Daniel Ofman biography, quotes and books

Article by: Vincent van Vliet

Last update: March 3, 2026

Daniel Ofman graduated in 1973 with a degree in business administration from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU). He is a management coach and consultant, and founder of the Core Quality consultancy firm. Daniel Ofman is also the founder of the well-known behavioral model: the Core Quadrants.

Daniel Ofman biography

Daniel Ofman is a Dutch author and organizational consultant, known for his Core Quadrant Model. He studied business administration at Eindhoven University of Technology and quickly realized that real growth in organizations does not start with spreadsheets or strategy, but with people. His curiosity about new forms of business management led Ofman to move to Scotland in the late 1970s, where he held various positions for a number of years.

In the 1980s, he founded Kernconsult together with Willem van Es and later Core Quality International, through which he helps leaders, teams, and organizations to work from their core qualities rather than solely from their function or structure.

What makes Ofman so interesting is his simple but poignant message: good leadership starts with knowing yourself. Everyone has qualities to be proud of, but if you go too far, it becomes a pitfall. Think of someone who is super driven, but as a result sometimes puts too much pressure on themselves or others. His core quadrants model helps to recognize this and find the right balance between strength, challenge, and collaboration. It suddenly makes difficult conversations a lot easier, because it’s no longer about right or wrong, but about awareness and growth.

Since 2003, Daniel Ofman has been director of the company Core Quality International. It is an organizational development agency that focuses on the core of organizational, leadership, competency, personal, and idea development. Practical situations are approached from a three-dimensional level (IT-WE-I) that contributes to the development of insight, awareness, and energy.

Daniel Ofman trains and coaches people primarily at the intersection of organizational development and personal development, particularly at the management level. He developed the highly successful and widely used Core Quadrants theory and the game of the same name that goes with it.

Ofman achieved international recognition with his book Inspiration and Quality in Organizations. It has been translated into several languages and has become a classic in leadership and personal development, selling over 100,000 copies in the Netherlands alone.

His earlier work, Core Qualities: A Gateway to Human Resources (2004), also made his model known worldwide. Thanks to his down-to-earth way of thinking and his focus on inspiration, Daniel Ofman has become one of the most influential thinkers in the field of personal development, leadership, and organizational culture—someone who shows that change starts with insight, not rules.

Bekende quotes by Daniel Ofman

“What irritates you in others says something about yourself.”
“A core quality is only valuable if you use it consciously, not if you are guided by it.”
“Leadership starts with self-knowledge. If you don’t know yourself, you can’t guide others.”
“Accept yourself in your imperfection and imbalance.”
“Turn reactivity into creativity by starting with ‘yes’ in everything you do.”
“Know that you don’t have to do anything; choose what you want to do.”
“Follow your intuition, but not your impulses.”
“Pitfalls are not weaknesses, but qualities that have gone too far.”
“Every allergy presents a challenge to learn something about yourself.”
“Organizations only really change when people are willing to look at themselves.”
“Inspiration arises when what you do fits who you are.”
“People don’t grow by becoming better at what they are not, but by understanding themselves better.”

books and articles by Daniel Ofman et al.

2024, 2013. Inspiration and quality in organizations. Core Quality International.
2022, 2007. Hey, me there…!? Discover your personal core qualities with the core quadrant. Thema Uitgeverij.
2014. Core qualities and core quadrant: Managing your strengths and pitfalls. London: Pearson Education.
2009. Mission 9. deBoom Verlag.
2009. Inspiration and quality in organizations: The essence of the core quadrant. Amsterdam: Servire.
2004. Core Qualities: A Gateway to Human Resources. Cyan Communications.
2004. Core Quadrant Game – a unique and inspiring way to get to know yourself and others. Cyan Communications.
2004. The core qualities of the Enneagram. Scriptum.
2003. Organizational alibis. Scriptum.
2002. The Core Qualities Of The Enneagram. Scriptum.
2001. Kernachtig: management from within. Scriptum.

How to cite this article:
Van Vliet, V. (2012). Daniel Ofman. Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/toolsheroes/daniel-ofman/

Original publication date: September 01, 2012 | Last update: March 3, 2026

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Article by:

Vincent van Vliet

Vincent van Vliet is co-founder and responsible for the content and release management. Together with the team Vincent sets the strategy and manages the content planning, go-to-market, customer experience and corporate development aspects of the company.