398: Anko van der Werff - Health and leadership

Health, leadership and the infinite game with the CEO of SAS

What does it actually take to prioritize your health when you're running an airline through turbulence, restructuring and global uncertainty? Anko van der Werff, CEO of SAS, shares what keeps him grounded — and why health is never just about the gym.

The email that started it all

A few years ago, Marcus Lager at Twitch Health received an email from Anko van der Werff. Not asking for a wellness program. Not requesting a company initiative. Just a man with a bad back from tennis, looking for help. But what followed became something much bigger than fixing a back injury.

No time? Wrong question

Running an airline means your calendar is never fully your own. Trips where time zones flip your sleep, back-to-back nights where meetings end at midnight and you're up again at six. And yet Anko trains.

His solution isn't a perfect routine. It's principles.

Leading through the storm

When covid hit, Anko was mid-flight — literally and figuratively. Nobody knew how bad it would get. He gave his team a mantra to hold on to: exercise, sleep, love your family. Four anchors in an uncertain sea.

– I've become very resilient over the years. When Trump invades Iran or fuel prices spike, that's not something I can control. And still — here we are, dealing with the impact. So I've learned not to make it personal.

His ability to switch off- what research calls psychological detachment — is crucial. Being able to truly switch off when he needs to sleep, even during the most difficult periods — is something he names as a genuine leadership skill. Not absence of care. Presence of boundaries.

Curiosity as a leadership tool

One thing stands out across Anko's story: genuine curiosity about people. He talks to pilots in the cockpit. He asks the people around the table how they're really doing. He chats to taxi drivers about what's happening in their city.

Teamwork — and keeping score

Anko is clear that no aircraft takes off without dozens of different people touching it first. The striker who scores doesn't score without the midfielder, the defender, the goalkeeper. He has worked to bring that understanding into SAS — every role matters, no group is more important than another.

And he believes in keeping score. Not to create pressure, but to give direction.

– How can you play a game without knowing the score? You need to know where you're going.

Reflection questions — for you

What are the one, two or three things in your life that make everything else worth doing — and are you staying fit enough to keep doing them?

When you navigate through uncertainty, what are your anchors? What do you come back to?

How well do you actually switch off — and what does it cost you when you don't?

Discussion questions — for the group

How does your organisation's culture support leaders in genuinely taking care of themselves — not just in words, but in structure?

Where does psychological detachment show up as a skill in your team — and do you talk about it?

What would it mean to approach health at work the way Anko approaches sport: not as a nice-to-have, but as an investment in performance?

Who on your team is the equivalent of the taxi driver — the person who actually knows what's going on — and when did you last ask them?

Thank you Twitch Health and Marcus Lager for collaborating for a sustainable worklife.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.