FILE 01
Beyond the Mask: Why Cohesion Surpasses Connection.
"In the Special Units, we wore balaclavas for a reason. What held us together was cohesion, and that is something other than connection."
Read Full File// SPECIAL UNITS → YOUR ORGANISATION
AS ONE. STRONGER THAN THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
BACKBONE installs the standards that let teams collaborate and perform, sustainably.
Ownership Decisiveness Collaboration over silos Debrief culture Clear communication Adaptability Autonomy & framework Performing under pressure Shared leadership
Strategy rarely fails. Execution does.
- Internal friction
- Deflected responsibility
- Indecision
…they eat your margins.
We install the operational backbone to perform, whatever the circumstances.
- Decisions get made, even without the full picture.
- What is decided gets done.
- Responsibility is taken, without passing it on.
- What needs saying gets said.
- The plan flips? The team shifts.
No spike after a session. A standard that stays.
We discuss the road there in a conversation.
Book a conversation// WHAT IT DELIVERS
ADAPTIVE. RESILIENT.
// FOUNDER
LIVED. DONE. TRANSLATED.
Proven where failure was not an option:
Maximum pressure·Uncertainty·Limited means·No second chance
20+ YEARS SPECIAL UNITS (DSU) · TEAM MEMBER & TEAM LEADER
// THE MISSION
The collective above the individual.
// HOW WE DO THAT
TWO WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER.
One sets something in motion. One anchors it. Choose what fits your situation.
01 45–60 min
KEYNOTES
For your event
01 The action · Facts over Fear
02 The collective · Inside the Unit
03 The individual · Kracht is een Keuze
02 Day to trajectory
TRAJECTORIES
For your team or your leaders
01 Team day
02 Team trajectory
03 Leadership trajectory
"Not sure what fits your situation?"
BOOK A CONVERSATION// THE MAN BEHIND IT
CEDRIC "FLY" DE VLIEGER.
Former team leader at the Belgian Special Units (DSU).
BAPTISM OF FIRE
My baptism of fire as a leader came fast: thirteen days after my appointment, the terror crisis erupted.
Without onboarding time or margin.
Getting specialists aligned under extreme uncertainty, and keeping them there.
THE LAST RESORT
We were the last resort. After us, no one else was coming.
We carried that responsibility without attrition.
The way we worked made the difference: mission over ego, ownership with everyone.
THE TRANSLATION
The military jargon stays at the door. The same standard that worked there.
// TRACK RECORD
REQUESTED BY THOSE WHO KNOW THE STAKES.
01 Umicore
02 Procter & Gamble
03 Safran Aero Boosters
04 Estée Lauder
05 Thermo Fisher
06 Bpost
07 Luminus
08 European Parliament
09 D'Ieteren
10 SD Worx
11 Royal Military Academy
12 And more → VIB Milcobel Antwerp Management School Politiezone Brugge Provincie Vlaams-Brabant Diggit Data Center United Bauwatch Etion Comfort @ Home Aldak Ventichim Berkvens Deursystemen RIHO Notariskantoor Verhaeghe, Baert & Vertriest B-Hockey Business Club Kiwanis Embuild Symposium DGH
The pressure differs by sector. The principles underneath stay the same.
His insights on vulnerability, ownership and team identity resonated surprisingly strongly. Crystal-clear principles, immediately applicable.
Johan Ramharter · Senior Vice President · Umicore
Right before the presentation, the power went out. Without hesitation or a single stumble: 80 minutes of captivation, with stories we still use every single day.
Joop Antheunis · Sales Manager Oral-B BNL · Procter & Gamble
// FROM THE FIELD
See all files 
Dr. Gianni Faelens Podcast
CEDRIC UNPLUGGED.
20+ years of Special Units distilled into practical leadership lessons.
See all podcastsTHE BACKBONE CODE.
01
NO MASKS.
Performance starts where ego ends.
02
NO EXCUSES.
Ownership is binary.
03
NO MEDIOCRITY.
What you tolerate below standard lowers the standard.
// NEXT STEP
IT STARTS WITH A CONVERSATION.
Costs nothing, commits to nothing · Reply within one business day
BOOK A CONVERSATION Together we look at where your team or your event stands.