Leading the Way

Leadership is an acquired skill. Coaches and trainers call for meeting the challenges of our time with intelligence, boldness, and encouragement. Their support comes in various forms: from practical hands-on training to the systematic facilitation of a transformation process. Text: Martina Müllner-Seybold, Kay Alexander Plonka. Photos: Interviewees

“YOU NEED TO THINK MUCH BIGGER”

Andrea Grudda is a strategist, speaker, author, and provider of team and leadership coaching in various industries. She also teaches trend management at the EMBA in Düsseldorf. Her methods have paved the way for the future success of many a company. Interview: Kay Alexander Plonka. Photos: Andrea Grudda

Your seminars focus on preparing employees and companies for the future. Is this a topic that is addressed naturally and consciously by businesses in general?

I wish! Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs are still under the illusion that all they need is new software, coaching, or a single seminar. Our current challenges are the result of societal changes that are no longer local. They take on global dimensions. You need to think much bigger than in recent years. Furthermore, teams are often presented with techniques and ideas that fail to meet current demands and are thus rarely effective. Then everyone is surprised that things don’t work properly. Consequently, employees lose the desire to apply such ideas and to adapt. This scenario often leads to mutual recriminations.

Why is it so important to ensure methods remain up-to-date?

The daily use of mobile devices is altering public expectations in terms of conversations with and reactions from team members. What would have surprised - or even inspired - customers three years ago is now regarded as standard and self-evident. If I fail to deliver at content level, then I have a fundamental problem. The relationship level with the customer is becoming increasingly important. It’s more about humour, smartness, empathy, flexibility, speed, body language, etc. However, there are still hardly any seminars that convey this in a sustainable and credible manner.

What is your message to those who say that they have explained everything to their employees three times and that one surely shouldn’t need to do more than that?

The manager bears the responsibility. If employees fail to listen or can’t apply what is explained to them, then you need to change your methods. A football manager, for example, is required to come up with new ideas on how to win the next game. Every team

Andrea Grudda, a successful business coach and trainer, firmly believes that one-off measures are ineffective.

and every day is different. And we keep forgetting how much fun that can be. Creating something that is valuable and meaningful together is merely one of the many opportunities we have on a daily basis. One has to ask oneself the following: Is the goal to explain everything three times or should one rather explain the goals and create new parameters?

Problems tend to start at the top and trickle down. What are the biggest challenges in leader coaching?

Given the recent profound changes and the fact that there will be many more changes in, for instance, the fundamental reorganisation of businesses in terms of agile working and organisation, human leading, and new learning methods such as digitisation or e-learning, one has to abandon the “we’ll just get some coaching” approach. The question should be: Which partners can accompany me in the transformation to a future-oriented company? www.andreagrudda.de

“HEALTHY EMPLOYEES PERFORM BETTER”

FullFocus, a start-up launched by Ulrike Michels, coaches and advises businesses in the implementation of a healthy performance culture. Her HR development programme combines health-oriented and performance-oriented, inspiring leadership to strengthen every individual employee, the team, and the management. Interview: Kay Alexander Plonka. Photo: Maja Ewa Grabowska

How does it become apparent that - as you claim - health is becoming an increasingly vital success factor on a global scale?

Studies by the University of St. Gallen show that companies that focus their management style on results and inspiration, as well as health, significantly improve their performance. In reality, however, health insurers and relevant ministries tell us that the absence rate of employees due to mental illness has increased fivefold over the past 40 years. This results in immense burdens for individuals, companies, health insurers, and the national economy.

How does this translate into numbers?

The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Healthcare claim that the production stoppage costs caused by mental illness, which amounted to approx. 4 billion Euros in 2008, have soared to 8.3 billion Euros

As a systemic coach, change manager, and trainer, Ulrike Michels conveys her idea of a healthy performance culture that has matured over many years.

in 2014. The calculations predict an increase in direct medical costs to approx. 32 billion Euros by 2030.

Which illnesses are we talking about exactly?

Given their impact, we’re primarily talking about psychological burdens such as burnout, anxiety disorders, and depression. One of the most common triggers is prolonged stress, which participants can learn to cope with. Since stress can also trigger other ailments, such as infections, muscular and skeletal issues, and heart diseases, our training courses also have positive effects on physiological aspects.

What can be done in terms of prevention?

Thorough research has shown that leadership and communication can balance work-related stress and enhance psychosocial well-being. Other relevant factors are self-care, time management, cooperation, and conflict resolution. FullFocus combines current research with simple recommended actions. This allows both leaders and employees to equip themselves against stress and psychological strains, as well as work absences and the resulting costs. At the same time, it ensures sustainable results for the company itself.

How does this work in practice?

The leadership programme I have developed is based on scientific findings on performance, leadership, and workplace health, as well as many years of practical experience in leadership and communication. The coaching topics are individually adaptable and are usually combined with 1-on-1 or team coaching sessions in order to ensure a sustainable change in attitude. www.fullfocus.de

“YOU MUST LIVE BY WHAT YOU DEMAND”

Yvonne Blauen-Ippendorf had many years in fashion retailing under her belt before she started her own business as a trainer. She interprets her role in a hands-on manner. She cooperates with retailers to inspire on both a small and large scale. Text: Martina Müllner-Seybold. Photo: Yvonne Blauen-Ippendorf

Why is it always worth its while investing in personnel?

Because personnel is the only thing that sets the stationary specialised retail trade apart from online competition. Customers want and demand well-founded advice. If you, as a fashion retailer, are not prepared to invest in staff, you might as well close down.

How do you become a good role model?

By being present. A boss who only sits in an office is not a role model. When you walk through the house, you have to live by what you demand. Respectful interaction often begins with the greeting. Everything I criticise as a boss, I must be able to do myself. If I criticise the presentation of goods, I have to be able to make it more beautiful myself. If I can do that quite casually, I earn the respect of my employees.

Low traffic, online competition, and so on… There are so many things that can spoil a fashion retailer’s mood. How do you still manage to be a positive motivator?

By avoiding aimless action… one needs to sit down, work out a strategy, and be relentlessly honest at the same time. If you’re not willing to fight for the store and the customers, maybe it’s better to look for a successor or close. But if you decide to fight, you need

Yvonne Blauen-Ippendorf very quickly removed the word “consultant” from her vocabulary. “I accompany my customers on their way to a successful offline business, only then can consulting be sustainable.”

a guideline. This is, so to speak, a big, overriding goal that is then divided into smaller stages with respective sub-goals. That’s the motivation, because they are visible in everyday life and help to implement the vision step by step.

They say that unique positioning begins with the order. It’s vital to make courageous decisions in the purchasing department: no goodwill orders with your favourite agent, no reluctant acceptance of too high minimums, investing more effort in product range design, 30% of the budget retained for weather-dependent orders. How do you encourage fashion retailers to do this?

My offer actually starts with the order, because I have noticed how huge the demand is. Together, we analyse the figures, evaluate the statistics, and thus prepare the customer much more thoroughly for order negotiations. The supplier’s interest is clear: he wants to sell as much as possible. Anyone who enters such talks uncertainly or unprepared becomes a victim. Those who prepare themselves have the courage to stand up for themselves during tough discussions and say: “Fine, then you won’t be my supplier.” Naturally, escalation should be avoided. The aim is to work together with suppliers to shape the purchasing process in a way that takes location requirements into account, creates an individual assortment, and facilitates the optimal sale of the purchased products. www.blauen-ippendorf.de