Practical Knowledge Leadership

Leadership is constantly changing. Target-oriented leadership is becoming more and more important in view of the increasingly complex entrepreneurial challenges. In our publications we deal with many questions on the topic of leadership, for example:

What is modern leadership and how do companies succeed in changing to a modern leadership culture?
What should be considered when leading agile teams?
What are the core tasks of managers? Which competencies do they need in order to fully perform their role and tasks?

The AI as a leader - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Graphic | Login on shutterstock

The AI as a leader

Inspired by the current brand eins issue "Meine Chefin: die KI" (My boss: the AI), I conducted an interview with ChatGPT in which we discuss together the question of which management and leadership tasks AI could support or even take over.

In addition to the content-related aspects in terms of data analysis and decision preparation, AI has another important advantage: it has more time for leadership. Because unlike us humans, AI is capable of multitasking and needs neither breaks, sleep nor holidays. But is that enough to replace human leaders?

18 min.
Get rid of the poker face - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Graphic | Greens87 on Shutterstock

Managing Director: Away with the Poker Face

Often referred to as the "poker face", the concealment of emotions and insecurities by leaders is increasingly under scrutiny.

The claim that CEOs must always have all the answers is diminishing. Instead, authenticity is taking centre stage.

In this article you can read about what an authentic leadership style entails and what advantages it has for CEOs and companies, especially in our VUCA world.

6 min.
Accounting for human capital - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | ImageFlow on Shutterstock

Annual accounting of human capital - a necessary step in our knowledge society?

All companies have recognized that the people in their organization, with their expertise, represent the most important resource. Isn't it about time that the cost item "personnel" from the P&L is also countered by an asset on the balance sheet?

Sabine Walter discusses this question with Svenja Stöveken and Eda Wolff, both management consultants at Horváth, an international management consultancy for transformation, performance management and digitization.

11 min.
Strategic communication in companies - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Graphic | SvetaZi on Shutterstock

The art of strategic communication

Managing directors are not only responsible for developing a convincing corporate strategy, but also for its successful implementation at all levels of the company. It is therefore crucial that the strategy is understood and lived throughout the organization to ensure long-term success.

But how can managing directors meet this challenge? In this article, we will present key aspects that contribute to successfully conveying a corporate strategy in a comprehensible way across all hierarchical levels.

7 min.
Chess King stands and all the pieces lie - The overstretched organisation - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Prostock-studio on Shutterstock

The overstretched organisation

Many organisations have been overstretched for a long time. Absenteeism, internal and external resignations are on the rise. The resulting economic damage in 2022 was around 150 billion euros in Germany alone!

With our work, we would like to make a contribution to changing this! That is why this article deals with three central questions:

How can you tell if your organisation is overstretched?

What could be the reasons for this?

What are the ways out of the misery and what are the first concrete steps you can take?

9 min.
Giving feedback - management consulting | coaching

Feedback - a leadership instrument

Feedback is one of the key leadership tools. However, many companies find it difficult to live a constructive feedback culture. Too little praise is given and critical feedback is either given in an unconstructive way or kept quiet for fear of conflict.

This article addresses three questions:

What is the benefit of constructive feedback?

What is needed for feedback to be heard and accepted?

How can feedback be provided constructively?

5 min.
Dealing with low performers - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Graphic | Lightspring on shutterstock

Dealing with Low Performers

In executive coaching we often get the question: "What is the best way to deal with low performers?". There is no blanket answer to this question. Rather, it invites us to take a differentiated look at the topic.

In this article I address the following questions: How do you find out the cause(s) of the drop in performance or underperformance?
How can you structure and conduct an appropriate appraisal interview?
What can you do to achieve an increase in performance?

If you have found the real causes of the low performance and the measures help to eliminate them, you have a very good chance of turning the low performer into a top performer.

11 min.
Emphatic manager as coach - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Ground Picture on Shutterstock

The manager as coach

In the course of the change in the understanding of leadership and leadership styles, managers in many companies are also expected to fill the role of coach.

In this article I answer the following questions:
What framework conditions enable goal-oriented and effective coaching?

Where are the limits for the manager?

Which coaching tools can be integrated into leadership work?
What opportunities does this open up?

10 min.
Strategy development - management consulting | coaching
Graphic | Uthai pr on Shutterstock

Target and strategy development for sustainable corporate success

The Classic goal-setting and strategy process usually focuses on Growth. In a world of scarce resources, this represents No basis for sustainable entrepreneurial success dar.

Therefore, in this article we explain a Alternative procedure for goal and strategy development.

9 min.
The essence of effective leadership - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Inna on AdobeStock

The essence of effective leadership

The understanding of successful leadership has changed over the last decades. This supposed proof is provided by numerous models and extensive leadership literature.

I have been involved in leadership for more than 20 years, have led for many years myself and have provided support in the context of Executive coachings successfully for 15 years in helping leaders to be effective through their leadership and successful with their organisation.

The essence of effective leadership, which for me is independent of the model, is based on this experience. This is what this article is about.

14 min.
Multicultural people - corporate governance - management consulting | coaching
Photo | melitas on Shutterstock

Values at the heart of effective leadership"

The understanding of leadership is changing continuously; in the last 10-20 years even faster than before. The demands on managers are continuously increasing, as it is a question of being able to VUCA world (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) to ensure the competitiveness of companies over a long period of time.

In this article we look at values-based leadership. I show what it is essentially about and how companies benefit from it.

9 min.
Meeting Managers - management consulting | coaching
Photo | insta_photos on Shutterstock

The first 100 days as a new leader

How should I manage the first 100 days as a new leader? How should I behave when I take over a team or an area? What do I say when I introduce myself as the new boss? These and other questions are asked by many managers who take on a new responsibility within their own company or even in another company.

Zarah Speck has given you a Checklist that will help you build a foundation of trust in the first 100 days and find acceptance a

7 min.
Man stands in front of large blackboard full of mathematical calculations - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | fran_kie on Shutterstock

Conflict management from A-Z

Conflicts - whether visible or invisible - cost organisations and our society money. The role of individuals' ability to deal with conflict, especially leaders, becomes all the more central. Conflict management is a key leadership competence. Yet it is often misinterpreted and thus its key role for high leadership effectiveness underestimated. In this article we give different recommendations that enable you to recognise, analyse and constructively address conflicts, in order to invite a joint search for solutions.

13 min.
Stephanie Wackernagel
Photo | Jean-Young Kwak

Humanistic leadership: what, why and how?

Humanistic leadership describes the understanding of humans, as the basis for influencing people in the company and choosing the appropriate management tools. The humanistic understanding of the human being is based on the assumption that the ability to develop into a "better" version of ourselves is inherent in each of us. What this means for companies and how the path towards a humanistic approach to leadership can be, explains Stephanie Wackernagel, lecturer at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences.

10 min.
Productive decision-making processes in transformations - sprinter with leopards before the start - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Orla on Shutterstock

Decision-making culture - catalyst or brake in transformation processes

In the context of transformation processes, many fundamental decisions have to be made. How quickly organisations manage to make these decisions in line with the desired goals also determines the success of the transformations. However, managers are often caught in the dilemma of wanting to involve as many members of their organisation as possible in the decision-making processes on the one hand, but having to deliver results quickly on the other. In this article, we give recommendations for action that help to resolve the dilemma and find a productive decision-making culture.

7 min.
Leading self-organised teams - a lighthouse in stormy seas - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | m.mphoto on Shutterstock

Leading self-organised teams

A myth that we often dispel in the course of accompanying Organisational development processes is: "Self-organisation does not need leadership." This is wrong. Self-organised teams need leadership.

But what is important in this leadership? When leading self-organised teams, the focus is on four central points:
the "what", the "why",
trust, and
the ability to form real teams.

Answering the "how, i.e. The development and pursuit of the solution and implementation path, is the responsibility of the teams.

8 min.
Onboarding in times of home office: astronaut surfs towards the sun - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Sergey Nivens on Shutterstock

Onboarding in times of home office

While some companies lay off or put employees on short-time work during the pandemic, other companies are hiring and have to answer the question for themselves: "How do we integrate new colleagues when everyone works in a home office?" The answer to this question encompasses various aspects: Getting to know each other, creating trust, communicating culture and values, familiarisation - all with or despite a digital proximity. In this article, we give recommendations on how to get off to a good start even in times of home office.

9 min.
Digital Leadershiph: Robot looks at skull - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Willyam Bradberry on Shutterstock

Digital Leaders - anything but robots!

We are on the way to a new age. Digitalisation is the number one topic.

That is why it is often used and brings to light language creations that are worth looking behind: Digital Natives and Digital Leaders. What is behind these terms? And what skills do leaders need to successfully shape the digital transformation?

8 min.
Relay runners - self-organisation of teams: athlete passes on baton - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | sirtravelalot on Shutterstock

Giving decision-making authority to the team - a step towards more self-organisation and agility

In agile organisations, decision-making responsibility is handed over to teams, because by including multiple perspectives, more robust solutions emerge and delays caused by the "bottle neck" boss are reduced. This raises the question: What do employees need so that they can actively accept this extended responsibility and also make decisions productively in the group?
In this article we present the consent decision-making process and outline the process that this cultural change requires.

7 min.
Leadership task competence development: A diamond in the coal pile - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | RTimages on Shutterstock

Leadership task: competence development

Competence development is not yet strategic enough in many companies and is often delegated to HR. Similar to German education policy, many companies still fail to recognise that the actual assetwhat they have, the know-how and competences of their employees and managers is. Since in many companies decisions are still purely numbers-based, this asset goes down. This is because it is not accounted for as an asset, but appears in the income statement in the form of costs. One more reason to once again emphasise further training and competence development as a central management task.

11 min.
Transition Management: Light lines crossing quickly leading to the horizon - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | robin lee on Shutterstock

Leading transformation processes successfully

We are in a transformation. In a transformation from an industrial to a digital society. This transformation is accompanied by drastic changes. Therefore, in this article we address three questions: What is a transformation? What distinguishes it from change? Why is it important to lead a transformation and not just manage it? We also provide recommendations for action to lead transformation processes to success.

12 min.
Dieter Furch
Photo | D. Furch

What does "leadership" mean to you, Mr Furch?

"Delivering quality, handing over responsibility, involving employees and letting them do what they burn for - with a common goal, freedom of design and trust." so according to Dieter Furch, Managing Director of Stingl GmbH in Munichleadership. Read the interview to find out what this looks like at Stingl.

7 min.
Digital Leadership: Telephone operator at the placement workplace 30s - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Everett Collection on Shutterstock

Meeting by mouse click. Conduct results-oriented telephone and video conferences.

Corona requires it more than before. What was previously a marathon of successive meetings is now one too. A meeting marathon - only digital. In themselves, telephone and video conferences offer the chance to get to the point more quickly. The prerequisite for this is that they are conducted correctly. Here are some tips on how to do this.

6 min.
Crisis management: Emergency scene in the hospital - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Rido on Shutterstock

Factors of sovereign crisis management

Crises demand drastic changes in a short time. In these changes lie opportunities. To exploit these Opportunities to is used by, a healthy Balance between savings and investments be found.

6 min.
Digital Leadership: Virtual football players float in the stadium - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Sergey Nivens on Shutterstock

Leading virtual teams

The Corona crisis has forced many companies overnight, Traditional forms of work in virtual structures and digital processes to transfer. The tools and platforms that enable digital working were quickly accepted.

Now it is a matter of maintaining leadership effectiveness, productivity and team spirit even under virtual conditions. How does that work?

We explain in the article six key success factors for leading virtual teams.

7 min.
Error culture - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Graphic | Claus Pescha

Oops! 10 tips for a constructive culture of fault tolerance.

In many companies the Error culture a culture of fear. It paralyses and leads to neither lateral thinking nor trying out new things. A destructive error culture also prevents employees and managers from taking risks and assuming responsibility for decisions or new paths. In this article we give Tips for a constructive error culture and clarify the entrepreneurial gain that lies in this cultural change.

7 min.
Patricie Merkert
Photo | P. Merkert

What does "leadership" mean to you, Dr Merkert?

For the Head of Innovation & Technologies at E.G.O. Elektro-Gerätebau GmbH in Oberderdingen, Dr Patricie Merkert, includes Leadership has two aspects: Enabling the development of potential and visionary thinking. In an interview with Sabine Walter, she explains what attracts her to leadership and how she manages to get the best out of people and her teams.

9 min.
Joker card floating in the air - competence development - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Quentin Rey on Unsplash

Competence development - a must for sustainable competitiveness

Start of the year - time for strategy workshops and strategy talks. Even though this is already carried out in a very structured way in many companies, we experience time and again that an essential strategic building block is missing: competence development.
The following procedure helps to bring structure and continuity into the process of competence development.

6 min.
Silke Kirsch
Photo | Kirsch

Why do you lead, Ms Kirsch?

Silke Kirsch, executive at international exhibition stand builder Rappenglitz says: No matter who you lead, children, customers or employees, it is always about people. When we see them, value them and give them space for developmentthat would be a big leap towards a better corporate culture and ultimately also towards better togetherness in our society.

7 min.
Corporate management: Roulette spins - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Aerial Mike on Shutterstock

Corporate governance: growth at any price loses.

Growth is considered an indicator of entrepreneurial success. Annual, ideally double-digit. But growth at any price in an oversaturated society is harmful. Companies and society are already feeling the first consequences: Stress-related illnesses, internal resignation, burnout. In this article, we develop a scenario that shows how healthy growth can emerge. And we raise awareness for alternative key figures and control parameters.

6 min.
Leadership: riding racing bikes on the track in the group slipstream - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Simon Connellan on Unsplash

Leadership is not an end in itself! So what is the point?

Taking on leadership responsibility is defined by many people as a career goal. They want to lead. They want to take on responsibility. But what does it mean to take responsibility in a leadership role? For what and for whom? As executive coaches who accompany leaders in their personal development and that of their teams and companies, we explain in this article what we mean by leadership responsibility.

6 min.
Leadership competencies: Human evolutionary series from apes to Homo sapiens - management consulting | coaching
Photo | Usagi-P on Shutterstock

Time for change! Three key leadership competencies in the 21st century.

We are located at the beginning of the 21st century in a fundamental social change. In order to shape this in such a way that we survive as humanity, a fundamental Paradigm shiftl required. We need a culture of trust instead of fear, as well as genuine encounters and sustainable relationships. We need courage and the willingness to take responsibility. - for themselves, for others and for society. In this article we focus on the Leaders in the 21st century and on three key leadership competencieswhich are part of and a prerequisite for this paradigm shift.

4 min.
Leadership: Herd of elephants runs towards the camera - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Robert Fowler on Shutterstock

Stand up and lead! An appeal for more leadership.

Richard Edelman, head of the eponymous American communications agency Edelman, put it very clearly in his interview with Chelsea Spieker on 22 October. "Stand up and lead!", he urged the leaders from the German business community. The reason for this call was the result of this year's "Trust Barometer", which was compiled by the Edelman agency for the "Made in Germany" seal of quality. It makes clear that the brand "Germany" has suffered damage. This article is therefore about leadershipwhat this means at the beginning of the 21st century, and how it can help to restore confidence in "Made in Germany".

6 min.
Pit stop Formula 1 - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Ev. Safronow on Shutterstock

Talk. Clarify. Decide. - To the point in 10-minute meetings.

Meetings are the number one time eater in many organisations. On average, managers lose more than one working day per week to unproductive meetings. This can be changed if meetings are adequately prepared and really conducted. In our Seminar "Talk.Clarify.Decide" you will not only learn how to get to the point in 10-minute meetings.You will also get an overview of three different leadership philosophies: Lean, Management by objectives, Agile leadership.

2 min.
Leadership Development - management consulting | coaching
Photo | FloridaStock on Shutterstock

Attitude, please! What distinguishes real leaders.

The figures of the latest Gallup Engagement Index are as sobering as ever: About 85% of all employees have little or no emotional attachment to their companywhich translates into "service by the book" or even internal resignation.

An essential The cause of this lack of emotional connection is leaders who do not live up to their role.

3 min.
Agile Leadership: Attitude - The elephant on the bar stool - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | IlkerErgun on Shutterstock

Agile leadership - attitude instead of tool.

Agility is the new buzzword in the leadership world. Anyone who is not agile has obviously not yet understood it. Agility, it seems at the moment, is - along with digitalisation - the panacea for all problems that companies have. As we experience it, this often leads to grotesque situations. But Agility Is a Mindsetno tools. If companies want to become agile, the main thing is to embody this attitude and create structures in which this attitude can be effective.

3 min.
Leadership: Tango dancing couple - trustful leadership - netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Marko Poplasen on Shutterstock

Leading with confidence - duty instead of freestyle

Trust is the basis of a benevolent relationship, of good cooperation. It is even the basis of our own successful further development.

If we trust ourselves and our strengths, we will make different decisions. as if we lack this self-confidence.

5 min.
Meeting culture: Skeletons at the meeting table - managementberatung | coaching
Graphic | Robert Adrian Hillmann on Shutterstock

Time goes by: How to turn time-wasters into productive meetings.

Executives spend between 60-90% of their working time in meetings. They lose more than one working day per week to unproductive meetings, according to a study by the market research company Harris. This is often because meetings are often inadequately prepared, not really led and the simplest ground rules are not followed.

The following tips will help you to increase the productivity of your meetings so that you can make good use of your working time and that of your colleagues.

3 min.
Leadership: little girl walks the dog - leadership qualities - managementberatung | coaching
Photo | Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Long leash - leading at a distance

Mobile working has become an integral part of our working world. But there are companies that, after initial generosity with regard to working hours and work location, restrict mobile working again. One reason for this is the fear of many managers of losing control.

In this article we give Tips as you also lead at a distance in such a way that the result- and goal-oriented work is maintained.

5 min.
Leading meetings successfully - management consulting | coaching
Photo | rawpixel on Unsplash

To the point in 10-minute meetings

Managers spend up to 60% of their working time in Meetings. Half of this time is unproductive.

In our seminar "Reden.Klären.Entscheiden. the participants made meetings from their everyday life more productive by using concrete tips and techniques and thus saved up to five hours per week.

1 min.
Logbook employee appraisals - managementberatung | coaching
Photo: Ania Lewandowska

Staff appraisal logbook

Staff appraisals are a key management toolas the regular exchange improves the cooperation. Our Logbook is a workbookIt Gives structure to your conversations and offers space at the same time, Document important information.

3 min.
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