Dr. Christiane Nill-Theobald, you are a qualified lawyer, lecturer, and expert in leadership and employee motivation. What, in your opinion, distinguishes an ideal leader?
Dr. Christiane Nill-Theobald: As a management and leadership coach, I naturally favor the cooperative leadership style. A leader must be able to create a sense of "we" and maintain a respectful relationship with employees. For me, the sense of "we" is not limited to a culture of informality, but above all to mutual trust and appropriate appreciation. Another important aspect for me is demanding and promoting employees. This means that despite high performance expectations, one should enjoy work. I believe that as a leader, I used to demand a lot from my employees, but never more than I was willing to give myself. And most importantly: we also always had a lot of laughs. And one thing my people could always rely on was my full support. By promoting, I mean that every leader should care about the professional development of their employees. It is gratifying that more and more companies are recognizing that only genuine and profound development of employee potential ensures sustainable competitive advantages and thus ensures long-term economic success. Furthermore, the ideal leader in a digital world must allow and enable flexibility and diversity.
In your opinion, what are the most common leadership mistakes made in companies?
Dr. Christiane Nill-Theobald: Not considering my recommendations from earlier. The human aspect as a leadership principle is often overlooked. This includes: insufficient recognition, lack of time for employees, inability to provide constructive feedback, and failure to promote personal development. It is also detrimental when many bosses mistakenly believe that they have to run the whole show alone. They try to take on every task themselves and delegate nothing, which quickly makes employees feel either useless or not good enough. A significant issue is the communication culture: most people believe they can improve their communication skills by learning to speak better. However, it's about better listening: good speakers were previously good listeners. This brings us back to coaching. Leaders should definitely master "active listening," i.e., asking the right questions to address understanding issues in employee conversations.
How can I effectively discover and promote the talents of my employees?
Observe employees and have informal personal conversations. As a boss, I should consider the following: In what areas does the respective employee appear competent to me? Can I immediately say something about their competency profile or do I hesitate? If no ideas come to mind, I must assign tasks and observe. Following this, the leader should plan a good mix of demanding and promoting. Then: observe, develop, observe. Finally: make consistent, right decisions and let people mature by assigning tasks on a case-by-case basis or expanding their area of responsibility fundamentally.
Do you believe that incorrect leadership is one of the main causes of the burnout epidemic in this country?
I don't think this can be stated definitively. The issue is very complex. Burnout syndrome can have various causes. Some individuals have personal characteristics that predispose them to burnout. However, external stressors and extreme stress situations can quickly lead to overwhelm and eventually burnout. Burnout research now assumes that stressful conditions in companies and private stress situations interact in complex ways when we run out of steam. Stressors in the workplace and internal, personal stress should not be viewed separately, as they influence each other and may even reinforce each other. The statement "Working too much leads to burnout" is certainly wrong. A person does not burn out just because they work too much. Burnout is more than just exhaustion due to a heavy workload; it literally means being "burned out": experiencing no appreciation despite enormous work pressure. When considering factors that contribute to appreciation in the professional environment, such as respectful communication, praise, or utilizing skills and interests, the role of the leader quickly becomes prominent. Therefore: Bad leadership can make people sick, but it doesn't have to.
How can I retain talented employees in my company in the long term?
First and foremost, employees must feel that their work is valued. It is a misconception that money, vacations, and bonuses serve as a panacea for motivating and retaining employees. This myth has been debunked by several studies and authors. Therefore: Employees must be able to develop themselves in their work. That is, give your employees changing, challenging tasks in an attractive social environment. Flexible working models are nowadays essentially a given. Moreover, this is an expression of appreciation: by accommodating the wishes and needs of their employees, employers demonstrate that they care about their employees and can be assured of a stronger emotional bond. And one more thing: If companies want to attract, motivate, and retain their employees and future talents, they must support and develop them. For more information on Dr. Christiane Nill-Theobald, visit: http://www.excellente-unternehmer.de/redner/christianenilltheobald.html More interviews: https://www.speakers-excellence.de/se/blog/interview-marcel-jansen/ https://www.speakers-excellence.de/se/blog/dipl-psych-rolf-schmiel-im-interview/
