// THE KEYNOTES

THREE KEYNOTES. ONE SOURCE.

SPECIAL UNITS YOUR WORKPLACE

Pick the angle that fits your event.

Cedric De Vlieger addressing a room during a keynote
01

// THE ACTION

FACTS OVER FEAR

How to keep moving forward when your head wants to hold you back.

// SOUND FAMILIAR?

Everyone knows that moment.

  • 01 The decision that has been sitting on your desk for weeks.
  • 02 The pace that suddenly shoots up.
  • 03 The conversation where your mind suddenly goes blank.
  • 04 The choice where no good option is left.

Not because you do not know what to do. Something in your head hits the brakes, exactly when it matters.

And that brake rarely stays with one person: more tools and more meetings than ever, and yet everything slows down, because no one dares to decide without permission.

// WHAT CEDRIC BRINGS

Twenty years in the Special Units. First as an assaulter, the first man through the door. Later as team leader, with final responsibility in operations where every decision touched lives.

A world where postponing does not exist and the price of a wrong call is not paid in euros.

He translates that world to yours: the boardroom that goes quiet, the sales conversation postponed once again, the presentation where no one names the elephant.

// No war stories to impress.

// WHAT THE AUDIENCE TAKES AWAY

  • They tackle the decision that has been sitting in an inbox for weeks.
  • They have the feedback conversation they postponed three times.
  • They raise the idea in the next meeting, without waiting for the perfect moment.

// FOR WHOM

Leadership & sales teams at high tempoDepartments in growth or transformationPeriods of heightened uncertaintyWhere decisions keep sittingKickoffs & strategy days
Cedric De Vlieger delivering the Facts Over Fear keynote on decision-making under pressure

“The power went out right before the presentation. Cedric faced the challenge of delivering 80 minutes without any visual support. Without hesitation or stumble, he captivated the group with stories and examples we still use every single day.”

Joop Antheunis Sales Manager Oral-B BNL · Procter & Gamble
02

// THE COLLECTIVE

INSIDE THE UNIT

How to build a team that stands when things go against you.

// SOUND FAMILIAR?

Some teams look strong. Until it gets hard.

  • 01 People cover themselves instead of speaking up.
  • 02 Decisions stall because no one claims them.
  • 03 Departments work next to each other, not with each other.
  • 04 Unexpected pressure exposes cracks no one saw.

That is rarely about the people. It is about a foundation that does not hold under pressure.

// WHAT CEDRIC BRINGS

Twenty years with the same colleagues, through the same doors. Trust there was a survival condition.

Thirteen days after his appointment as team leader, the terror period broke out. No run-up, no learning time.

Fewer resources than elsewhere, and yet no turnover: a team people wanted to belong to because it meant something. How that works is what he translates to organizations where the pressure has a different name but the mechanism is identical.

// Honesty does not stop at rank.

// WHAT THE AUDIENCE TAKES AWAY

  • They have the honest conversation with the colleague who is no longer on board.
  • They plan their first real debrief. Not to evaluate, but to learn.
  • They hand a decision to someone closer to it than themselves.
  • They claim what they had quietly wanted to pass on.

// FOR WHOM

Boards & leadership teamsAfter a merger, reorganization or fast growthWhere the stretch is gone after yet another changeTeams that hardly see each other anymoreKickoffs & strategy days
Cedric De Vlieger delivering the Inside the Unit keynote on team culture and trust

“Cedric translates his experience with the Special Units to the reality of our industrial site. His insights on vulnerability, ownership and team identity resonated surprisingly strongly. Crystal-clear principles that are immediately applicable within Umicore.”

Johan Ramharter Senior Vice President · Umicore
03

// THE INDIVIDUAL

KRACHT IS EEN KEUZE

How to perform under prolonged pressure, without running empty.

// SOUND FAMILIAR?

The pressure stays high and the battery runs low.

  • 01 Work that keeps coming.
  • 02 A private life that asks something too.
  • 03 A body that starts to protest.
  • 04 A mind that no longer settles.

That has nothing to do with failure. For most people resilience is a word, not a skill.

// WHAT CEDRIC BRINGS

Bullied as a child. Gave up at fourteen, halfway through a hundred-kilometre march. Ten years later the youngest member ever in the Special Units, twenty years later team leader.

When injuries broke his career, he stood at zero. No genetic luck, but a method.

Small things, done daily: the difference between people who last and people who burn out.

// No mindset talk, no breathing tricks as a miracle cure.

// WHAT THE AUDIENCE TAKES AWAY

  • They handle this week's stress differently, by choosing more sharply what deserves their attention.
  • For the first time they look honestly at the phase they are in now, without comparing themselves to where they wanted to be.
  • They take one small step they have been postponing for months, because waiting is not safer than acting.

// FOR WHOM

Inspiration & wellbeing daysKeeping your best people on boardTeams running on fumesStrengthening people, not entertaining themMental wellbeing & personal leadership
The room during the Kracht is een Keuze keynote

“A particularly powerful and beautiful keynote with great impact. Cedric's message was experienced as confronting, because it challenged the room to put self-care and recognition of one's own wellbeing first.”

Dominiek D'Haene Managing Director · DGH-Symposium

// PRACTICAL

THREE FORMATS. ONE METHOD.

Every keynote is tailored to audience, sector and objectives. Each booking includes at least one preparation call to lock in emphasis, examples and language.

01

KEYNOTE WITH Q&A

Duration
45–60 min keynote
Includes
Q&A in the room
Ideal for
Broad room, broad audience
02

KEYNOTE WITH BOOK

Duration
45–60 min keynote
Includes
Q&A + book with signing
Ideal for
Event where the book goes home
03

KEYNOTE WITH DEEP DIVE

Duration
60 min keynote + Q&A + 1.5h deep dive
Includes
Q&A + casework and exercises
Ideal for
A team that wants to push on after the session
Languages

Dutch · English. Bilingual on request.

Location

On location across Europe. Online only exceptionally.

Preparation

Briefing call included. Sector-specific cases.

Sector tailoring

On request. Examples aligned in advance.

// NEXT STEP

Booking a keynote?

Tell us briefly about your event: date, audience, goal. Cedric responds personally.

Request a keynote
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