DB Schenker

Partnering with C-Suite and Senior Leaders in Europe (across 44 countries, 50.000 employees in a 12 billion € business). Owning the employee experience and strategic topics in the areas of Talent Development & Retention, Leadership Development, Employee Engagement, Sustainable Employment Conditions, Performance Management.

Head of People Development & Experience EUROPE

Partnering with Senior Business (C-Suite) leaders to steer Europe-wide people initiatives with focus on Executive Hiring and Development, Talent and Performance Management.

Head of Organizational Development Europe

Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company

Experiencing Europe in a camper van with family.

Paternity Leave

Built up and led the Talent & Development Center of Excellence (a global Function) from scratch incl. complete team staffing of 6 Regional Managers and 28 country experts. To support businnes growth/transformation we created and transformed talent services,  processes and policies (for global talent analytics, key position succession, senior leader career journeys, global workforce planning, global performance management, global people reviews) globally for 28 countries. Designed and implemented award winning Fast Forward Talent programs.  Drove  forward the digital and agile Transformation of HR by implementing a Human Capital Management System for Talent and Performance Management.

Partnering with C-Suite Leaders on country, regional and global level. 

Achieved:
- increase in global leadership bench and high performing people in key positions
- The Talent Programs I created and implemented with my team won multiple global awards (incl. Chief Learning Officer and Association of Talent Development)
- implemented global performance and talent management HRIT

Global Head of Talent & Development

Responsible for the whole talent life cycle from attracting, recruiting to onboarding, developing and promoting.
Led a team of 10 people and further developed the country ́s organizational development and talent agenda incl. partnering with Senior Leaders and co-leading HR business planning and development of HR roadmap. 
Strategically and operationally involved in talent acquisition & development, employer branding, employee engagement (incl. employee survey), succession management, strategic workforce planning, organization capability building (e.g. strategy execution) and leadership development/training curriculum. 
Additionally, I was responsible for transforming HR into a new HR Model with Strategic HR Business Partners, Shared Service Center and a Talent Center of Expertise.

Reporting to Country HR Director.

Achieved significant improvement in country bench strength and high performing people in key positions and won internal Coca-Cola Talent Award for best Talent practices.

Organizational Development & Talent Manager Switzerland

Reporting to Organizational Development & Talent Manager. Responsible for L&D strategy, leadership development, training curriculum and a team of 3 experts:
• Developed and implemented a Learning & Development strategy
• Harmonized and optimized L&D training curriculum and service offers (based on needs analyses:
leadership trainings, 360 Feedbacks, Coaching, language courses, etc.)
• Created and executed talent development programs and activities (e.g. Assessment/Development
centres, eLearning, individual career coaching and development plans, mentoring)
• Managed all external vendors to ensure effective delivery of trainings, solutions and programs

Learning & Development Manager Switzerland

University of St.Gallen

Finalized PhD with a thesis on the topic of „The Acceleration Trap in the context of organizational changes.“
Focus was to find reasons why so many organizations suffer from the speed of changes and how this speed can be managed without driving organizations into collective burnout.

PhD Graduate

energy factory St. Gallen AG

- Lead multiple and diverse project teams
- Partnered with Senior Leaders in client organizations
- developed and implemented Leadership Development Programs for mid-sized and multinational companies
- Developed and conducted leadership trainings with a focus on: Transformational and Authentic Leadership, Change Management, Self-Leadership
- Developed and implemented a real-life Leadership Simulation Game
- Workshops with Senior Leaders on: common Leadership behaviors/beliefs, common Vision, Managing Speed in changes
- Built concepts of and conducted employee engagement surveys/data cockpits for mid-sized and big companies
- Built an Employer Branding Cockpit for a big company

Consultant for Talent & Organizational Development

- Organisation, co-ordination and content development for the obligatory course „Strategic Leadership“ for the Master Program Strategic International Management (SIM Master; Ranked No. 1 in Financial Times)
- Organisation, co-ordination and content development for the obligatory course „Leadership“ in the St. Gallen MBA
- Developed and designed Lectures in the fields of Leadership, Organisational Energy, HR Management, and Acceleration Trap

Research Associate

My own company

- conceptualized, implemented and managed leadership development programs for mid-sized and big companies
- talent diagnostics (e.g.Assessment Centers, tests) for leadership positions
- Individual Coaching of Leaders
- strategy consulting (Vision and Strategy development)

Consultant for Talent & Organizational DEvelopment

As the Head of People Development & Experience for EUROPE at DB Schenker, I partner with C-Suite and Senior Leaders in Europe to shape and deliver the people development strategy and employee experience for a 17 billion € business with 50,000 employees across 44 countries. With over 15 years of experience in HR, talent, and organizational development, I have a proven track record of leading and executing innovative and impactful initiatives in KPI driven matrix organizations on local, regional and global level.

I am passionate about creating a culture of excellence, diversity, and inclusion, where people can thrive and grow. I have successfully built and led high-performing, cross-cultural, and virtual teams, and have gained senior leaders' support and trust through effective communication, collaboration, and delivery. I have a strong consulting background and a PhD in Business Administration, with a focus on Strategy and Management. I have also lived, studied, and worked in various countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, and South Africa, which has enriched my perspective and understanding of different markets and cultures.

Be the change, own the change… it is your choice and your journey to where you belong…

On every journey, we grow through:

✅Self-awareness.
✅New experiences.
✅Failure and mistakes.
✅Inspirational leaders.
✅Feeling uncomfortable.
✅Mind-blowing conversations.
✅Active listening to understand.

The best way to understand and celebrate our growth is to make ourselves aware of it:

Through feedback from others.
Through reflecting on experiences.
Through making it through discomfort.
Through having role models around us.
Through progress checks on growth goals.

AND

Through being grateful that growth also happens in small steps.

Anything you are missing?

#personalgrowth #selfawareness #emotionalintelligence #change

Simon Koerner

40 reasons that hold people back from change… and making progress.
Which one is your most impactful one?

1. I’ve never done it before.
2. Nobody else has ever done it.
3. It has never been tried before.
4. I tried it before.
5. Another person tried it before.
6. I’ve been doing it this way for 25 years.
7. It won’t work for me.
8. It won’t work for anybody.
9. Why change — it’s working OK.
10. My family will never like it.
11. My friends are not doing it.
12. It’s too much trouble to change.
13. I am different.
14. My friends say it can’t be done.
15. My family says it can’t be done.
16. My colleagues say it can‘t be done.
17. My dog says it can’t be done.
18. It can’t be done.
19. I don’t have the money.
20. I don’t have the abilities.
21. It’s too visionary.
22. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
23. It’s too radical a change.
24. Change is not my thing.
25. We don’t have the time.
26. It is a waste if time.
27. It is a waste of energy
28. It will obsolete other things in my life.
29. It’s not my problem.
30. I don’t like it.
31. You’re right, but ….
32. I am not ready for it.
33. It needs more thought.
34. I can’t take the chance.
35. I’d lose money on it.
36. It takes too long to pay out.
37. I am doing all right as it is.
38. It needs some study.
39. It needs sleeping on.
40. It’s impossible.

#personalgrowth #change #growthmindset #selfawareness

Inspired by E.F. Borish

Communication is key. No matter what! Bringing your message across is not always easy! Here are 8 things to consider…

A main cause for #communication issues and misunderstandings is: we all have our own reality, as we see the world through our own eyes and our own experience.
The perspective on the same situation - or our own needs - might be very different from another person’s view.

Have that in mind next time, when people don’t understand (yet) what you are trying to say. They can only see it from their view and with the experience they’ve made. 

Be patient with you and with others and try the following:

1️⃣ Be clear about the purpose of your message.

2️⃣ Be direct in your message and kind in your delivery.

3️⃣ Prepare for your audience, their views/experiences and shape your message with their frames of reference.

4️⃣ Frame your opinions as suggestions. “I wonder if it would work to do it this way.” Give people the space to disagree with you.

5️⃣ Don’t let negative emotions get in your way to bring your message across - have the operator mentality in mind: think (calm yourself down) - press the button - speak.

6️⃣ Don’t use 10 words when one will do.

7️⃣ Repeat your message: it is when you get tired of repeating it that it starts to land with others.

8️⃣ Try to stay authentic and true to your values

Anything missing?

Which one would you see most important for an effective and successful communication?

#perspectivematters #personalgrowth #emotionalintelligence #selfawareness

Image: The Present Psychologist

People Leader. Business Partner. Talent Enthusiast.

Great companies know when a dead horse is a dead horse…

When I was a consultant, I encountered lots of companies where the employees‘ voice (e.g. in surveys or team meetings) clearly said:  stop overwhelming us by continuing initiatives and projects, that have not been successful for years now.

But there is this element about leaders, where they have started something and want to believe they were right all the way… something that makes them assume they know better.

And the picture shows the many ways, leaders are trying to keep a „dead horse“ alife.

However, if companies wish to avoid the Dead Horse approach becoming a disabler of their organisation's performance, it is essential that they make the paradigm shift towards: 

Less immediate action, more analysis by listening to the people that work with the dead horses every day.

Those are the people who know the „dead horses“ and can clearly articulate ideas and recommendations about burying the horse or keep going.

EMPOWER their voice to enrich your perspective and decision making quality as a leader.

#leadership #selfawareness #performance #change

Empathy is one of the most underrated skills. 22 ways to know if you have it:

It's not:

Showing others you know better
Ignoring other’s body language
Saying, "chin up, it gets better"
Assuming you know feelings
Assuming you always help
Trying to “solve“ feelings
Solving their problems
Ignoring their feelings
Listen to respond
Talking, talking
A quick fix

It is:

Curiosity
Taking time
Compassion
Being aware
Being humble
Asking questions
Listen to understand
Acknowledge their feelings
Open to embrace discomfort
Focus without being distracted
Respect for different perspectives

What to consider to strengthen empathy? 

1️⃣ There is a difference between listening to respond AND being fully present in order to listen to understand, without forming a response in your head.

2️⃣ Withhold judgements and be aware that your assumptions about other people‘s feelings and worries can be very wrong. Mindfully have an open mind.

3️⃣ Ask open-ended questions, and make their answers your answer (to understand how it is to be in their shoes).

4️⃣ Reflect on and communicate your feelings that arise from their answers:  "It sounds like you're feeling..." - and validate your assumption: “Is that right?“

5️⃣ Be patient, if you don‘t understand immediately what the other person wants you to understand. Give them time.

6️⃣ Offer support, not solutions

#empathy #emotionalintelligence #personalgrowth #selfawareness

Quote by Brené Brown

Dear Leaders, people who tell you things you don‘t want to hear have a perspective, that you don‘t have… about the context you lead in.

In too many cases, you hear them, but you don‘t listen. Or you listen to them, but only to respond, not to fully understand.

Leadership is not about relying on your perspective only, or on your past experience and behaviour.
It is about understanding your present context and how it evolves in the future… to adapt your leadership behaviour accordingly.

#emotionalintelligence #activelistening #selfawareness #leadership

If leaders can’t acknowledge that their behaviour impacts their people negatively, and miss to adapt it, they misunderstood leadership.

The impact of leadership has always been high. But seeing that 70% of employees state that their direct manager’s behaviour impacts their wellbeing negatively, is a call for action - if leaders don’t want to risk a loss in trust and team performance:

So, If you think, that you always act with good intentions towards your team members, keep that mindset… but add to it, that those good intentions might not be seen on the receiving end.

Try the following:

❓Ask your team members where you have a negative impact on them with your behaviour.

❗️If they tell you openly, sit through the discomfort, and be happy as they feel (psychologically) safe enough to tell you.

🚫 If they don‘t want to tell you… well, there you have your first negative impact already. 

Either way:
✅ Identify the situations and behaviour of others, that trigger negative emotions and reactions in you.

✅ Understand and acknowledge that you do not always react constructively towards your team members when getting triggered.

✅ Focus on adapting the behaviour first, which has the biggest negative impact… and encourage regular feedback from
your team members around it. 

AND

🎯TAKE ACTION! Only by adapting these impactful behaviours, your team builds more trust towards you.

#leadership #selfawareness #emotionalintelligence #psychologicalsafety #feedback

Quote by John C. Maxwell

As a leader, your behaviour shapes the context of your team. And sometimes, your behaviour blocks your team’s success.

The more leaders understand that their behaviour shapes their team‘s environment, the easier they can proactively lead the adaptation of themselves and their teams. 

For many leaders it is easier to challenge structures, processes or business models, but never easy to challenge their own behaviour.
Not being open to getting challenged by their teams around blocking leadership behaviour kills growth, change, innovation and ultimately the way forward - for business and its people. 

And with that: The non-successful status quo persists!

Have the following reflections to increase your self-awareness and understand what you contribute to your team‘s status quo::

1️⃣ What are the values/principles that guide me as a leader and I live by?

2️⃣ What interests excite and energize me, so my focus is often there?

3️⃣ What kind of values, motivations and personality traits lead to specific behaviour I usually show in regularly occuring situations?

4️⃣ What kind of team situations or team members‘ behaviour trigger negative reactions/behaviour in myself?

5️⃣ What kind of impact do my reactions/behaviour have on my team members and their behaviour towards me?

And last but not least:

6️⃣ What are my absolute superpowers (skills, competencies) which help me being successful, no matter in which leadership role I work in?

✅ Don’t forget to validate your findings with people whose view and (constructive) feedback you appreciate. But first and foremost: ask your Team these same questions and be surprised about their answers.

#selfawareness #leadership #adaptability  #peoplefirst #emotionalintelligence

Our Mindset can be seen as our general attitudes and the way we perceive things. It is what shapes our behavior and the way we lead and perform.

This is why it is key to understand where your Mindset hinders your success, in order to start changing it for the better.

The first step always has to be an understanding of your current behavior, and the underlying Mindset. Receiving and accepting feedback is key.

And usually, our ego is making it difficult. So, no matter what and how you want to develop: push your ego aside.
It is the hardest step, but already makes you benefit from a mental and emotional growth.

Overcoming this first hurdle will make many more Mindset changes fall into place.

The important part is: It is not only about how you see things and talk about them, it mostly is about the corresponding behavior you show.

Ask people (you appreciate) a simple question:

I actually think, we should push our egos aside when receiving feedback. Do you see that in my behavior? What exactly is it that you would like to see instead?

#selfawareness #emotionalintelligence #peoplefirst #mindset

There are so many things you are equipped to do… but there are just a few things that you nail big time… any time.

Focus on where you have the most impact.

1️⃣ Know your strengths

2️⃣ Learn how to apply your strengths in different situations

3️⃣ Know what you want and can achieve by using your strengths

4️⃣ Learn how to use your strengths to compensate for potential shortcomings (e.g. you might not have technical knowledge but win over customers and stakeholders with your empathy)

#emotionalintelligence #selfawareness #personalgrowth #strengths

Image: Pejman Milani

Great leaders don’t set out to be perfect… they set out to make a difference. 

And it is never about a title or position - but about passion, progress and the journey towards excellence.

Leadership Excellence means to passionately deliver the best possible YOU, with extra passion to always improve on your leadership behaviour.

The mindset that helps you move towards leadership excellence without stumbling over perfectionism:

✅ See imperfections as your Unique Selling Points of being a human being

✅ Be proud of ALL your strengths and push your ego aside to see blind spots

✅ Ask for feedback proactively from your team and decide to work on the behavior that blocks excellence

✅ Know that you have an impact on others, even though you don‘t know about it - make sure you understand your impact and have a positive one each day

✅ Grow at your own pace and your own direction, with owning and driving it

✅ Embrace detours and steps back on your journey, and ask for help from your team

And remember, leadership excellence is not an end state, but a journey!

#personalgrowth #passion #adaptability #selfawareness #emotionalintelligence

Quote by Simon Sinek

It is your choice as a leader: dare tough decisions to make your team‘s life easier, or prefer the easy and safe way… with all their consequences.

Often enough, leaders have an emotional blockage to take tough decisions, that stems from either fear of (un)known consequences or uncertainty due to missing information to take a decision.

And often enough, it is just better to visualize the consequences of your decisions and already have a plan how to adapt to them.

#leadership #decisionmaking #teamperformance #emptionalintelligence

Unknown book.

Why should anybody be led by you?
Because you leave a positive impact and legacy.

Anything you would add to the list?

#emotionalintelligence #selfawareness #leadership #peoplefirst

People can be at their best, when working in a #Team that unlocks the full potential of every member by being set up for success. 

Leaders and potential team newcomers know, they have a high performing team context in front of them, when team members’ statements about the team itself are the following:

1️⃣ There is no success without getting things done together, and having a leader who removes all roadblocks.

2️⃣ Drama and politics are usually energy drainers, and distract us by shifting the focus. We know how to not care too much about it, stay focused and can take others along.

3️⃣ Having the ability to build and maintain trust is a superpower, which glues us as a team together for success. That includes the trust to speak up about what is not and what is working well (#psychologicalsafety) and the trust in each others’ perspectives and abilities.

4️⃣ No successful team can be build only on seriousness and rationality - we need laughter and share positive emotions.

5️⃣ Our team know that a lack of communication leads to conflicts. Whether it is conflicts about relationships, goal alignments, identifying roadblocks, what teamwork means, or what we can expect from each other. We are always clear and open in what we say and how we say it.

6️⃣ We all have a genuine interest and ability to make people around us better, and that makes us a winning team.

7️⃣ Our context, processes, relationships and skills are set up for team work, so it is happening naturally and by itself.

8️⃣ Celebrating our successes helps us to feel the progress we are making as a team.

If you get these answers as a leader, there is a high chance you have done many things right.

#leadership #selfawareness #emotionalintelligence

Compassion and delivering business results do not go well together, for leaders who want to be effective?

I had some interesting discussions here on #linkedin over the last weeks, where business leaders told me that caring for their people is not their business… taking care of the business is how they are taking care of people’s salaries and safe jobs… also they would only hire people who can take care of themselves, otherwise they are not worth working for the company.

What these leaders are unfortunately missing is: Leading a business or a team means you need to create a context where people can be at their best, with the customer and with each other - to keep your business running.

It means to make sure that you understand the needs, worries and motivations of your employees and team members (as much as your customers’ needs) in order to build an environment that let’s them connect, collaborate and communicate with each other effectively and efficiently to achieve business goals.

What are your views?

#leadership #emotionalintelligence #compassion #peoplefirst

Image: creator unknown

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