How can you apply these principles yourself?
To begin with, it is useful to reflect regularly, as employees, managers and teams, on how we interact with each other. If we don't make time for it, the focus remains only on the content. Sometimes that is necessary, but it does not always lead to improvements. The principles of Art of Engagement can be used to check: are we applying the desired behaviour sufficiently? And how can we improve working together and make work more enjoyable for all of us?
A good thing to consider here is that you can change your own behaviour but not anyone else's. Rather than talking about others, you will achieve more if you tell the other person directly what you yourself consider important within cooperation. Here too, the principles can be a useful steppingstone.
Changing your own behavior also requires attention. It is the same as learning new habits, such as exercising or quitting smoking: you must first become aware of what you want to change before you can actually start doing it differently.
Examples of the principles
Concrete examples can give you an idea and make the application of Art of Engagement easier. Ask yourself or your team one or more of the following questions, and then use Art of Engagement principles to think about what you could do differently and what positive effects that could have:
- Do you contribute to a safe environment where colleagues feel comfortable sharing their ideas or feedback?
- Do you give others the freedom to run with decisions that have been taken and implement them in their own way?
- Do you feel that with your own work you make an important contribution to the work of your colleagues?
- Can you accept a decision that is different from what you would like, and still implement it loyally without being cynical or complaining?
- Can you be open about the different interests involved in making a decision and how you deal with them?
Tour d'Amour
Read the interview with director HR, Health, Safety and Environment Renée-Andrée Koornstra and quartermaster Art of Engagement Rolien Walinga.