Today I was privileged to be invited to the DP World call, where the teams across Europe shared their progress with colleagues since they developed their shared vision in Poland a few months ago. They attended an appreciative inquiry process supported and co delivered with MutualGain. 170 people across 16 countries developed that vision and plan, and this call was to see if they were able to make any progress. This is what I heard:
In Poland, teams co-created a shared safety vision. They stepped into the Dream and designed what safety could feel like if it was fully alive across the organisation. Now, months later, we heard how that vision is being delivered because people wanted to deliver it
One leader captured the essence perfectly:
“You may end up with similar findings to those that leaders would have come up with, but you get a very different result. New habits and mindsets are created. People learned through fun and collaboration. The action plan is delivered by them because they want to, not because they were told to.”
That difference between compliance and commitment is everything. They shared the foundation of the our work at MutualGain: People and trust is culture. And that is what we specialise in building.
Then we went over to The Netherlands: We heard confidence.
After embedding the Appreciative Inquiry outcomes, one manager reflected:
“It will give us the future we need.
“
That statement matters. It speaks to sustainability: not a short-term campaign, but a long-term cultural shift.
When people shape the future themselves, they protect it.
Romania brought the shared metaphor home. Their rallying call became:
“Own the link in your chain.”
And they went further: “Together we created teams that work”
The vision was not left in a workshop folder. It was brought back to the frontline. Conversations deepened. Practical changes followed:
- New camera installations in identified risk areas
- Shift-start safety conversations
- Collective commitments to turn concerns into action
- Emotional, honest discussions about responsibility and care
And the outcome? Zero safety incidents
Not because of a new technical system. But because of a shift in mindset and shared ownership. The transformation was grounded in emotion, trust and attitude, not instruction.
Serbia was next: they returned from Poland energised. They started with the same vision: safety as a chain. But then they expanded it
“We always worked together, but we changed the level of engagement.”
They widened the circle. Invited more voices in. Recognised that every link matters, including the ones you might not normally see.
- Shift leaders began reimagining toolbox talks.
- One shift inspired another.
- Hazard reporting accelerated.
- Listening increased
The chain strengthened, because more people were holding it.
Last but certainly not least we heard from Germany who shared their dream statement from their time in Poland:“Safe today, home tonight.” Simple. Human. Universal.
Everyone wants to go home safely. But for that to happen, safety must live in the DNA, not on a poster.
They introduced
- More embedded safety officers within teams
- The confidence to challenge at all levels
- A culture where no manager is beyond constructive safety challenge
- One-to-one safety conversations instead of only formal meetings
The words that stood out? “I am proud to be part of this culture.”
Confidence to speak. Permission to challenge. Pride in belonging. And importantly, it has cost nothing but energy and intention to sustain.
One Inquiry. One Shared Vision. Organisation-Wide Transformation.
What we saw on that call was remarkable.
- Different countries.
- Different operational contexts.
- One shared inquiry
The technical outputs may resemble what leadership could have drafted alone. But the lived result is entirely different. Because this was not imposed. It was discovered. Co-created. Owned. Appreciative Inquiry develops something rare
- Infectious inspiration
- Self-directed accountability
- Emotional connection to purpose
- Collective responsibility
When people build the vision, they protect it. When they feel heard, they speak up. When they trust each other, safety becomes relational, not procedural.
Take the Inspiration Forward. To the leaders who shared their stories: Thank you. You have shown what happens when organisations move beyond telling people what to do, and instead invite them into shaping the future.
And to anyone reading this who is leading culture change:
Take inspiration.
Continue to speak up.
Transform your workplace
Because when people and trust shape culture, the results go far beyond metrics. They become lived.
And sometimes, they even become zero incidents.