Guido van der Hulst
Amsterdam, Gelderland, Haarlem, North Holland region
Specialist: Labor Conflicts, Transgressive Behavior, Team Conflicts
Rol: Arbeidsmediator, Conflictadviseur, Gespreksbegeleider
My Mediation Style
As a mediator, I bring peace and structure to work situations that have come to a standstill. I listen with attention, ask the questions that help further, and invite people to listen to themselves and to each other again. My style is inquisitive and respectful, but also clear and to the point when needed.
I create space for everyone's story, without losing sight of the end goal: creating movement and working together towards solutions that are realistic and appropriate for the parties. I pay attention to balance in the conversation, mutual relationships and what is not said.
People experience my guidance as careful, involved and effective. I find it important that parties experience movement and progress in the process. Parties have often lost their grip and overview and want nothing more than to regain control of the situation. I am not afraid to name what needs to be said, but always do so with an eye for everyone's safety and boundaries. This creates space for understanding, recovery and sustainable steps forward. That is why I always test agreements that parties want to make with them for sustainability; do they work for both parties in the long term?
About Me
I have worked in health care, the cultural sector and public broadcasting - all worlds where people work together with great commitment and where the relationships between them can be complex and intense. In various positions, including policy-making and management, I have always endeavored to contribute to clear policy frameworks, professionalization of the organization, and increasing safety and mutual understanding. In doing so, I have also found that none of these things come naturally, and that their success depends heavily on the organizational culture and how you can give and receive substantive criticism. An approachable culture is a result of years of hard work and largely determines how employees can deal with contradictions or conflict. For this you will have to start and maintain a dialogue with each other.
That search for clarity and depth - for what really moves people - eventually led me to the profession of mediation. Guiding conversations in which differences are not pushed away, but are examined and taken seriously, suits me well. Listening, making room for perspective, and at the same time working on progress: that is what I stand for.
For several years now I have been working as an MfN-registered mediator in the Haarlem/Amsterdam/Randstad region for Van Opstal & Partners. My drive is to guide people in situations that have come to a standstill, in order to restore movement and future perspective - and to support and advise organizations to become more conflict-ready themselves.
Favorite Mediation Quote
"Listening is perhaps the most underrated form of influence."
This thought is at the core of my work: the first movement in a conflict often occurs when you notice that the other person is able to really listen to you again.
Proud of
I am proud when people in a deadlocked situation find the strength and courage to start the conversation again - and dare to examine something in themselves. Every time again it is special and inspiring to see how powerful people can be as soon as they take the helm again and make an autonomous choice about how they want to proceed with the situation. When it succeeds in connecting to the 'own will' the movement is created: new perspectives, more mutual understanding and partly because of that often the breakthrough in the process. Then I know what I am doing it for.
What parties say about me
"Guido asks exactly the questions that matter - sharply, but always with respect."
"He created calm in our conversation, allowing us to really hear each other again."
"Involved, discreet and effective. We were surprised how quickly we were able to make strides."
Funniest questions I get asked as a mediator
"If mediator is your profession, then surely you never have a conflict yourself again?"
Very early on, I might even have hoped so. I have known the role of stabilizing myself since childhood and the tendency to avoid conflict myself. But I have since learned that conflict or opposition is not a bad thing. On the contrary: it often makes clear what those involved really care about, where your passion lies, what is at stake for you, what your concerns are or even fear. Contradictions can have a very healthy function and are an inseparable part of life. The trick is to create a safe space together where critical contradiction and confrontation can be a quality, where you continue to respect each other without damaging each other. It then helps to remain curious about your own patterns and to develop language with which you can question each other.
