‘I just knew it was right’
Melek Usta is the founder and director of Colourful People, a leading search and advisory firm that has been focused on diversity and inclusion at the senior level for over 25 years. Her bicultural background is not a footnote in that story, but its very foundation. It shapes how she sees, listens and moves, as a professional and as a person.
‘My rational self is Dutch and my emotions are Turkish,’ says Melek. For her, that’s not a contradiction but an enrichment. And therein lies her strength: the ability to analyse critically and feel deeply. Empathy, intuition and connection are not separate qualities for her, but a coherent whole, rooted in a strong desire for genuine, meaningful relationships.
Charting her own course, against the tide
The most defining decision of her life came at a moment when very little was certain. As a single mother, without financial security but with a steady job, she chose to let go of everything and start her own company. Those around her didn’t understand it. But for Melek it was clear: ‘I just knew it was right.’
That inner compass determined not only that she started, but how. The choice for quality over short-term success, the emphasis on reputation and lasting relationships. For Melek these were not strategic slogans but intuitive convictions that later turned out to form the backbone of the organisation.
At the same time, her entrepreneurship has never been based on feeling alone. At the bank lay an excellent business plan, well thought through and convincing. Intuition and preparation go hand in hand for her, like two sides of the same coin.
The art of attunement
In Melek’s work, intuition is not an abstract concept but an everyday instrument. This is most visible in conversations and pitches. For Melek, a pitch is not a one-way street but a form of attunement. She experiences it almost as a dance. ‘You have to tango with people to really make a connection.’
She reads the room, senses what is needed and moves with it without losing herself. She brings that same sensitivity to recruitment and selection, looking beyond the CV and recognising potential, or the absence of it, often before it becomes explicit.
Staying awake
At the same time, intuition is never something she takes lightly. In a field where bias can play a role, trusting your gut requires discipline and reflection.
‘Stay awake and keep questioning,’ is her advice. That is why Melek, together with her organisation, has worked hard to objectify and test intuitive observations. Not to suppress them, but to make them sharper, fairer and more inclusive.
That way intuition remains what it is at its best: not a quick conclusion, but a refined instrument, fed by experience, tested by awareness and always in service of genuine connection.
