vice President of Software Engineering, etc. However, the most important thing for me was always to help people and the organization.
Highly knowledgeable, evidently highly experienced, easy going, professional, adaptive, humorous and fun.
- Ilan Kirschenbaum, Practical Agile
In 2015, I founded Agile Strides. Agile Strides offers team coaching, change management, and organizational development support. Additionally, Agile Strides offers Management 3.0 Workshops. 2017, I published the book "Doing It - Management 3.0 Experiences". It is a free book that has been downloaded over 8000 times! The book is translated into Chinese, French, Spanish and Russian. In this book, I share how to implement Management and Leadership practices. In 2019, I published my second book, "40+ Ideas to Spice Up Your Retrospective." A must-read book for any team lead, a book where I explain how to energize your team to take the lead in improving themselves. My second book has already been downloaded more than 9000 times!
Teams are key to any organization. I decided to share my experiences in helping teams to create value. In 2021, I published "The Art of Teams", a book describing the six components all successful teams have. I was also invited for a TEDx Talk, where I shared my view on how nature is an inspiration for how to help teams create value.
My Hiking Career
When I was young, I went on holiday to Luxembourg with my parents for many years. We always camped in Berdorf, Mullerthal, Luxembourg's Little Switzerland. We did many hikes, and I always enjoyed them. Additionally, I wandered through the forest around the camping site. Enjoying nature and the forest.
I did my first long-distance hike in 2001. We hiked the Pieterpad in 23 days, one of the longest trails in the Netherlands, 550 kilometers. It was my best holiday in years. For many reasons, I did not do any long hikes for many years. However, in 2018, I decided to start hiking again. My first hike was the Mullerthal Trail. In the area where I did many short hikes when I was a kid. It was in the winter, snow, rain, but also sun. 112 km. I loved it! I was hooked again.
Ralph immediately created an atmosphere of openness and willingness to learn and discuss experiences.
- Martijn van de Haterd, Improve QS
Since 2017, I have done many long-distance hikes again: the Pelgrimspad (456 km), the Dutch Mountain Trail (yes, a Dutch Mountain trail), the West Highland Way, the Great Glen Way, the Rob Roy Way, the Skye Trail, and many other trails in the Netherlands and Germany. I love the Scottish scenery and weather. I am not a big fan of hot summers, but you understand; I love the Scottish weather.You can find some reports of my hikes on my showcase page.
Hiking and Business Together
In 2024, I was looking for what was next. I was talking to different people for different reasons, trying to discover my ikigai. Ikigai is about finding joy and your purpose in life. Ikigai has four areas:
- What you love doing.
- What you are good at.
- What the world needs.
- What you can be paid for.
All four are important, and if you find the center, the purpose that covers all four areas, you find your ikigai.
As you read above, I love being outdoors and hiking. It is a great way for me to disconnect from the rat race, go back to nature, and just be with myself.
I have helped many teams and individuals during my career. I am able to listen to people, not judge, and ask questions to get them into thinking mode. Sometimes, I can also give them advice or help them actively find the right path.
Many managers and leaders struggle with the challenges they encounter in their organizations. The classroom workshop approach is no longer the best option. However, there is still a need to connect with people and learn how to grow as managers and leaders.
I believe in Karma—doing good, and good things come to you. However, that does not cover my mortgage every month. Leadership Hikes allow me to do the things I love and are good at, and people are willing to pay fairly for this.
Coaching
Coaching involves asking questions, sometimes getting people out of their comfort zone in a safe environment, and having them think about their challenges. I am not a psychologist, and I don't believe I can change people. People can, in most cases, only change themselves. However, by asking questions, helping people reflect on cases, sharing stories and examples, and sometimes teaching people, you can help people change themselves.
Throughout the years, I have received many trainings related to coaching: Conflict Management, Interview Techniques, Nonviolent Communication, Socratic Dialogues, and Strategic Coaching. These trainings, combined with my business and life experience, allow me to guide people and teams.
Sometimes, I recognize the challenges need more focus than Leadership Hikes offers. In those cases, I work with The Talent Builder. Raluca Primaru graduated from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Bucharest in 2005 and has worked in corporate recruitment, team coaching, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychotherapy, and career counseling. She speaks native Romanian, and fluently English and Dutch.
She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on empowering people and teaching them how to grow, develop new skills, discover their core values, and become the people they wish to be. She takes a practical approach because she believes that we give more importance to the things that we can use and benefit from.