Why „co-thinking“?
It was at a very early point in my career – I was doing communication for an educational network of businesses and schools then – that I realized how much sincere effort was put into developing people and products in a business. I was visiting all kinds of production units and training centers, admiring both the technical finesse and the time and devotion given to HR development. I liked being with all those expert people – on all levels of a business, from the workfloor to the office and the management -, so that’s one thing. The other thing is that I soon felt that I had something of value to add there. While we were walking across the company grounds, we’d discuss what we were seeing, often engaging in a very lively discussion of what was going well and what was not, and we’d uncover blind spots together. Plus, I have always felt I can link to a person’s deeper knowledge about what is going on in their business and how they really want to run that business – or how they want it to be run – and I can make people share that knowledge and relate to it together. I can encourage people to think and share their thoughts in an honest, no-fuss and constructive way, and to really relate to their organisation and team. Over the years, and with experience and study, that’s what made me a Co-Thinker.
Heike Smets