Hello, my name is Carla Schnitker

I love to welcome you to the Partner In Leadership website.

A place full of tools to leverage your leadership.

The idea for my business developed over the years. I think the roots of the idea lay in the year 1997 when I was suddenly confronted with a big change in my career. Within 5 months I jumped from leading 5 employees to 35 to more than 140 professionals. I almost panicked. But what do you do when such a change is being offered? Well, what I did, I said “yes, okay I will do it!”. And it felt like a jump from an aeroplane without a parachute. .

A key learning for me in those years has been that top leaders have one additional “program” that no else shares.  They formally and continuously develop their leadership skills in addition to performing their regular responsibilities. Even the Harvard Business Review has recognized the importance of this essential ingredient for leadership success. How, I wished I had a Partner in Leadership in those years!!!

Directing that large divison in one of the world’s oldest, continuously running organizations (1,000 years old!) prepared me well for my later work – change management in several organizations (for four years) and my international leadership businesses.  

My formal background:
Carla Schnitker comes from a background rich in leadership development. Her specialty is coaching executives and business owners on managing and changing organizations by inspired and creative leadership. Clients are from the USA and Europe.  Her work has repeatedly led to dramatically stronger organizations with more effective employees. Carla has had operational responsibilities for many years over middle managers from finance, engineering, field services, computer systems, and legal affairs. Her masters in law is from the Erasmus University. Carla also has a masters degree in the history of the University of Leiden. She is a member of the International Coach Federation and will be a master coach.next year. She teaches Leadership for graduates at an American University.