A croquette sandwich.
For many former students of IVA in Driebergen, that is probably enough to know where this story is going.
For years, I taught there as a part-time lecturer. Anyone who arrived late owed me a croquette sandwich. The student felt it slightly in their wallet. I got a tasty sandwich. And the message was clear: we have an agreement, and your presence matters.
Then we moved on.
I could also have marked ‘unauthorised’ next to a name. The breach would then have been neatly recorded. But would that student have had more reason to arrive on time next time? I doubted it.
That sandwich made the agreement tangible, with a touch of humour. You were held accountable for your behaviour while remaining part of the group.
The other side of the agreement
On a rare occasion, I arrived late myself. Starting at nine in Driebergen after driving from Antwerp during the morning rush hour sometimes felt like a lottery. You could leave on time and still get stuck.
It helped that I had built up some credit of my own.
Students knew I would not hold a single incident against them forever. In return, they understood that it could happen to me too. The agreement to start on time still stood.
That mutual understanding allowed us to address each other more clearly when it really mattered. When lateness became a pattern. When someone had not prepared properly. Or when other people were affected by their behaviour.
Leniency made the agreement human and gave the conversation more weight.
Recording everything, keeping everyone in line
In companies, I see how easily that space comes under pressure.
An employee arrives late. A supplier makes a mistake. A customer forgets an appointment. Before long, we reach for the procedure, the terms and conditions or the formal warning.
At the same time, we calculate budgets to a decimal place while the world pays little attention to our assumptions. We try to control uncertainty by documenting more and more.
Of course, figures, agreements and checks are necessary. But what happens when people no longer dare to use their own judgement?
You get the employee who sees a customer struggling but follows the procedure anyway. The supplier who hides behind the terms and conditions. The manager who defends the budget even though reality now calls for a different choice.
Everyone has followed the rules. Yet nobody has been helped.
From croquette sandwich to QR code
Take the hospitality industry. You sit down, scan a QR code and place your own order. That can be convenient. Ordering quickly and paying immediately is sometimes exactly what you want.
But what if you have a question? If you are unsure about a dish? Or if the technology fails and nobody feels responsible for helping you?
A good employee sees more than an order. They notice that you are in a hurry, offer advice or recommend something you would not have considered yourself. That can lead to an additional order and a reason to return.
The value lies in attentiveness, craftsmanship and contact.
These are precisely the things that disappear when work is organised so that people only have to follow a system.
How does that work in your company? Can an employee still solve something for a customer? May a supplier suggest a smarter approach? Or must every exception first pass across three desks?
Common sense grows through conversation
You develop common sense by practising your profession, gaining experience and discussing with others why something does or does not work.
That requires genuine interest. Do I enjoy what I do? Do I want to understand what a customer needs? Am I curious about how a colleague would approach this?
People who are engaged are more likely to think along and take responsibility. People who repeatedly find that initiative only causes trouble may retreat behind their job description.
‘Just tell me what to do.’
That provides certainty. It can also be comfortable for a manager: everyone does what they have been told.
Until the market turns. Suddenly, we need people who see opportunities, retain customers and go the extra mile. The question is whether we encouraged that behaviour enough during the good times.
Make clear choices at the front door
At Ei Openers, the answer begins with clarity about the company you want to be.
Do you want people who take initiative? Discuss that during the first meeting. Ask about a mistake, a difficult situation or a moment when someone devised a solution themselves. Also explain what freedom you offer and what responsibility comes with it.
Then live up to that promise.
Provide direction, agree on results and define the boundaries. Let people practise their profession within them. Discuss mistakes in order to repair and learn. Hold each other accountable when agreements are repeatedly ignored.
We help leaders make that connection between direction, behaviour and daily action concrete. That is how you build a culture in which people dare to act and keep each other sharp.
The market notices too. Customers experience that people think along with them. Suppliers know that problems can be discussed. Employees feel that their judgement matters.
What is your croquette sandwich?
We can point to government, regulatory pressure and the emphasis on sanctions. Within your own company, however, you also decide how you respond.
Sometimes a firm boundary is necessary. Sometimes a formal warning. But sometimes a conversation, a little humour and an appropriate consequence are enough.
That requires realism and the confidence that people can learn without every mistake being made heavier than it needs to be.
For my former students, the croquette sandwich was recognisable. The agreement was clear, as was the consequence. Then we could move forward together.
What is the croquette sandwich in your company?
How do you keep agreements clear while giving people enough room to take initiative again tomorrow?
Ei Openers. We drijven je op de spits.
