麦肯锡 -坚持方向顺势调整 专访玛农・范・贝克 Hold course and adapt as you go An interview with Manon van Beek

October2026

McKinsey

&Company

People&OrganizationPractice

Holdcourseandadaptasyougo':Aninterviewwith

ManonvanBeek

Asshepreparestostepdown,theCEOofleadingEuropeangridoperatorTenneTreflectsonscalingenergyinfrastructure,navigatinggeopoliticalshocks,andbuildingresilienceamiduncertainty.

ManonvanBeekbecameCEOofTenneT,whichoperateshigh-voltagegridsintheNetherlandsandGermanyandisamajordeveloperofoffshoregridinfrastructureintheNorthSea,in

September2018.

ShesteppedintotherolejustaselectricitygridsweremovingfromthebackgroundofEurope’senergysystemtowardcenterstage.Theenergytransitionwasgatheringpace,puttingnew

demandsoninfrastructurethathadlongoperatedlargelyoutofpublicview.Whatfollowedwasaperiodofacceleratingelectrification,geopoliticalandenergy-marketshocks,andagrowing

recognitionthatthegridwouldbecriticaltoEurope’senergysecurityandcompetitiveness.

DuringvanBeek’stenure,TenneT’sagendaexpandedonanunprecedentedscale,with

investmentsingrid-relatedprojectsrisingfromroughly€2billionayeartoalmost€15billiontoday.Thecompanyembarkedonamassivebuild-outofitsonshoregridsintheNetherlandsandGermanywhileconfrontingincreasinglyacutegridcongestion.Atthesametime,TenneTbecameacentralplayerineffortstoturntheNorthSeaintoamajorsourceofEuropean

renewablepower.

VanBeek’ssecondfour-yeartermformallyendedinAugust;shehasremainedCEOthroughthetransitionandwillhandovertoFransEverts,theformerpresidentofShellNetherlands,on

November1.

SherecentlyspokewithErikMandersloot,aMcKinseypartnerinAmsterdamwhoadvisesCEOsandseniorleadershipteamsonleadingchangeduringtransformation,movingfromastable

worldintotheunknown,andnavigatinguncertaintywithresilience,adaptability,andclarityofpurpose.

ErikMandersloot:WhatmadeyoudecidetobecometheCEOofagovernment-ownedorganization?

ManonvanBeek:IthinkatthetimeIwrotethat“dutyiscalling.”Thatwasmyfeeling,thoughI’mnotsureIunderstoodhowcentralthisrolewouldbecometoEurope’senergytransition.

Thegridplaysacriticalrole.Itisnotsimplytechnicalinfrastructure;it’saplatformfor

decarbonization,industrialrenewal,andenergysecurity.Europeaninterconnectiondependsonit,literallyandfiguratively.Thatconnectionhasbecomemoreimportant,especiallywiththegoalofturningtheNorthSeaintothejointgreenpowerhouseofEurope.

WhatIlearnedovertheyearsisthatgreaterenergyindependenceultimatelystrengthens

resilience.ItstrengthensEurope’scompetitiveness,butalsoourabilitytokeepenergy

affordable,evenifitdoesn’talwayslookthatwaydaytoday.Intheend,Ibelievewearemovingtowardamoreaffordableenergysystem.

IwasattractedbythescaleofthatresponsibilityandtheopportunitytobringtheexpertisethatIhadontechnology,transformation,andorganizationalchangeintoamorepublic-purpose

‘Holdcourseandadaptasyougo’:AninterviewwithManonvanBeek2

‘Holdcourseandadaptasyougo’:AninterviewwithManonvanBeek3

environment.So,itwasquiteaconsciouschoicetoworkonsomethingthatmattersforthenextgeneration.

ErikMandersloot:Howdoyouleadanenormouslycomplex,interdependentsystemundersuchuncertainty?

ManonvanBeek:WhenIstarted,Ithoughtthebiggestchallengeswouldbetechnical:leadinganasset-drivenorganizationandscalinganinvestmentagenda.Thosethingswerecertainly

demanding.Butthedeeperchallengeturnedouttobemanagingalltheinterdependencies.Buildingthegridisnotsomethingyoucandoinisolation.Everythingisinterconnected,andprogressdependsonmanydifferentactorsanddecisionsmovingtogether.

Ifyoulookattheenergytransitiontoday—offshorewind,nuclear,gridcongestion,energy

security,theNorthSea—itallgoestogether,andyouareoperatingundercontinuous

uncertainty.Butifyouturnallthosestrandsintoaballofspaghetti,itbecomestoocomplexandyougetnowhere.Youhavetounderstandtheinterdependencieswhilestillfindingawayto

moveindividualissuesforward.

TenneTcan’tdelivertheenergytransitionalone.Oursuccessdependsongovernmentsand

regulators,suppliersandfinancialinstitutions,industryandlocalcommunities—and,ofcourse,onthemorethan10,000peoplewhoworkforTenneT.Thechallengeisgettingallthoseactorssufficientlyalignedtomoveforward.

TenneThadtoplayonseveralchessboardsatonce.AttheEuropeanlevel,thatmeantcross-

borderinterconnectionandcooperationintheNorthSea,whereTenneTchairsthecollaborationamongoffshoretransmissionsystemoperators.Thatrequiresalignmentonpolicy,regulation,

andfinancing.Atthesametime,ourrolebecameincreasinglylocal,asgridcongestionbegantoaffecthouseholds,smallandmedium-sizedbusinesses,andcommunitiesdirectly.

Besidesgridcongestion,theissuethatprobablydemandedthemostofmypersonalenergywasfindingasustainablefundingsolutionforthegrowthofTenneTGermany.WeinitiallypursuedafullsaletotheGermanstate.Whenthatdidn’thappen,wehadtofindanotherroute,ultimatelybringinginprivateinvestorsalongsidetheGermanstate.

Butitwasneversimplyaquestionoffinancingorownership.Itwasastrategicquestionaboutourpublicresponsibility,thefutureofcross-bordercooperation,theuncertaintyforemployees,andultimatelythefuturestructureofthecompany.

Thehardestpartofbeingaleaderisthatyouoftendon’tknowwhatwillhappen,orevenwhatshouldhappen.Youhavetocreatetheconditionsformanydifferentpartiestoacttogether,

whiletheirinterests,theirtimelines,andtheinformationtheyhaveareconstantlychanging.

‘Holdcourseandadaptasyougo’:AninterviewwithManonvanBeek4

It’sallabouttrade-offs

ErikMandersloot:Whatwerethetoughesttrade-offsyoufaced?

ManonvanBeek:Thetrade-offsarepartofthechallengeIjustdescribed,becauseevery

dimensionislegitimate.Societywantsustomovefaster,butnotattheexpenseofsafetyor

reliability.Weneedenormousinvestment,butwealsoneedaffordabilityanddisciplineduseofcapital.Andweneedtobuildinfrastructurefaster,whilecommunitiesrightlyexpectmeaningfulparticipationindecisionsaboutwhatgetsbuiltandwhere.

Thatlastpointisimportant.Participationneedstohappenearlierandmoreeffectivelyand

permittingneedstobecomefaster.Butyoucan’tsimplyskipthoseprocesses,becauseintheendthatcanmakethingstakelonger.

Gridcongestionmadethesetrade-offsveryvisible.Formanyyears,TenneToperatedlargely

behindthecurtain.NowtherearethousandsofcompaniesintheNetherlandswaitingforagridconnection.Thatisnotanoperationaldetail.Itaffectswhethercompaniescangrow,whether

homesandneighborhoodscanbeconnected,andultimatelywhethertheNetherlandsremainsanattractiveplacetoinvest.

So,theanswerisrarelytooptimizeoneobjective.Youhavetomakethetrade-offsexplicit,

decidewhichprinciplesarenonnegotiable—reliabilityandsafety,forexample—andthenfindwaysforspeed,affordability,reliability,andsociallegitimacytoreinforceoneanotherasmuchaspossible.

ErikMandersloot:WhathasbeentheimpactofthewarinUkraine?

ManonvanBeek:OnethingI’mparticularlyproudofisthat,withinweeksofthestartoftheconflict,theEuropeantransmissionsystemoperatorswereabletoconnectUkraineand

MoldovatothecontinentalEuropeangrid.ItwasanextraordinaryexampleofwhataninterconnectedEuropeanenergysystemcanmakepossible.

Morebroadly,thewarbroughtthequestionofenergysecuritymuchclosertohome.Europe

experiencedverydirectlytheconsequencesofbeingdependentonexternalsourcesofenergy.Andweareseeingagaintoday,withthedisruptionsintheMiddleEast,howeventsfarbeyondEuropecanaffectenergysupplyandpriceshere.Itmaderesiliencemuchmoretangible,and

reinforcedtheimportanceofbuildingamoresecure,interconnected,andincreasinglyhomegrownenergysystem.

Italsoacceleratedchangesthatwerealreadyunderway.Asgaspricesrosesharply,householdsandbusinessesmovedfastertoreducetheirdependenceongasbyinstallingsolarpanels,heatpumps,batteries,andothertechnologies.Insomeplaces,thathappenedfasterthanTenneT

andtheregionalgridoperatorscouldreinforcethegrid.Thatwaswhengridcongestionreally

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startedtobecomeavisiblesocietalissue.Isometimescalleditacrisisinslowmotion:Suddenlytheconstraintsoftheelectricitysystemwerebeingfeltnotjustbyindustry,butalsoby

householdsandlocalcommunities.

Forme,thelessonwasthatweneededtorespondtotheimmediatecrisiswithoutlosingsightofthelonger-termdirection.Europeneedsmorecross-bordergrids,strongerinterconnection,andgreatercooperationaroundtheNorthSea.Resiliencedoesnotmeanretreatingintonational

systems;itrequirescountriestoworktogether.

AndIlearnedsomethingaboutleadershipinacrisis.Peopleneedhonestyaboutwhatis

uncertain,buttheyalsoneedconfidenceaboutwhatwillnotchange.Ourpurposedidnot

change.Ifanything,theneedforasecure,interconnected,andmorehomegrownenergysystembecamemoreurgent.

Embracinguncertainty

ErikMandersloot:You’vetalkedaboutleadershipinambiguity.Whatdoyoumeanbythat?

ManonvanBeek:Leadershipinambiguityisn’taboutpretendingthatuncertaintyisn’tthere.It’saboutbeingveryclearaboutyourpurpose,yourprinciples,andthedirectionyouwanttotake

thecompany.Thedirectionstaysthesame,whileyouadaptalongtheway.

That’swhatI’vesaidsooften:Holdcourseandadaptasyougo.Thatbecomesevenmore

importantinaneraofaccelerationandAI.Expertiseagesquickly,socuriosityandlearning

agilitymattermore.Andastechnologyspeedsup,Ithinktrust,judgment,andmeaningbecomemoreimportant,notless.

AsaCEO,you’rereallyachiefresilienceofficer.Youcanmodelallthescenariosyouwant,but

youcan’tprepareforeveryoneofthemorputamitigatingmeasureinplaceinadvance.Butyoucanbuildresilience:inyourself,inyourpeople,andinthecompany.

ErikMandersloot:Whatdoesthatlooklikeinpractice?

ManonvanBeek:Oneadvantageofbeinganinfrastructurecompanyisthatyouhavetothinkdecadesahead.That’sactuallyagift.

Lookatwherewearetoday:thegridsarefull,thereiscongestion,andenergypricesarehigh.

Thenaturalreactioncanbe,“See,itisn’tworking,weneedtopauseorchangecourse.”Iwouldarguetheopposite.Theshockswehaveexperienced,fromthewarinUkrainetowhatweare

seeingintheMiddleEast,havereinforcedhowimportantitisforEuropetobuildamoreresilientandlessdependentenergysystem.

Whathelpsistosetapointonthehorizon,asapersonandasacompany,thatsitswellbeyond

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theimmediatecrisis.Forus,thatisultimatelyaclimate-neutralenergysystemaround2045to2050—onethatisalsomoresecureandlessdependent.

Thenyouholdcoursetowardthatpointandadapttowhathappensalongtheway.Choicesthatmoveyouinthatdirection,youembrace.Thosethatdon’t,youdeprioritize.Sometimesyouhavetotakeasidepath,butyoucannotlosesightofwhereyouareultimatelytryingtogo.Forme,

resilienceisalsoamindset.Sometimesyouhavetoslowdowninordertoacceleratelater,orbendforawhile.Butyoudon’tlosesightofwhereyouultimatelywanttogo.

ErikMandersloot:Howdidyoutranslatethatapproachtoyourleadershipteam?

ManonvanBeek:Icametorealizethatambiguitywasn’tatemporarydisruption;ithadbecomepartofouroperatingenvironment.Iwantedourleaderstostopwaitingforuncertaintyto

disappearbeforeacting.Leadershipmeansstartingtomovewithoutpretendingyouhaveeveryanswer.

Thatcanbechallenginginacompanywithalotofengineers.Wetendtothinktheswitchis

eitheronoroff:somethingiscertainoritisn’t.Butbothcertaintyanduncertaintycanexistatthesametime.Youcanbeveryclearaboutyourpurposeandyourprinciples,whileremaininguncertainaboutthepathyouwilltaketogetthere.

Wetriedtomakethatexplicit.Wefocusedonourpurposeandleadershipprinciples—courage,connection,andownership.Wedistinguishedbetweendecisionsthatwerereversibleandthosethatwerenotandbroughtdifficulttrade-offsintotheopen.Andratherthanaskingonly“WhatdecisiondoIneed?”weencouragedleaderstoask,“WhatclaritycanIcreateforothers?”

Thatalsomeansnotclosingeverythingdownfromthetop.Leadersneedtogivepeopleenoughclaritytomove,whilegivingthemenoughspacetousetheirjudgment,takeresponsibility,andmakeanimpact.Noleadershouldhavetocarryallthatambiguityalone.

ErikMandersloot:Whatdidthatmeanforhowyoucommunicated?

ManonvanBeek:Ilearnedthatyouhavetotakepeoplealongnotonlyinthedecisions,butalsointheconsiderationsandprinciplesbehindthem.Peopleusuallyseetheoutcome.Iftheydon’tunderstandhowyougotthere,decisionscanappearinconsistent.

ThefinancingofTenneTGermanywasagoodexample.Atonepointwewerepursuingafullsalebutultimatelywearrivedatadifferentsolution,involvingprivateinvestorsandtheGermanstate.Ifyouonlysawthoseoutcomes,youmightask:Howisthatconsistent?Butfinancingwas

alwaysameanstoanend.Theobjectivewastofindasustainablewaytodeliveranenormousinvestmentagendaandmovetheenergytransitionforward.Therecouldbedifferentroutestothatdestination.

Lookingback,Icouldhavecommunicatedthatmore.ThereweremanythingsIcouldn’tdiscuss

‘Holdcourseandadaptasyougo’:AninterviewwithManonvanBeek7

‘Oneadvantageofbeingan

infrastructurecompanyisthatyouhavetothinkdecadesahead.That’sactuallyagift.’

whilenegotiationswereunderway,butIcouldhavesaidmoreabouttheconsiderationsandthehigherpurpose.Asaleader,youshouldn’tcommunicateonlythedecision.Youcansay:Thiswascomplicated;thesewerethefactorsweconsidered;thisiswhatweultimatelygavethemost

weight.

Thatmattersbecauseyourpeoplearelivingwithuncertaintytoo.Youshowthatyouhavethecouragetocorrectcoursetomorrowifthefactschange.

Andcommunicationinuncertaintyisnotonlyinternal.Youhavetokeeplistening,explaining,

andbuildingtrustwithgovernments,regulators,customers,communities,andother

stakeholders.Theinstinctinuncertaintimescanbetoclosethedoors.Ithinkyouhavetodotheopposite.

‘Thebalconyandthedancefloor’

ErikMandersloot:Lookingback,wasthereamomentoftruthinyourjourneyasCEO?

ManonvanBeek:Amomentoftruthisprobablywhenthereisnorisk-freeoptionleftandyourvaluesbecomevisiblethroughthechoicesyoumake.AtTenneT,gridcongestionbecameoneofthosemomentsforme,becauseitforcedustoconfrontthesocietalconsequencesofscarcity

directly.

Irememberhavingtoexplaininmyownhometown,DenBosch,whatcongestionactuallymeant.Companieswerewaitingforconnections.Housingplanswerebeingdelayed.Communitieswerefrustrated,andambitionsforeconomicgrowthwerecomingunderpressure.Youhavetoface

thatratherthanhidefromit.

Butyoualsohavetokeepreturningtothepurpose.Congestionisaseriousproblem,butin

anothersenseitreflectshowquicklydemandforelectricityisgrowing.So,thequestion

becomes:Havewedoneeverythingwecan?Canweinnovatemore,usethegriddifferently,

introducenewkindsofcontracts?Youhavetokeepchallengingtheorganizationandyourself,

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whilealsobeinghonestaboutwhatyoucan’tsolveimmediately.Andwealsohavetobehonest:Congestion,I’mafraid,isgoingtobewithusforthenextdecade.

Youhavetoacknowledgetherealitythatcongestionisacrisisinslowmotion.Andthenyou

havetobeveryclear:Whatcanwedo?Youhavetokeepchallengingtheorganization,butalsoyourself.

Ilearnedthatresilienceisnotthesameasstayingstrongorappearingstrong.Italsomeans

acknowledgingdoubt.Willthiswork?Isitenough?Canwedeliverwhatwepromised?Andit

meansaskingforhelp.Ihaveprobablyneverbeenmorevocalthaninthepastyearinsayingwecan’tdothisalone.Forme,thatwillingnesstoacknowledgeuncertaintywhilecontinuingtoactisalsopartofleadership.

ErikMandersloot:YouhavesaidthattheCEOisresponsibleforboththebigthingsandthesmallthings.Whatdoesthatmeaninpractice?

ManonvanBeek:Itrytoaskmyself:WhatisitthatonlytheCEOcando?Idon’talwayssucceed,butit’sacompassthatkeepsmefocused.

Thebigthingsaresettingthepurposeanddirectionofthecompany.Forexample,whatshouldthegridlooklikein2045or2050?Whatareourprinciplesaroundleadership,capital,culture,andourlicensetooperate?Howdowerespondtogridscarcityanditsconsequencesfortheeconomy?ThosearequestionsthatultimatelyhavetositwiththeCEO.

Butthentherearethesmallthings,whichintheendcanbeverybigtoo.Imakesitevisitsandsafetywalksseveraltimesamonth.Ifanemployeewritestotellmethatoneofourpoliciesisn’tworkinginpractice,Imightgoandseefor