PropertyPeople – Wouter Berkelaar – Associate Partner
From talking to doing. Together, without an external coach
"There were so many similarities in it." That was our first reaction when we looked at the Teamenergy report together. Not because we discovered something new, but precisely because it was so recognisable. It felt as if someone had observed our team and written down exactly how we work together.
That sense of recognition meant the report did not become the end point, but rather the beginning of a good conversation. During that conversation, we kept coming back to the same question: how can we bring even more focus into our work and become more effective? It turned out to be a far more important question than we had expected.
The flip side of harmony
We are a small team where collaboration comes naturally. We take a genuine interest in one another, we like to help each other, and the atmosphere is exceptionally good, as the test results confirmed. That is a strength we are proud of. At the same time, we discovered that there are still things we can do better.
Our meetings often ran long. We discussed a lot, and sometimes the focus slipped away. Giving each other feedback is also something we can improve. We are all open to it and we do it, but we sometimes still bring it too cautiously.
During the conversation about the test results, we realised that we could also challenge each other a bit more often in our work. Not to be more critical, but to help each other, and the business, move forward. Precisely because we recognised our own patterns, it became clear that we could develop our behaviour even further. Valuable insights, in other words.
From insight to action
That was perhaps the greatest gift of the Teamenergy approach. Not the report itself, but the conversation it sparked.
We made concrete agreements. We set up our meetings differently, switched on AI as a note-taker, and introduced a tool to capture actions and decisions. We also hold each other accountable more consciously for the agreements we make.
Looking back regularly
We also agreed to pause every quarter to reflect on our strategic goals. Are we still on course? Do new ideas fit the direction we have chosen as an organisation? And just as important: how are we developing ourselves, both as a team and as individuals?
Something else came up spontaneously too. We realised that we could celebrate our successes far more often. We work hard and achieve great results, but we rarely paused to take that in. Now we deliberately make room for it. That, too, adds to the energy and engagement in the team.
Growing together, continuously
We believe in the principle of continuous learning. That is why, after a while, we want to measure again to see what steps we have taken and where there is still room to grow further.
"The report gave us insight, but the real change came from us, as a team, having the conversation together. Filling it in took little time, and the analysis from the tool was very useful. We would recommend it to any team."
Wouter Berkelaar
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