“When you work at DEKRA, you have the freedom to take your job to the next level. I think that is autonomy.”
Henry Dwars has been working as a sales and accountmanager at DEKRA Audit for 10 years now. Here, he is involved in audits of management systems, especially in the field of information security. He now manages the government and IT markets. A position about which he says: “I have the ambition to create a succesful job. I reveice the autonomy to do so. And that way, I keep my work varied.” Three important promises of working at DEKRA. In this article, Henry talks about his work at DEKRA Audit and takes a closer look at what working autonomously means to him.
‘Autonomy in your work’, what does that mean to you?
“For some people, autonomy means being able to work where and when it suits them. I understand it can be nice to go to the gym in the afternoon and work in the evening. But to me, autonomy is about more than that. We work within frameworks and in this framework, we can organize our work ourselves. With autonomy you get the freedom to challenge yourself and the opportunity for selfdevelop. A job with a lot of autonomy requires proactive people who take their work to the next level.”
How do you apply this in your position as a sales and accountmanager?
“I have the freedom to develop myself in the areas that interest me. For example, I indicated that I want to do a marketing course. Not because I want to work in the marketing department, but because I want to understand how the department works. This way I can recognize marketing opportunities, which ultimately help me further. I think that autonomy also creates commitment. Autonomous working at DEKRA is therefore not only about freedom for yourself, but also about the opportunity to make it into a succes, together.”
Individual freedom, for a stronger team?
"Exactly. I see that involvement in my colleagues. We are not all the same and everyone works in his or her own way. I can't do everything a colleague does, and vice versa. That's why we look at the team as a whole. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the sales team? Who is good at what? I enjoy doing marketing and attracting new customers. While another colleague prefers to work with existing, large customers and focuses on accountmanagement. At DEKRA we get the autonomy to complement each other.”
What tip do you have for colleagues who want to use more of their autonomy?
“Know that at DEKRA, within those frameworks, you can give your own interpretation to your work. Use that freedom to create a job that makes you happy. Find what gives you energy. For example through a course from GoodHabitz. Or speak to your colleagues about how you can do the same work in a different way. A lot is possible if you share your ideas.”
My name is Henry Dwars. I am married, have three children and I live in Hengelo (Overijssel). In my spare time I like to do sports. In the gym, on the padel court or on the mountain bike. I also enjoy watching sports games. I prefer to do that together with friends or family, because enjoying it together is an important part of it!