Which management style leads to long-term success?

Our Asia Experience in South Korea remains unforgettable. We had the opportunity to gain a deep insight into the culture of the country through company visits, input from various leaders and lectures at Yonsei University. How did South Korea manage to go from one of the poorest countries to one of the top 15 economic powers in such a short space of time? What I am left with is not only admiration but also doubts – the country achieved a lot, but at a high price. The working conditions in particular are tough and the expectations of every single person – from kindergarten children to managers – are immense. Competition is the incentive and drivers are neither participation nor exchange at eye level. Confronted with this harsh reality, I thought about the leadership style in Switzerland.

In conversations with my fellow students, it becomes clear time and again that employees are the most important resource for all of us. They are also the most important reason for joy and sometimes for concern. I am convinced that the well-being of employees and the culture of cooperation are the key to a company’s success. Long gone are the days when you learned a profession and then worked in it for 40 years. Each of us has continued to develop over the course of our careers – not least by setting the course and opening up opportunities through the support of good superiors. At the moment, workers are scarcer and more in demand than ever before. I was therefore interested in various questions and went into conversation with 5 of my fellow students:

Vincent van Seumeren, CEO at neocredit, Christian Skvor, Head of Pension Fund Services at Libera AG, Simon Gredig, Head IT DevOps Securities Operations, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Patrick Vogel, CEO Gurten Park im Grünen, as well as Gregory Fink, Director Network Services EMEA. All of them are experienced managers. All of them had twists and turns in their own career and have been encouraged and shaped by superiors. By the way, as a child they had the following professions in mind: Astronaut, Jet-Pilot, “something with IT, scientist & inventor and chef… (solution at the end of the blog :-))

The most important aspects of the Leadership role

I wanted to know from them what is most important to them in their leadership role when working with their employees.

The basis – provided by Simon Gredig – is trust, honesty and openness to new ideas. Greg emphasizes the same thing – since his team and his leadership are fully virtual, nothing works without trust, transparency and good communication Chris mentions the huge importance of involvement: “I believe in the power of mutual appreciation and make it a point to regularly acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of each team member. To inspire and motivate my team, I actively involve them in key decision-making processes, providing them with ample opportunities to influence change and make a meaningful impact. I take employee feedback seriously, integrating their suggestions into our strategies whenever feasible, to continually improve and adapt our approach.”

Vincent goes in the same direction when he says: “I try to give people a sense of ownership, let them know their input is needed and valued.” He does not just see them as an employee but tries to see the 360 degree picture of the person behind the role, what is important for them, what drives them, where do they want to go.

For Patrick, basic values such as respect and trust also form the basis of his collaboration. He also says that it is important to give employees responsibility for tasks, but also to equip them with the necessary skills to complete these tasks. As a leader, he sees himself more in a coaching role, ensuring that everyone is moving in the same direction as a team.

Retain and promote good employees

I also wanted to know how my colleagues manage to retain and promote good employees in the company in the long term. What was exciting about these answers was that they all focus on giving employees opportunities for development and participation. Chris says: “While our salaries generally reflect the industry average, I understand that competitive compensation alone is not sufficient to retain employees. Recognizing this, I focus on offering additional value and support to our team through various non-financial benefits and opportunities for personal and professional growth.” Patrick’s employees have many choices: In addition to the already good working conditions (sports and leisure opportunities, pension fund selection plans), they can choose between three salary models, for example, and put together the ideal mix of weekly hours/holidays and salary to suit their work-life balance. ZKB, Libera and Neocredit (Simon/Chris and Vincent) also offer interesting development opportunities within the company in addition to good external and internal training opportunities. Chris says: “I actively support and encourage employees to pursue further training and professional development, helping them to grow and excel in their roles.” Vincent believes in profit-sharing, allowing employees to share in the success of the company they are building together. He goes on to say:

“Keep them challenged and give as much responsibility as you can to them.” In addition to all this, one thing is particularly important to Greg: listen. Even in busy times. And celebrate success.

Values as a success factor

Reading all this feedback from my colleagues about their leadership style, the difference to the main virtues in South Korea (harder, longer, faster) was striking. Of course, the world is not black and white – but I am confident that we can celebrate more sustainable success with values such as participation, empowerment, transparency and continuous learning. My greatest joy is when – as happens to me every day at the Swiss Cancer League – I am surprised and inspired by the input and drive of my employees and when I can perhaps open doors here and there in my role as a manager and accompany people on a part of their professional journey. Incidentally, I myself wanted to be an inventor as a child. What do I like to invent today? Opportunities for our employees to shine brightly for our shared vision. And we probably all carry a little piece of our childhood ideas with us – open doors but sometimes also rocky paths helped us shape our careers.

P.S. The career ambitions of my colleagues: Patrick: to be a chef, Chris: jet pilot/astronaut, Simon: astronaut, Greg: “something with IT”, Vincent: scientist and inventor