When Was the Last Time You Felt Truly Proud of Your Team?
Connection Under Pressure
The Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2025 report is sobering: global employee engagement dropped from 23% to 21%, costing $438 billion in lost productivity. In the Netherlands, engagement is even lower, at just 16%, placing us 22nd in Europe. The most significant drop? Among managers. And because 70% of team engagement is influenced by managers, their disengagement trickles down to their teams.
Even more striking: the percentage of employees feeling lonely is rising—now at 22% globally.
In an era of hybrid work, digitalization, and AI-driven change, we sometimes lose touch with the human element. And that’s where the friction lies. While technology accelerates processes, it’s relationships that make work thrive.
From Network to Community
At Colbe (the new name for Zorg van de Zaak Netwerk), we place connection at our core. The new name stands for Collective Betterment—not an abstract management buzzword but a guiding principle: work should benefit not just you, but also your team, your organization, and society.
I recently experienced what this means at an event with Mpho Tutu, Desmond Tutu’s daughter, who spoke about Ubuntu: “I am because we are.” In South Africa, post-apartheid, this was not just an idealistic motto but a necessity for reconciliation. It resonates deeply with what we aim to restore in our work: a sense of community.
It Starts with Yourself
Connection isn’t an HR topic; it’s leadership. And leadership begins with self-awareness.
In my own development journey, I learned how my results-oriented approach sometimes undermined connection. I thought I was helping but was often just pushing. That realization was uncomfortable yet invaluable. Only by knowing yourself can you truly connect with others.
This applies to everyone in an organization. Whether you’re a leader or not, we all influence the culture we work in. As I’ve shared with my colleagues: if one of us doesn’t participate, we shortchange everyone else.
Gallup: Three Things That Work
What can we do practically? Gallup offers three powerful recommendations that align perfectly with our practice:
- Train managers in their role. A basic training on responsibilities can prevent managers from feeling overwhelmed and halves their risk of disengagement.
- Teach coaching leadership. Teams led by managers trained in coaching saw an 18% increase in engagement.
- Invest in well-being. Through development and recognition, managers’ well-being increases by 32%. As we know: when managers flourish, their teams do too.
The Social Dimension of Work Is Not a Side Issue
We live in an era of polarization, fragmentation, and social unrest. Precisely because of this, businesses play a crucial role in building resilience and connection. Creating workplaces where people genuinely feel connected strengthens not just companies but also society.
It starts on the ground—in teams, at the coffee machine, in genuine check-ins.
Work is too important to treat as purely transactional. It’s where people spend a significant portion of their lives. Let’s make it a source of pride, trust, and meaning. This doesn’t require heroic acts but consistent engagement—day after day.
In Closing: What Are You Doing to Foster Connection?
I’d like to end with the same question I asked fellow leaders: What are you doing to help your employees flourish and make our organization thrive?
Ultimately, connection isn’t something you roll out. It’s something you live—together.
Curious about how we foster conversations around connection, safety, and trust in organizations—without making it heavy or overly formal? Let me know, and I’d be happy to share more.
Connection Under Pressure
The Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2025 report is sobering: global employee engagement dropped from 23% to 21%, costing $438 billion in lost productivity. In the Netherlands, engagement is even lower, at just 16%, placing us 22nd in Europe. The most significant drop? Among managers. And because 70% of team engagement is influenced by managers, their disengagement trickles down to their teams.
Even more striking: the percentage of employees feeling lonely is rising—now at 22% globally.
In an era of hybrid work, digitalization, and AI-driven change, we sometimes lose touch with the human element. And that’s where the friction lies. While technology accelerates processes, it’s relationships that make work thrive.
From Network to Community
At Colbe (the new name for Zorg van de Zaak Netwerk), we place connection at our core. The new name stands for Collective Betterment—not an abstract management buzzword but a guiding principle: work should benefit not just you, but also your team, your organization, and society.
I recently experienced what this means at an event with Mpho Tutu, Desmond Tutu’s daughter, who spoke about Ubuntu: “I am because we are.” In South Africa, post-apartheid, this was not just an idealistic motto but a necessity for reconciliation. It resonates deeply with what we aim to restore in our work: a sense of community.
It Starts with Yourself
Connection isn’t an HR topic; it’s leadership. And leadership begins with self-awareness.
In my own development journey, I learned how my results-oriented approach sometimes undermined connection. I thought I was helping but was often just pushing. That realization was uncomfortable yet invaluable. Only by knowing yourself can you truly connect with others.
This applies to everyone in an organization. Whether you’re a leader or not, we all influence the culture we work in. As I’ve shared with my colleagues: if one of us doesn’t participate, we shortchange everyone else.
Gallup: Three Things That Work
What can we do practically? Gallup offers three powerful recommendations that align perfectly with our practice:
- Train managers in their role. A basic training on responsibilities can prevent managers from feeling overwhelmed and halves their risk of disengagement.
- Teach coaching leadership. Teams led by managers trained in coaching saw an 18% increase in engagement.
- Invest in well-being. Through development and recognition, managers’ well-being increases by 32%. As we know: when managers flourish, their teams do too.
The Social Dimension of Work Is Not a Side Issue
We live in an era of polarization, fragmentation, and social unrest. Precisely because of this, businesses play a crucial role in building resilience and connection. Creating workplaces where people genuinely feel connected strengthens not just companies but also society.
It starts on the ground—in teams, at the coffee machine, in genuine check-ins.
Work is too important to treat as purely transactional. It’s where people spend a significant portion of their lives. Let’s make it a source of pride, trust, and meaning. This doesn’t require heroic acts but consistent engagement—day after day.
In Closing: What Are You Doing to Foster Connection?
I’d like to end with the same question I asked fellow leaders: What are you doing to help your employees flourish and make our organization thrive?
Ultimately, connection isn’t something you roll out. It’s something you live—together.
Curious about how we foster conversations around connection, safety, and trust in organizations—without making it heavy or overly formal? Let me know, and I’d be happy to share more.