‘Feel Good About Me’
as a company culture
Blog by
Yvonne Oldenhof
‘Zie mij graag’ is a feel good series on Flemish TV. But I want to talk about a different kind of feel good. Namely, a similar culture you want to create within your own organization, where people feel seen and heard. Where they feel appreciated and receive the attention they deserve. That sounds pretty straightforward, but people still leave due to poor leadership, a lack of development opportunities, or insufficient appreciation. I’d love to share my feel good experiences with you.
Development conversations with myself and my manager
Even as a career advisor, I sometimes ask myself if this is really what I’m good at. And what would I enjoy taking on in addition, and how can I keep moving with the times. In a way, it’s like having a development conversation with myself (which, by the way, I recommend to everyone). In what area do I find it interesting (or feel the need) to develop myself? I also have these kinds of conversations regularly with my manager. And that’s how, by talking, we landed on the topic of sustainable employability. That’s where my interest in development lies and, moreover, I notice that my clients (employers) are also looking for advice in this area. After that, it was easy to arrange a meeting with my colleague Jan Rozema. I’m going to spend a day observing the Sustainable Employability workshop.
A day shadowing a colleague to learn
And what an educational day it was. That day I gained new insights: I can (and want to) start using this with my clients as well. I saw firsthand what happens when employees and managers discuss topics like vitality and professional competence. The wonderful thing is: by offering this workshop, you keep people within your organization, raise awareness, provide insights, and (re)activate your employees. In addition to this interactive workshop, we can also offer individual coaching, assessments . All this is to promote employees’ employability and work ability. I notice that this really motivates me to help people (and organizations) move forward.
Who do I want to learn from?
When you let your employees shadow a colleague, it can really spark new ideas. Plus, they’re challenged to think about new opportunities. They might even step outside their comfort zone for a bit. Invite them to consider: Who do I want to learn from? They’ll surely know a colleague they admire for their unique talent. By learning from a colleague, employees (just as I have learned) can start thinking and moving differently with the organization. And that creates a feel good culture that you want for your employees.
Discover what potential you have in-house
Don’t have time within your organization to give your employees the attention they deserve? Then consider the possibilities of bringing in an external party for this. By having conversations with your people, you give space for new developments and/or insights and can also discover their potential. Sometimes it turns out an employee is looking for a new challenge. By encouraging internal mobility, more is possible than you might have thought. It’s important to keep having conversations with your employees. That’s how you nurture a ‘feel good about me’ company culture.
Would you like to spar about sustainable employability and development? I’d be happy to share my experiences with you.
See also the previous blog by colleague Paul about labor market shortages
Yvonne Oldenhof
Career advisor
What gives me satisfaction is helping employees become aware of their talents. This allows them to talk about it with renewed enthusiasm. I truly believe in the (resilient) power of every person!
