Wilma Nijenhuis

“Improve the world, start with yourself.”

What is your personal story?

I grew up as the eldest of three sisters in a typical Dutch family. My parents belonged to the post-war generation: my father attended technical school and later evening classes to become the head of electrical engineering at a textile company. My mother was a homemaker. Neither of them had the opportunity to pursue higher education, so they told us, their daughters, “We want you to have every opportunity to develop your talents so you can determine your own destiny.” They encouraged us to study and continue learning.

When I was young, I had a desire to explore other countries and cultures, and I wanted to become a stewardess. Later, when I had to choose a direction in high school, my father advised me to choose subjects that would give me options. So, I chose both languages and science subjects. After completing high school, I went to the University of Twente to study chemical engineering, and later, I pursued a Ph.D. in applied organic chemistry. It combined two things I loved: learning about science and applying it to solve real-world problems.

That became the theme of my professional life. After my Ph.D., I spent the next 30 years working on materials innovation. I started as a technical specialist and progressed to become a project leader at Shell Global Solutions. In 2000, I joined DSM and advanced into various management roles, including RT&D manager, manager of global application development, and department manager within the DSM Material Science Center (90+ people).

Throughout my entire professional life, I’ve been on a continuous journey of learning and growth. I have always tried to better understand myself and learn from my choices and experiences. My corporate career came to an end in 2022 due to the divestment of materials activities at DSM. Now, I’m doing what I love most: using my experience and wisdom to help others discover their talents, build their careers, and develop their leadership qualities. I recently started my own coaching company: WiNcoaching.

Share the significant challenges or breakthroughs in your career that have led you to where you are today.

Seeking advice when in doubt
In my first year at the University of Twente, I struggled. The subjects we studied were very abstract, and I missed the applied approach. I was the only woman in my group, and I asked the men if they were experiencing the same difficulties. They all said “no” and acted very confidently. At one point, I thought it was my fault and went to talk to the dean, saying, “I think I made the wrong choice.” He was very encouraging and said, “Go through this first year, you’re doing fine, and you’ll see that it will all change afterward.” I persevered and passed all exams, and indeed, I enjoyed the following years much more.

I came from a mixed-gender environment and entered a male-dominated environment. I had to learn their language and behavior, so I didn’t realize that the men were just behaving differently to mask their insecurity. This taught me how important it was to reflect on what I was experiencing, try to understand others, and seek advice from more experienced people who understand the bigger picture.

Checking your assumptions
At the end of my Ph.D., I began applying for jobs. I didn’t want to apply to Shell because I assumed it was a very traditional, hierarchical workplace. My professor encouraged me to at least go for an interview. I had an interview there and realized that it was a great place to work with a lot of freedom. I accepted their offer and worked there for 5 ½ years. The working culture was excellent, and I had many opportunities for professional development.

From this, I learned how important it is to check your assumptions. You never know what something is really like until you explore it.

Stepping out of your comfort zone
Before starting my job at Shell, I decided to do a postdoc on Vancouver Island, Canada. I really wanted to live and work in a different culture. Working abroad was a challenging but valuable experience. It took a lot of energy to find my way in a new culture and make new friends, but it was all worth it. I made lifelong friends, saw my home country in a different light, and fell in love with the nature and culture of Vancouver Island. It also gave me the confidence that, no matter what changes in life, I’ll find my way.

At DSM, I had another experience where I stepped out of my comfort zone when my manager asked me to apply for a management position. I said something I’ve come to recognize as typically feminine: “I’m not ready. I don’t meet all the requirements.” My manager said, “Three men have already asked for this position, but I really want you.” I had to challenge myself. “Am I selling myself short? Am I just afraid?” I decided to accept the job, and I loved it. That experience taught me to be more confident.

Both experiences taught me that it’s important to try something different and step out of your comfort zone. You discover so much about yourself, and it helps you grow.

Follow your heart
After working at Shell for 5 ½ years, where I was very happy, Shell decided to divest its materials activities. I was very disappointed because I had just bought a house and expected a long career at Shell. This change really forced me to prioritize. I decided to leave Shell because I wanted to continue working in materials innovation. It was important for me to find a position where I would have a more long-term perspective and could continue to develop personally and professionally. DSM offered me that opportunity, but it meant relocating from the Amsterdam region to Limburg. Privately, it was challenging, and we had to make some unconventional choices to make it all work. But because it was clear to me where my priorities were, I had no doubt that this was the right path.

I learned to follow my heart. Sometimes you have to make courageous, unconventional choices to be happy. Many people cannot or will not do that.

Understand your strengths
One of the most challenging periods was when I worked for a manager who wanted me to be more or less a copy of him. In every performance review, he would say, “You’re very good with people, but I’d like to see you be more strategic.” I asked him to let me use my talents to develop people. I knew that was my strength, and it seemed clear to me that he could focus on strategy while I focused on developing people. But he kept trying to fit me into his mold. Eventually, I decided to move on because I felt I was being pigeonholed and wanted out.

I left that position and later worked under a female manager who gave me the freedom to develop myself. It was such an eye-opener. It was the most wonderful period of my career, where I truly blossomed professionally. My manager was visionary. I was good at translating the strategy and implementing it in the organization. We appreciated each other and effectively used our different talents. We worked excellently together and achieved a lot.

Define your Golden Triangle
I believe that you should have a direction or a common thread in your life. You don’t need to have a specific job in mind. Instead, you can define elements you’re looking for in a job. That’s what I did, and I call it my Golden Triangle. For me, it includes:

• Working with people from different cultures inmultinational, global teams.
• Working in applied innovation: translating customer needs into meaningful products.
• Connecting people and helping talented professionals develop themselves.

Learning from behaviors that hold you back

In our interviews, we like to talk about the “12 behaviors that hold women back” – which have been researched and published in the book “How Women Rise” by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith. We asked Wilma if she could identify with any of these 12 behaviors that hinder women from advancing in their careers.

Expecting others to spontaneously notice and reward your contributions
I always thought that if I did my best, other people would notice. But that’s not how it works. You need to do stakeholder management and show people what you and your team have accomplished. I had a director who said, “Why don’t you come to me more often?” I told him that I didn’t want to bother him because he was very busy. His response was, “Let me decide if I have time for you. Every time you come to me with a proposal, you get more buy-in from me. I’ve been thinking with you, so I feel like it’s partly my idea. If you come more often, you stay top of mind for me. When an opportunity arises, there’s a greater chance that I’ll think of you first.” This was so enlightening and valuable; something I, as a scientist, had never realized.

Failing to enlist allies from day one
In my struggle with my manager, I thought I had to be a big girl and handle the situation myself. I should have talked to my colleagues and formed alliances much earlier. Eventually, I reached out to the rest of the management team and realized they had very similar issues. It was a relief to hear and helped us address the situation together.

Perfectionism
In the beginning, you can get caught up in trying to perfect presentations and other tasks endlessly. But as you gain more experience, you realize that 80% is often good enough. Once you’ve built up experience, trust yourself more, and dare to let go, your confidence will grow.

The need to please
It consumes a lot of time and energy, and you can’t make everyone happy all the time. Do what you believe is right, and if others don’t like it, accept it and move on.

When you find yourself in a difficult situation, what is your go-to skill?
When I have a difficult situation, I take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Why are we doing what we’re doing? I seek advice and support from my “inner circle” and colleagues. I’m an independent thinker, but like everyone else, I have blind spots. Reflecting with people I trust and value helps me.

Do you think personal branding is important for professional women?
If you take yourself seriously, you need to take the time to discover what you stand for, your talents, your motivations, what energizes you, and what drains your energy. Clarify that for yourself. Many women don’t prioritize or take the time to do that, which is a shame.

Advocate for yourself. Many women are too modest about their capabilities and achievements for too long. If you know what you need and want, define a direction and take action. Examine for yourself why you work. For me, it’s the social aspect, the satisfaction I feel when I achieve something, like helping people develop themselves and become more successful.

What advice would you give to other professional women who want to excel in their careers?
Make sure you know who you are and what you stand for. When you do, you make the best choices for yourself. Keep learning; there’s so much to discover. Find a buddy, ally, mentor, or role model. Share, support, and find inspiration. Dare to step out of your comfort zone and try something different; you’ll learn a lot from it. And last but not least, check your assumptions and limiting beliefs; we all have them, and they often hold us back without us realizing it.

All these years, I’ve tried to look at myself, learn from my choices, and learn from what I’ve done. As a person and as a professional, I believe you go on a continuous journey of learning and growth. That’s how you become the best at what you do.

Want to know more about Wilma?
Visit Wilma’s LinkedIn profile
Or contact her via email: Wilma@wincoaching.nl