Interview with Service Expert Carsten K. Rath
Mr. Rath, as a leadership and service expert, you work as a consultant at the executive and management level and have also managed renowned hotels yourself. In your new presentation, you argue that those who allow freedom are the best leaders. Why is that?
First of all, freedom in this context means two things: I am referring to both more freedom in the mind, in thinking about leadership, and to very concrete, operational freedoms within a company's system. One aspect necessitates the other. The reason why leadership improves through this approach is quite simple yet very demanding: Freedom removes the barriers that leadership typically fails at. Most obstacles to success, motivation, and innovation are actually self-inflicted. They are symptoms of an outdated understanding of leadership as a system of dependencies such as directives and control.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 predetermined patterns, valuable potentials remain untapped. They then only do what they are allowed to do, not what they are capable of doing. Over the past 30 years, I have worked with very diverse teams, and experience has taught me: High performers are not wallflowers. They do not sit obediently at their desks ticking off a to-do list. They are colorful, sometimes a bit eccentric, they need an outlet. But when such individualists can unleash their talents, they flourish. And so does the company. And even in some unassuming employees, there are talents that one would have never expected.
How can a leader avoid losing control when granting a lot of freedom to their 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 be more afraid of rebellion and power loss 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 freedoms.
Doesn't teamwork suffer with 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, or limitations. Rather, on a relational level. My leadership principle is V to the power of 4: Trust, Role Model, Responsibility, Commitment. If we demonstrate 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 practiced in a company?
Quite directly, in fact. The leadership culture of a company is becoming an increasingly 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. And in free companies, every employee is empowered to make decisions and take action in favor of the customer. Free companies can trigger enthusiasm by surprising the customer. Freedom in leadership is the prerequisite for genuine customer enthusiasm.
