Blog #10: New leadership?

By Natascha de Raad
reading time: 3 Minutes

Last week, I had a feedback meeting with an employee from Customer Service. This regular exchange is extremely important to me and I take away a lot of things that otherwise get lost in day-to-day business. What is fundamental today in dealing with each other and in the area of conflict between company interests and personal ambitions? Read my view of leadership in times of change in our tenth blog post.

Turning point 

We are living in eruptive times in almost all areas of life and the professional environment. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has, in my opinion, invoked the turnaround almost mantra-like, time and again and at every available opportunity. Even if I think that the SPD party headquarters would like to establish Olaf Scholz as the chancellor of the turnaround in history, the term is still appropriate for what we are currently experiencing. The megatopics of our time, such as digitalization, sustainability or the shortage of skilled workers in connection with the energy and mobility transition and, on top of that, the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and the global impact of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine - this affects all companies and all business areas. The behavior of managers is affected just as much as the daily work processes, which are often new and challenging for employees. 

New management strategies 

At Med-X-Press, I am a member of the management team responsible for marketing and sales as well as customer service. These are initially very different, but overall and above all very customer-oriented business areas with different demands on employees. This is where New Leadership meets New Work. And this is precisely my point. How is leadership behavior adapted to these new working conditions and circumstances?

There is currently a lot of hype about new leadership methods. The buzzwords are change management, new skills, innovative tools, organizational ambidexterity and so on and so forth - and all this in a digital and agile working world in which nothing traditional seems to last. The different approaches to leadership certainly have their raison d'être and, of course, it is also part of my job to educate myself and stay informed about new, scientifically based developments. However, volatile times generate an actionism that is not good for us and I believe that it is particularly important to keep a cool head in these times.

Essentially, it is about maintaining and further expanding our company's innovative strength and competitiveness and adapting the internal organization so that the company can operate successfully on the market in the future. These changes must be geared towards the existing structures. Another condition is that the corporate culture must be taken into account - changes must fit. This must be communicated to employees and it is important to me to take everyone in the company out of the warehouse and away from their desks, to strengthen them and make them resilient.

This brings me back to my feedback meetings, which, by the way, are unfortunately still not established in all companies. For me, these conversations are also synonymous with appreciative interaction. And over the years, I have developed my own principles for my actions as a compass for communicating with employees, away from temporary management theories and recommendations with a short half-life. 

This canon of rules is my inner guide, so to speak: 

1. I  cultivate transparent communication
   Whenever possible, I "conduct" an open exchange, which must never be a one-way street. It is very important to me that everything is put on the table in these one-to-one conversations. There are no taboo subjects and no false considerations. Many points surprise me because my own perception had suggested something completely different. On other topics, however, I feel vindicated in my actions and am pleased when team members take the same view. And finally, relatively simple solutions often emerge in such discussions that were not previously visible in the thicket of considerations. 
    
2. I don't take anything personally
   This second guiding principle follows on from the first. Criticism of my behavior or decisions should of course be voiced. This is the only way I can self-critically scrutinize decisions or events.  But: I don't use terms such as "being offended or angry" because I don't like a statement. There is no room for personal consternation at this point. It's about a fair dialog at eye level, even though leadership includes the two old-fashioned terms "praise and blame". This motivates employees and is an incentive to name and improve unsatisfactory situations. 
    
3. take a deep breath  
   Als Führungskraft muss ich eine klare Sicht auf die Dinge haben. Sie kennen die Situation, unabhängig von der Position, wenn alles schiefläuft, technische Probleme auftreten und man das Gefühl hat, der Berg an Arbeit wird immer größer und alle Anforderungen sind nur mit außergewöhnlichen Maßnahmen zu stemmen. Dann ist es meine Aufgabe Ruhe ins Team zu bringen, aufzubauen, auch integrativ zu wirken und Optionen aufzuzeigen. Wenn es um folgenreiche Entscheidungen geht,  hilft mir oft die überlieferte Redewendung: „eine Nacht darüber schlafen“.

Everyone pulls together

As crucial as it is to get all teams in the company on board, it is just as important for the management to march along. Successful interaction between management and divisional management is only possible if the top management supports and makes the options their own, as happens every day at Med-X-Press. We have embarked on a good path with flat hierarchies, shoulder responsibility and competence and live this structure both internally and externally. Transformation is a continuous development with many unpredictable variables, as we have learned in recent years. Management must provide impetus, make decisions, ensure that the framework conditions are right and pay attention to balanced implementation.

The business magazine Impulse conducted an interview with our managing partner, Lars Dörhage, my BLOG co-author, and myself on precisely this topic. "Giving up skills, gaining leeway" is the headline of the article, which you can read here. (Source: www.impulse.de) 

I have explained the importance of feedback discussions, and I look forward to your feedback too! Get in touch with suggestions or criticism: blog@med-x-press.de