In an interview with the entrepreneur Carsten K. Rath

Mr. Rath, you work as a leadership and service expert, advising at the executive and management levels, and have also managed renowned hotels yourself. In your new presentation, you argue that the best leader is the one who allows freedom. Why is that? First of all, freedom in this context means two things: I am referring to both more freedom in thinking about leadership and concrete operational freedoms within a company's system. One aspect depends on the other. The reason why leadership improves through this approach is quite simple yet challenging: freedom removes the barriers that leadership typically fails at. Most obstacles to success, motivation, and innovation are self-imposed. They are symptoms of an outdated understanding of leadership as a system of dependencies such as instruction and control. However, we do not lead through dependencies; we lead through relationships. Are free teams more successful? In my experience: absolutely. When employees only follow instructions or predefined patterns, valuable potentials are left untapped. They only do what they are allowed to do, not what they are capable of. Over the past 30 years, I have worked with very diverse teams, and experience has taught me that high performers are not wallflowers. They do not sit obediently at their desks and work through a to-do list. They are colorful, sometimes a bit unconventional, they need an outlet. But when such individualists can unleash their talents, they thrive. And so does the company. Even in some inconspicuous employees, there are talents that have never been trusted in them. How can a boss avoid losing control when granting a lot of freedom to employees? This fear is part of the old thinking that tells us employees must be controlled. In reality, employees can handle freedom very well if it is role-modeled by responsible leadership. A boss should fear rebellion and power loss more if they continue with obedience and control. The employees of the future cannot be motivated and retained through dependencies. They will leave or rebel if they do not receive the necessary creative freedom. Doesn't teamwork suffer from so much individuality? This is one of the crucial tasks of leadership. Simply discarding the rulebook is not enough. Freedom needs to be channeled, it requires guardrails. But not in the form of new rules, boundaries, and limitations. Instead, it needs to be on the relationship level. My leadership principle is V to the power of 4: Trust, Role Model, Responsibility, Commitment. If we role-model these virtues to our employees, they will follow us, and for the right reasons. The most important task of a leader is to be an inspiration. How does leadership style affect the customer? Does the customer notice how leadership is handled in a company? Very directly, in fact. The leadership culture of a company is becoming an important unique selling proposition. The right freedoms enable genuine customer orientation. Service will be the crucial unique selling point in all industries, including manufacturing, in the future. In free companies, every employee is empowered to make decisions and take action in the customer's interest. Free companies can trigger enthusiasm by surprising customers. Freedom in leadership is a prerequisite for genuine customer enthusiasm.