{"id":54757,"date":"2026-08-24T11:48:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T09:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turner.nl\/uncategorized\/column-by-peter-de-bruin-playing-government\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T11:48:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T09:48:09","slug":"column-by-peter-de-bruin-playing-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turner.nl\/en\/blog-en\/column-by-peter-de-bruin-playing-government\/","title":{"rendered":"Column by Peter de Bruin | \u201cPlaying Government\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Column by Peter de Bruin<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"Playing house\"<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When it comes to choosing priorities, we often agree more than we realize at the conference table. Bringing everyone\u2019s different truths together into a single reality, within a shared framework, is made more difficult by selection and exaggeration. <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"Playing house\"<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Last week on the \u201cBeau<\/a> aan tafel\u201d show, Minister Ernst Kuipers<\/a> did his best to defend the cabinet\u2019s COVID-19 phased-out policy. With several opponents at the table, he struggled to find the right approach. It was tricky. Suddenly, he made a brilliant move. He took the initiative to play \u201ccabinet\u201d at the table and assigned everyone the \u201crole\u201d of a minister or stakeholder: someone from the hospitality industry, someone from Education, someone from Healthcare, someone representing the Security Council, the OMT<\/a>, and so on. As they went around the table, everyone\u2019s individual arguments were crystal clear and firm. But they couldn\u2019t find common ground. Afterward, Ernst was able to assert his position on the optimal pace for easing the measures. <\/p>

Decision-making can sometimes be difficult at your conference table, too. It turns into a contest over who\u2019s right. For many, it\u2019s a game of proving they\u2019re right while still feeling frustrated. Everyone\u2019s interests and perspectives matter, but finding common ground is difficult. Selective perception plays a role here, as does an aversion to the opposing side. It\u2019s a case of one stain piling on top of another. <\/p>

Our selection determines our position<\/strong><\/p>

We\u2019re all familiar with the phenomenon where, if you\u2019re driving a red car, you start noticing more and more red cars around you. Selective perception and other psychological filters influence what we see\u2014and thus, often, which version of the truth we choose. As a result, we fail to see other aspects of reality. <\/p>

At our tables, we often start by vigorously defending our own interests(1)<\/sup>. And so do the others, with just as much fervor. And although the differences we need to bridge are often not that great at their core, the damage is already done by the exaggeration. The hostility this provokes only reinforces our own sense of being right. <\/p>

Even when discussing \u201cno-brainers\u201d\u2014such as inclusivity, for example\u2014the so-called \u201ccautionary voices\u201d don\u2019t help us. With their \u201cwoke\u201d or \u201cthe seven checkboxes of the white heterosexual man\u201d viewpoints, for example, they certainly hit the nail on the head, but overzealousness quickly misses the mark. (P.S.: For instance, I\u2019ve never understood why there are gender-neutral restrooms in public buildings; I mainly see hygienic reasons for them.) <\/p>

Don’t go overboard<\/strong><\/p>

So even activism has its own \u201cparish.\u201d All in all, that excessive input makes it difficult to make the right decision or set the right priorities\u2014no matter how obvious the optimal solution may be. \u201cTogether\u201d is more than the sum of its parts, but it\u2019s also the hardest verb there is. The first step toward a shared perspective is to give something up\u2014a part of your own sense of being right. Let go of a part of your truth. That could be a belief, a habit, a way of working, or even your IT system,\u2026 <\/p>

But at the very least, let\u2019s avoid going overboard. That allows us to make the most of the leeway we have on the core issues we already agree on. That way, we can quickly reach the best possible decision. Not a compromise\u2014involving give-and-take and negotiation\u2014but the optimal solution. The best possible outcome, having heard everyone\u2019s views, while recognizing that we can\u2019t please everyone. <\/p>

On Beau\u2019s<\/a> show, Ernst Kuijpers<\/a> demonstrated that he could handle that process sensibly and credibly. Maybe we should try that approach \u201cat home\u201d too\u2014play \u201ccabinet.\u201d <\/p>

(1) in <\/sup>the sense of \u201cstanding up for one\u2019s own interests\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Meet the Author<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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