• MDI
  • German version
  • Contact us
MDI Management Development
  • Agile leadership
  • Lateral Leadership
  • Leadership Impact
  • Leadership Development
Select Page
Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus

by Peter Grabuschnig | Aug 17, 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership in the digital transformation, training new leader | 0 comments

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus

Prefer to listen to the article? Click below to access our AI speech-generated audio. However, if you want to read it as usual, keep scrolling.

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus

In a changing world of work, where motivation and employee retention are crucial, leaders are increasingly in the spotlight. Current statistics send alarming signals: 60% of leaders receive no leadership development at all. Gallup’s “State of the Global Workplace” report highlights the urgency of this problem.

Learn with this article how targeted leadership development can strengthen cohesion and serve as a key to retaining and motivating talent.

The motivation of European employees is in danger

People lack recognition for their performance. Much emphasis is placed on employer branding and new recruiting strategies – but what can leaders use to retain and motivate employees over the long term?

The “State of the Global Workplace” report by Gallup (June 2023) confirms this lack of motivation, which many HR managers suspected. Only a small number of employees show a real commitment to their work, colleagues, or supervisors.

Most respondents merely perform their duties and see their job as a means to an end. Worryingly, 72% of these people would change jobs given a better opportunity.

In Austria, only one in 10 employees are motivated on the job and feel a strong connection to the company. These employees feel valued by their direct supervisors and are satisfied in the team environment. They are also willing to go the “extra mile,” which is important in most companies.

More recognition and flexibility

Our goal for the future, at least according to Gallup, should be to support this specific group of employees in the company. As quickly as you can lose them, turning them into loyal employees would in principle be possible.

Small changes are often enough, such as

  • increased recognition
  • more flexibility
  • confidence in their abilities
  • or the expansion of a clearly defined scope for action and decision-making.

Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup, sums it up:

“To address the challenges of our time, we need to change the way we lead people.”

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent

Leadership in focus

This is a clear message that is not only directed at HR departments but above all at leaders. Both the times and the nature of leadership are changing and require new requirements and approaches. This does not necessarily mean that previous approaches were bad.

Nevertheless, we should think about how to respond to the new realities of our time. The COVID-19 pandemic has woken people up – not only to digitalization but also to their own work-life balance.

Developing a culture of belonging

The question that now arises is how companies are able, despite growing flexibility in the form of home offices, new time models, etc., to establish a culture that creates a sense of connection and belonging despite partial physical distance.

While corporate culture is often shaped by top management, it emerges and develops in completely different places. Each team, each department, and even each division shapes its own culture. This often reflects the values of the company, but not always.

What is the reason for this? Leadership!

Employees are not motivated because of the awesomeness of the company they work for. The main reason is a well-functioning and stable team. The leader is responsible for this. And this is exactly where the starting point lies.

60% of leaders do not receive leadership development.

Individuals are often promoted into leadership positions without receiving adequate experience or training – a phenomenon known as the “Peter Principle.” These practices lead to competency gaps and tolerate poor leadership, which in turn can lead to high employee turnover.

Although there is obviously harmful leadership behavior, there is often no intervention, possibly due to relationships with top management or perceived expertise.

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent

The time for tolerating bad leadership is over

This neglect has long-term negative effects on the company. It’s time to stop tolerating bad leadership. Two main ways that corporate culture is slowly decomposing are rewarding toxic team members and self-centered leaders.

Successful company cultures rely on collaboration and encouragement rather than selfish approaches. Employees with excessive egos appropriate success and discourage talented colleagues. By tolerating this harmful behavior, team dynamics are undermined.

In order to strengthen a sense of belonging, employee commitment, productivity, and resilience, it is critical to actively address poor leadership. The future requires close monitoring and effective action against this problematic behavior.

The leader is the key to any successful team.

While salary, flexibility, and additional benefits are important, they are not the all-inclusive solution. Even a modern office can’t attract someone if the team climate isn’t right. Debates about work schedules like the 4-day work week should only come to the forefront when the team and leadership are in harmony.

Improve retention:

The most effective way to solidify employee commitment to the company is through effective leadership at the direct level. Contemporary, values-based leadership development is critical.

One-off face-to-face seminars are no longer enough. Continuous support and individual team development are indispensable. Concrete steps such as coaching, empowerment, and servant leadership should be implemented comprehensively. Only in this way can the bond and togetherness in the team be strengthened to achieve successful results together.

 

Tips for strengthening connectedness & belonging in hybrid daily life:

  • Emphasize transparent communication, coaching, and clear goals in a community.
  • Encourage regular sharing, team activities, and projects.
  • Establish a supportive culture of appreciation.
  • Prioritize flexibility and inclusion.
  • Identify and encourage development opportunities.
  • Promote generational understanding.
  • Connect function and purpose (1on1 virtual, face-to-face solutions).
  • Enable digital collaboration.
  • Evaluate and challenge collaboration regularly.
Peter Grabuschnig

Peter Grabuschnig

Trainer, Coach & MDI Partner

Peter is a partner and trainer at MDI, advising major international corporations on implementing hybrid work policies and building a hybrid work and leadership culture.

He is considered an expert in training design. With his Webinar Guru Framework he has developed a tool that helps to design training content for successful and activating virtual learning.

  • LinkedIn

Download our Whitepaper:

Paper Mock Up
Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

by Peter Grabuschnig | Jun 26, 2023 | Digital Transformation, International leadership development, Leadership Tips | 0 comments

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

This article presents 5 tips on how you can build a strong corporate culture within the trend of hybrid work that fosters a sense of belonging to your company.

The challenge of a hybrid work environment presents companies with the task of building and maintaining a strong corporate culture. With location-independent work, it becomes more difficult for us to foster a sense of connection and belonging to the company.

Studies have shown that companies that allow for flexibility have higher levels of employee engagement than those that do not. The trend towards a more flexible working world is likely to be unstoppable. We want to ask ourselves now how to retain employees in this new working environment.

These are five factors that will increase your employee retention in your company.

Allow for flexibility and encourage open communication

In your company, you should be willing to allow for flexibility and adapt to the changing needs of your employees. This may mean offering flexible working hours or home office and mobile working options.

Open communication is essential, especially in a hybrid working environment. You should encourage your employees to communicate openly and frequently and provide them with tools and platforms to do so.

 

Home Office

Create shared goals and values and provide opportunities for social interaction

Shared goals and values are critical for a healthy working environment. Your goals and values should be communicated to all of your employees and aligned with your company’s overall mission and vision.

Social interaction is important to create a sense of connection and belonging among your employees. In your company, you can organize virtual happy hours, team-building activities, and other virtual or in-person events to foster social interaction and build relationships among employees.

Acknowledge and celebrate successes

Recognizing and celebrating successes is important to a strong corporate culture. Companies should recognize both individual and team achievements and acknowledge employees for their hard work and contributions.

A flourishing working environment is crucial for employee retention, motivation, and performance. If you adapt to the new needs of your employees and create a hybrid working environment, you can be more successful and achieve better results within your company.

Peter Grabuschnig

Peter Grabuschnig

Trainer, Coach & MDI Partner

Peter is a partner and trainer at MDI, advising major international corporations on implementing hybrid work policies and building a hybrid work and leadership culture.

He is considered an expert in training design. With his Webinar Guru Framework he has developed a tool that helps to design training content for successful and activating virtual learning.

  • LinkedIn

This could also help you:

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus

by Peter Grabuschnig | 17. August 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership in the digital transformation, training new leader | 0 Comments

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus Prefer to listen to the article? Click below to access our AI speech-generated audio. However, if you want to read it as usual, keep scrolling.Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus In...
Read More

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning

by Iris Burner, Melanie Holzner | 26. July 2023 | Customer Story, Leadership Tips, learning effectiveness | 0 Comments

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning Over the last few years, we at MDI have been working with more and more tools to strengthen high-impact with our clients. In this blog post, we'll introduce you to two of these tools: Blended Learning, which we use at...
Read More

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI

by Jana Wölfl | 26. July 2023 | Agile Leadership, eLearning, Leadership in the digital transformation | 0 Comments

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI A New Step into the World of Technologies - Artificial Intelligence for Leaders Prefer to listen to the article? Click below to access our AI speech-generated audio. However, if you want to read it as usual, keep...
Read More

10 tips for effective communication with dominant partners

by Dominik Etzl | 20. July 2023 | Best Practice, Leadership Tips, learning effectiveness | 0 Comments

Homer Simpson has been delighting young and old for many years. Irascible to slightly choleric, he says straightforwardly what he thinks, is constantly annoyed by trivialities, and doesn't give much thought to the opinions and advice of others. If you meet such a...
Read More

What is Sustainable Individualization in Leadership?

by Iris Burner | 28. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, Leadership Impact, Leadership in the digital transformation | 0 Comments

Sustainable individualization in leadership - pious hope or real alternative? In line with the last blog post on our MDI website "Inner Development Goals For a Better Leadership World", this time we dedicate ourselves to the megatrend topic of individualization and...
Read More

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably?

by Aline Depoorter, Jana Wölfl | 26. June 2023 | Leadership Impact, Leadership Tips, MDI Inside | 0 Comments

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably? It is hard to imagine most companies today without the concept of "sustainable leadership." Leaders are not only becoming more privately aware of the impact of climate change but also want to fight it on a corporate level. In this...
Read More

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

by Peter Grabuschnig | 26. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, International leadership development, Leadership Tips | 0 Comments

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention This article presents 5 tips on how you can build a strong corporate culture within the trend of hybrid work that fosters a sense of belonging to your company. The challenge of a hybrid work environment presents companies...
Read More

3 Highlights of HR and Learning Technologies 2023

by Nicole Wessely | 26. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, eLearning | 0 Comments

"The Future of Learning in London: 3 Highlights of the HR & Learning Technologies 2023" The Learning Technology 2023 in London was a groundbreaking event that showcased the latest developments in learning and technology. The event attracted a wide range of diverse...
Read More

Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

by Gunther Fürstberger | 30. May 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership Impact, training new leader | 0 Comments

Inner Development Goals for a better leadership world Many companies invest in training and programs to prepare their leaders for the challenges of business. But in addition to traditional goals such as increasing sales and optimizing efficiency, Inner Development...
Read More

Successful instruments for Employee Retention

by Christoph Monschein | 26. April 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership in the digital transformation, Leadership Tips | 0 Comments

Successful instruments for Employee Retention Employer Branding: How to position your company sustainably as an attractive employer Today's employers and leaders face several challenges. The search for qualified employees is becoming increasingly difficult and...
Read More
Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

by Gunther Fürstberger | May 30, 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership Impact, training new leader | 0 comments

Inner Development Goals for a better leadership world

Many companies invest in training and programs to prepare their leaders for the challenges of business. But in addition to traditional goals such as increasing sales and optimizing efficiency, Inner Development Goals (IDGs) are also gaining importance.

But what exactly are IDGs and why should they matter in leadership development?

Better philosophy, a better leader

Inner Development Goals refer to the personal development and growth of leaders at a deeper level. They focus not only on improving skills and competencies but also on a leader’s inner state and awareness.

IDGs aim to help you as a leader develop your emotional intelligence, self-reflection, values, and leadership philosophy.

Organizations align their leadership development efforts with organizational goals and strategy. Traditionally, leadership development programs have focused primarily on building skills and competencies that are important to the success of the organization.

Sustainability Goals 2030

More and more companies are recognizing that financial success is not the only thing that matters; they also want to contribute to a resource-efficient circular economy to enable a livable future.

With its vision of a Sustainable World in 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations has created a global framework that can serve as a guide for companies.

Unfortunately, since the world is nowhere near on track to achieving the Sustainability Development Goals, the Inner Development Goals were created. These start with the capabilities and attitudes of individuals.

Analyze your values

To align your organization’s leadership culture with the IDGs and thus with sustainability, it makes sense to start by analyzing your existing organizational values, leadership competencies, leadership rules of engagement, and leadership development activities. It is important to assess your current leadership skills and competencies and understand how well they align with your desired IDGs.

A measurable comparison of the existing competency set with the IDGs allows us to determine the degree of overlap. Where are there already strengths and where are there still areas for development? Based on your analysis, a clear goal for the development of the IDGs can be defined.

A Roadmap for Reflection

Once the degree of overlap and the goal is defined, a roadmap for the changed leadership development architecture can be created. This roadmap includes specific training and coaching activities aimed at nurturing and developing IDGs.

For example, programs can be implemented to promote self-reflection, strengthen emotional intelligence or develop a sustainability-oriented leadership personality.

A content example of leadership development geared toward IDGs might be a program to promote mindfulness and stress management. By training leaders in mindfulness techniques, you can learn to be more aware of your inner state, reduce stress, and make more conscious decisions.

This enhances your personal development and helps you stay calm and collected in challenging situations.

Sustainable Leadership Goals

Who works with IDG?

Examples of companies working with IDGs include IKEA, Google, and Novartis. The IDG movement started in 2020, so it’s still quite young. But it is spreading rapidly. There are now 350 IDG hubs worldwide and a few new ones are added every week.

 

Not only the quantitative growth is impressive, but also the depth of content. This is supported by the fact that renowned authors such as Amy Edmonson, Otto Scharma, and Peter Senge are among the supporters, as well as academic partners from Harvard, Stockholm, or Erasmus University.

Possible difficulties

Integrating IDGs into leadership development can encounter several challenges. For one, it requires a shift in your organizational culture to recognize the value and importance of your internal development. It also requires time and resources to implement appropriate training and programs.

To overcome these challenges, it’s important to raise your awareness of the importance of IDGs and make clear the benefits to individual and corporate development.

Companies can conduct internal communication and awareness campaigns to inform employees about the benefits of IDGs in leadership development.

Promote your learning culture

It can also be helpful to foster a culture of learning and personal development within the company. You can do this by creating learning opportunities, such as mentoring programs, coaching, or internal training.

By allowing your company to provide you as a leader with opportunities to continuously develop and pursue your IDGs, you can create a positive and supportive environment.

So far, no official certification system has been created that can objectively provide transparency on the success of IDG initiatives. But some initiatives are already underway toward measuring the impact of IDGs.

IDGs for a more sustainable planet

Integrating Inner Development Goals (IDGs) into leadership development offers companies the opportunity to develop you as a leader on a deeper level and promote sustainable and authentic leadership.

By clarifying your inner goals and values as a leader and aligning them with your actions, you can contribute not only to the financial success of the company but also to a resource-efficient circular economy and a sustainable future.

By integrating IDGs into their leadership development efforts, companies can create a new generation of leaders who are not only technically competent but also possess inner strength and awareness. This ultimately leads to an attractive corporate culture, long-term success, and a contribution to the creation of a sustainable world.

Mag. Gunther Fürstberger

Mag. Gunther Fürstberger

CEO | MDI Management Development International

Gunther Fürstberger is a management trainer, author and CEO of Metaforum and MDI – a global consulting company providing solutions for leadership development. His main interest is to make the world a better place through excellent leadership. He has worked for clients including ABB, Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim, DHL, Hornbach, PWC and Swarovski. His core competence is leadership in digital transformation. He gained his own leadership experience as HR Manager of McDonald’s Central Europe/Central Asia.  At the age of 20 he already started working as a trainer.

  • LinkedIn

What serves you next?

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus

by Peter Grabuschnig | 17. August 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership in the digital transformation, training new leader | 0 Comments

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus Prefer to listen to the article? Click below to access our AI speech-generated audio. However, if you want to read it as usual, keep scrolling.Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus In...
Read More

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning

by Iris Burner, Melanie Holzner | 26. July 2023 | Customer Story, Leadership Tips, learning effectiveness | 0 Comments

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning Over the last few years, we at MDI have been working with more and more tools to strengthen high-impact with our clients. In this blog post, we'll introduce you to two of these tools: Blended Learning, which we use at...
Read More

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI

by Jana Wölfl | 26. July 2023 | Agile Leadership, eLearning, Leadership in the digital transformation | 0 Comments

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI A New Step into the World of Technologies - Artificial Intelligence for Leaders Prefer to listen to the article? Click below to access our AI speech-generated audio. However, if you want to read it as usual, keep...
Read More

10 tips for effective communication with dominant partners

by Dominik Etzl | 20. July 2023 | Best Practice, Leadership Tips, learning effectiveness | 0 Comments

Homer Simpson has been delighting young and old for many years. Irascible to slightly choleric, he says straightforwardly what he thinks, is constantly annoyed by trivialities, and doesn't give much thought to the opinions and advice of others. If you meet such a...
Read More

What is Sustainable Individualization in Leadership?

by Iris Burner | 28. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, Leadership Impact, Leadership in the digital transformation | 0 Comments

Sustainable individualization in leadership - pious hope or real alternative? In line with the last blog post on our MDI website "Inner Development Goals For a Better Leadership World", this time we dedicate ourselves to the megatrend topic of individualization and...
Read More

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably?

by Aline Depoorter, Jana Wölfl | 26. June 2023 | Leadership Impact, Leadership Tips, MDI Inside | 0 Comments

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably? It is hard to imagine most companies today without the concept of "sustainable leadership." Leaders are not only becoming more privately aware of the impact of climate change but also want to fight it on a corporate level. In this...
Read More

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

by Peter Grabuschnig | 26. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, International leadership development, Leadership Tips | 0 Comments

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention This article presents 5 tips on how you can build a strong corporate culture within the trend of hybrid work that fosters a sense of belonging to your company. The challenge of a hybrid work environment presents companies...
Read More

3 Highlights of HR and Learning Technologies 2023

by Nicole Wessely | 26. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, eLearning | 0 Comments

"The Future of Learning in London: 3 Highlights of the HR & Learning Technologies 2023" The Learning Technology 2023 in London was a groundbreaking event that showcased the latest developments in learning and technology. The event attracted a wide range of diverse...
Read More

Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

by Gunther Fürstberger | 30. May 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership Impact, training new leader | 0 Comments

Inner Development Goals for a better leadership world Many companies invest in training and programs to prepare their leaders for the challenges of business. But in addition to traditional goals such as increasing sales and optimizing efficiency, Inner Development...
Read More

Successful instruments for Employee Retention

by Christoph Monschein | 26. April 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership in the digital transformation, Leadership Tips | 0 Comments

Successful instruments for Employee Retention Employer Branding: How to position your company sustainably as an attractive employer Today's employers and leaders face several challenges. The search for qualified employees is becoming increasingly difficult and...
Read More
Successful instruments for Employee Retention

Successful instruments for Employee Retention

by Christoph Monschein | Apr 26, 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership in the digital transformation, Leadership Tips | 0 comments

Successful instruments for Employee Retention

Employer Branding: How to position your company sustainably as an attractive employer

Today’s employers and leaders face several challenges. The search for qualified employees is becoming increasingly difficult and lengthy, and if you want to win over the best minds on the market, you have to have a lot to offer today’s applicants.

More than ever, the tables are being turned: High potentials are choosing their employers, not the other way around. In this distinct employee market, the company must withstand the critical gaze of potential candidates and convince them of its attractiveness as an employer.

For some time now, the recruiting process has therefore become one of the most challenging tasks for companies. The war for talents, i.e. the competition between companies for the best talents and specialists, has also become a fixed part of everyday working life in Austria.

The change of values in employer branding

It wasn’t all that long ago that if an employer offered a secure job with a good or above-average salary and a generous bonus on top, then they could choose from a pool of talent and secure the candidates who best fit the advertised positions.

Today, this is no longer enough to find motivated employees. The “cash for time” model has had its day in this country.

The younger generations in particular have much higher expectations of employers today. The focus is on topics such as the working environment, flexibility and hierarchies, corporate culture, purpose, and, last but not least, how the company deals with corporate social responsibility.

In addition to salary, flexible working time models and a healthy work-life balance, appreciation, respectful interaction, well-being in the workplace and meaningful work are of particular importance today and successful instruments for Employee Retention. 

Strengthening employer branding and positioning as an employer of choice

Companies have different ideas about corporate image and what it should look like in the future. But they all have the same goals: They want to offer their employees a better jobs and retain them in the long term. Employer branding helps to improve the company’s image and reputation as well as its employer brand.

It is an important element in achieving greater employee loyalty and reducing turnover rates, which are costly for companies. Employees who feel valued by their employer stay with the company longer and perform better. This means that employers not only have the opportunity to attract new talent but also to retain existing employees.

 

But how does a company manage to position itself as an employer of choice and thus secure competitive advantages in the battle for high potentials and retain the best minds?

employer branding

These are the questions companies need to ask themselves as part of the employer branding process today

  • What image do I want to have on the employer market?
  • How can I get & keep the employees I need to achieve my goals?
  • What does the “new generation” expect from employers?
  • What can established companies learn from start-ups?
  • What is the company’s purpose and how is it lived?

Measures to improve the employer brand

There are many ways in employer branding to create a modern and pleasant working environment with additional incentive systems. Since employees can be very different – keyword “Clash of Generations” – it is important to turn different screws to meet as many needs as possible.

Today, a compensation package has long been more than just a salary. It is therefore a challenge for modern management to put together a good overall package and to be authentic at the same time. Roughly speaking, there are 5 pillars that should be considered.

1. Work-Life-Balance

The name of the game in today’s job search. A good work-life balance is not only desired by applicants, it is a prerequisite and is at least as important as adequate pay. Today, it is more important than ever that the job fits in well with private life, not the other way around. This is what a company can offer in order to fulfill this wish:

  • Home Office
  • Remote Work
  • Flexible time management
  • 4-day week
  • Offer flexibility
  • Workation

2. Trust – Be a Leader, not a Boss

Employer branding is an important instrument for employee retention. It is about the social reputation of a company and the recognition of its employees as appreciative employers.

Independent work is playing an increasingly important role. In modern companies, employees are no longer purely followers of orders. Instead, they show initiative and assume responsibility. Meaningful areas of responsibility, flat hierarchies, opportunities for creative participation and development, and the strengths of each person are in the foreground.

This aspect of the management culture has a significant impact on employer branding. Positive reviews on evaluation platforms by employees should not be underestimated. Particular attention should be paid to the following:

  • Trust employees, relinquish control
  • Focus on independent work
  • Strengthen initiative & Motivation
  • Room for mistakes – talk about them & learn
  • transparency
  • communication
  • Feedback culture

3. (Tax-free) Benefits: An indispensable part of modern employer branding

A simple way to show appreciation to employees is through (tax-free) benefits. Gratitude for the work performed by employees should be reflected in more than just their salary.

The lunch allowance is particularly attractive in Austria. Tax allowances of up to €8 per employee per working day (equivalent to an annual tax allowance of €1,760 per employee) make this incentive particularly worthwhile for both sides. A varied and balanced diet has been proven to have a positive effect on human health.

As an employer, the well-being of your employees and staff catering should therefore be close to your heart – at least because of expensive sick leave and reduced productivity.

Employer Branding

Around 300,000 employees across Austria are already using Edenred’s digital meal and food vouchers. These can be easily redeemed by recycled plastic card or directly by smartphone with Apple Pay or Google Pay at more than 20,000 redemption points in retail and catering, including online.

This ensures a balanced lunch break both in the office and in the home office – a factor that should not be underestimated, both in promoting health and employee loyalty and motivation.

The following benefits are particularly suitable as employer branding measures:

  • Meal subsidy
  • Gifts on occasions (e.g. wedding, birth, anniversary, Christmas)
  • Public transport ticket
  • Support for sports activities
  • Retirement provision
  • Discounts

4. Culture & Purpose: Indispensable in Employer Branding for Generation Z

It is becoming increasingly important, especially for young talents of the younger generations who are striving to enter the job market, that the company’s values match their own. Applicants are also increasingly paying attention to the sincere and authentic commitment of companies in the areas of sustainability and social issues – the keyword here is corporate social responsibility.

The purpose is becoming the criterion by which young applicants in particular choose their employer. It must create meaning and be in harmony with that of the employees in order to motivate and evoke the best.

Pay particular attention to the following points for successful employer branding:

  • Sincere and authentic commitment
  • No social and greenwashing
  • Clear definition & communication of purpose
  • Live purpose & values
  • Allow employees to set their own initiatives

5. Workplace – more than just a desk

What may sound trivial at first glance is also part of employer branding: modern office environments are becoming increasingly popular. In order to work together successfully and develop innovative ideas, employees need appropriate spaces in which they can feel comfortable and develop.

Decentralized working often leads to desk-sharing concepts in offices. When desks are shared, fewer physical workstations are needed. This in turn means that space can be created for new premises. Here, the focus should be on connecting activities. Anyone who thinks a ping-pong table is the end of productivity has already lost out on some applicants. Team spirit and corporate culture can be crucial in employer branding.

A few suggestions for the use of won premises:

  • Telephone boxes
  • Writable walls
  • Space for recreation & creative development
  • Social spaces (games, food, etc.)

Employer Branding

Conclusion

Today’s applicants are looking for their employer. They expect more and want to change things. Companies need to rethink and quickly adapt to the new conditions in the labor market. The current recruiting market is an applicant market.

Companies need to clearly understand that it is not necessarily the job seekers who apply to the company, but also the companies as employers. If this understanding is given, an important first step towards modern employer branding has been taken.

To prepare for this, a very clear definition is needed of what a company can offer job seekers and why potential employees would want to work for it. Not only salary plays a role, but also and above all the purpose behind the company, the corporate culture, the team spirit, development opportunities, benefits, flexible working, and much more.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the “image” of the company. A good image requires real change and is more than clever communication. The topic of employer branding should therefore be pushed authentically across all channels and offer an honest insight into the company’s everyday life.

Christoph Monschein

Christoph Monschein

General Manager of Edenred Austria & Transformation Leader

Christoph is a transformation leader with >10 years of achieving growth and value creation in both P&L leadership and top-management consulting positions.

His experience includes delivering and implementing growth strategies as well as transformation strategies, developing management teams, leading local and global teams and driving change.

  • LinkedIn

What serves you next?

Leadership Horizon powered by HR INSIDE SMMIT

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus Prefer to listen to the article?...
Read More

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning Over the last few years, we at MDI have been...
Read More

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI A New Step into the World of Technologies -...
Read More

10 tips for effective communication with dominant partners

Homer Simpson has been delighting young and old for many years. Irascible to slightly choleric, he...
Read More

What is Sustainable Individualization in Leadership?

Sustainable individualization in leadership - pious hope or real alternative? In line with the...
Read More

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably?

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably? It is hard to imagine most companies today without the...
Read More

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention This article presents 5 tips on how you can build a...
Read More

3 Highlights of HR and Learning Technologies 2023

"The Future of Learning in London: 3 Highlights of the HR & Learning Technologies 2023" The...
Read More

Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

Inner Development Goals for a better leadership world Many companies invest in training and...
Read More

Successful instruments for Employee Retention

Successful instruments for Employee Retention Employer Branding: How to position your company...
Read More
How to Become a Compassionate Leader – 3 tools

How to Become a Compassionate Leader – 3 tools

by Gunther Fürstberger | Apr 18, 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership in the digital transformation, MDI Inside, Training Insights | 0 comments

How to Become a Compassionate Leader in 3 Steps

At MDI, we not only develop others, but also ourselves. That’s why our CEO Gunther Fürstberger attended a three-day seminar by systems researcher Peter Senge in Stockholm, where he gained some insights. He reports on his experiences in this blog post.

The Compassionate Leadership Masterclass

Peter Senge wrote a classic of leadership literature in 1990 with “The 5th Discipline”. When I read that he was giving a 3-day seminar in Stockholm as part of the Inner Development Goals Initiative, I knew I had to experience it. I thought about Marcus Aurelius who already said “You have to know the great ones of your time”.

The sold out Compassionate Systems Leadership Masterclass by Peter Senge and Gustav Böll took place in the artistic setting of Fotografiska Museum with about 100 participants from March 29 to 31, 2023.

The seminar title sounds a bit complicated. What is Compassionate Systems Leadership all about? A first key to understanding is the organizer: the Inner Development Initiative. In 2016, UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Since then, our planet has continued to deteriorate.

A new leadership system for a better planet

Us earthlings have obviously not yet developed the skills and attitude it takes to undo the damage of the industrial age.

This is where the Inner Development Initiative comes in: The change in attitude must begin with the individual. Engaging broadly and deeply with the Inner Development Goals in the 5 categories of Being, Thinking, Relating, Collaborating, and Acting will help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Our planet now needs a different kind of leadership than we know from the industrial age. It starts with feeling nature and other people and should lead to some sense of connection with others or even all beings on the planet.

Hardly anyone wants to intentionally cause grievances, but who is really aware of the effects of their own actions? System thinking can help to understand both short- and long-term impacts and interactions a little better.

New findings on two levels

Learning for me has taken place on two levels during these days. On the one hand, I got to know new tools or deepened known tools. On the other hand, the trainers were an inspiration in their handling of the group and their use of methods.

From the numerous thinking tools I pick out the three that I found particularly typical for Compassionate Systems Leadership.

Tool 1

First, as an overview tool, there is the three-legged chair (see figure 1). The legs represent aspiration, reflective conversations, and systems awareness. If one leg is missing, the stool falls over.

Without a creative imagining of a better environment, there is no improvement. Without reflection or a deeper understanding of systems, we quickly end up in dead ends despite having good intentions. 

Three-legged chair

Tool 2

The ladder of connectedness

The second tool is the “ladder of connectedness” (see figure 2), which confused me initially: From bottom to top, the ladder levels are called “agape, neutral presence, altruism, cognitive empathy, in-group empathy, empathic stress, and emotional distance.”

We can harness gravity to move toward deeper connectedness, i.e., strive more toward the lower levels. Confusion can be a sign of real learning. I could not easily assign this idea to an already stored concept. It seemed to fit most closely with a Buddhist understanding.

We may not achieve agape, all-connected love, but we can create a neutral presence even in difficult situations. It also needs the higher levels: A surgeon should manage to distance themselves emotionally for self-protection.

Neutral instead of empathetic

Distance also helps sometimes in conflicts that go round in circles. Empathic stress is something I can relate to as a father of younger children. When my 8-year-old and my 6-year-old argue loudly with each other, it seems easier for me to demand that they stop for the short term because it helps me reduce my internal tension. But in the long run, it doesn’t help me.

In-group empathy may lead to good cooperation in the team, in the company or even in one’s own country, but at the same time it may exclude those who do not belong to the group. I take it upon myself to practice more neutral presence, which is enduring tension and contradiction.

Ladder of Connectedness

Tool 3

Creative Tension

Now our third and a simpler tool (see figure 3): The principle of creative tension. I already knew that a vision needs the right level of challenge, because something we have already achieved or something we can never achieve is not good as a vision.

I found the continuation of the thought interesting: We can imagine the tension between reality and vision as a rubber band. When that tension becomes too uncomfortable for us, we often tend to either lower our aspirations or not tell the whole truth about the current state.

An energy source for change

A good example are an organization’s sustainability goals. When we consciously seek and hold this tension, we tap into the energy source for change. This principle of creativity is also found in theater as drama, in music as tonus, and in the Greek rhetoric. In this respect, it is not a new idea, but it is effective when we strive for change.

I was also interested in what Peter Senge is like as a person. I have already met some of the “greats of the lecture scene” away from the stage and with some of them I had the impression that it was difficult for them to live the conveyed messages themselves. That is also human.

Peter with rubber band

Peter Senge as a Human

In the morning of Day three, there was an emotionally expressed resistance from a participant who questioned the usefulness of the whole seminar. She said Peter Senge held on to the statement that we always have a choice and do not have to be influenced by external circumstances, despite her doubts expressed the day before.

Now I was curious. Will he maybe feel attacked and defend himself or let it stand as an individual opinion? He did not react immediately, but let other participants speak first. Later, he resonated, apologized, thanked for the learning opportunity, and did so with an authenticity and elegance that really impressed me.

He always treated his much younger co-trainer at eye level and was so moved several times that tears came to his eyes.

My summary

In the spirit of Marcus Aurelius, I had the opportunity to meet two greats of our time. Especially the combination of two trainers from different generations fits the challenges of our time.

Even though I have not implemented all of the presented contexts and tools and I am also not sure whether the term Compassionate System Leadership will become widely accepted, I recommend every leader to deal with the basic idea. A more sustainable leadership culture would do us and the planet good.

Mag. Gunther Fürstberger

Mag. Gunther Fürstberger

CEO | MDI Management Development International

Gunther Fürstberger is a management trainer, author and CEO of MDI – a global consulting company providing solutions for leadership development. His main interest is to make the world a better place through sustainable leadership. He has worked for clients including ABB, Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim, DHL, Google, Hornbach, PWC and Swarovski. His core competence is leadership in digital transformation. At the age of 20 he already started working as a trainer and he also served as HR manager in international corporations.

  • LinkedIn

What serves you next?

Leadership Horizon powered by HR INSIDE SMMIT

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus Prefer to listen to the article?...
Read More

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning Over the last few years, we at MDI have been...
Read More

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI A New Step into the World of Technologies -...
Read More

10 tips for effective communication with dominant partners

Homer Simpson has been delighting young and old for many years. Irascible to slightly choleric, he...
Read More

What is Sustainable Individualization in Leadership?

Sustainable individualization in leadership - pious hope or real alternative? In line with the...
Read More

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably?

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably? It is hard to imagine most companies today without the...
Read More

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention This article presents 5 tips on how you can build a...
Read More

3 Highlights of HR and Learning Technologies 2023

"The Future of Learning in London: 3 Highlights of the HR & Learning Technologies 2023" The...
Read More

Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

Inner Development Goals for a better leadership world Many companies invest in training and...
Read More

Successful instruments for Employee Retention

Successful instruments for Employee Retention Employer Branding: How to position your company...
Read More
When and why should leadership be shared?

When and why should leadership be shared?

by Bardia Monshi | Mar 27, 2023 | Agile Leadership, International leadership development, learning effectiveness | 0 comments

The Power of Shared Leadership

When and why should leadership be shared?

Bardia Monshi talks on-stage on 23.05.2023 @ the Leadership Horizon about the challenge of Shared Leadership. He is convinced it’s time for WeQ! He gives practical examples of when and why leadership should be shared, especially in times of uncertainty.

(more…)

5 measures for an integrative corporate culture

5 measures for an integrative corporate culture

by Desiree Jonek | Mar 6, 2023 | Best Practice, International leadership development, Leadership Tips | 0 comments

5 measures for an integrative corporate culture

In this interview, we ask Desiree Jonek , co-founder of WoMentor and the author of the brand new paper “5 effective measures to navigate the shift to an inclusive and performing corporate culture “, 3 big questions about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI):

(more…)

One Size Fits None: An Appeal for Better Leaders

One Size Fits None: An Appeal for Better Leaders

by Hamza Khan | Feb 27, 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership Impact, Leadership Tips | 0 comments

One Size Fits None: An Appeal for Better Leaders

According to Deloitte University Press, 86% of companies have identified developing new leaders as an “urgent” need. And upon closer inspection, it’s clear to see why. 

Incompetency as a Norm

When it comes to managers’ performance, alarmingly, the norm seems to be incompetence. In a recent study, Gallup found that companies fail to choose suitable candidates for management roles a staggering 82% of the time. Now to be fair, there are not many qualified potential people to choose from in the first place.

In another report, Gallup revealed that only 1 in 10 people possess requisite management talents, such as the ability to build relationships that create trust, open dialogue, and full transparency. And of those who do end up becoming managers, their talent is seldom nurtured. 

A survey by Career Builders found that a whopping 58% of managers receive little-to-no management training. Alas, most bosses aren’t necessarily good at making the people around them better. And how this plays out in workplaces across the planet is disheartening.

For instance, a Harvard Business Review study uncovered that 58% of people trust strangers more than their bosses. So arguably, they are more willing to let their children get into an Uber driven by a complete stranger than they are to let them work with their boss. In light of these findings, it’s no surprise that most employees—upwards of 80% according to some of the most comprehensive studies—are disengaged, looking for other jobs, and ditching traditional employment to pursue entrepreneurship. 

Who is your Leadership Inspiration?

As it happens, the modern workplace is overrun by bosses who aren’t qualified to lead. Reflect on your career for a moment by thinking about the best boss you worked for, as well as the worst boss you worked for. Once you’ve visualized them, ask yourself: whose leadership style do you strive to emulate?

If you picked the best boss you worked for, then you have an innate understanding of the complex problem at hand, as well as its embarrassingly simple solution.

On one side, it’s heartening to see organizations worldwide upgrade from simple Corporate Social Responsibility commitments to more holistic and comprehensive Environmental, Social, and Governance commitments, as well as aspire to B-Corp status.

Glimpses of a positive-sum thriving future are visible through the cracks of the prevailing zero-sum failing system. A full year before we plunged into the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, made this urgent appeal to his contemporaries at the 2019 Business Roundtable Forum: 

“The purpose of business now transcends shareholders. We need a reinvented system focused on employees, customers, communities, and the planet.”  

Leadership Inspiration

Meaningful Leadership

Benioff believes that companies should use their power to advance meaningful causes. And chief among them is the fight against climate change. In doing so, he joins a small but rising list of industry captains—including Patagonia Founder Yves Chouinard, who made headlines for relinquishing his entire stake in the company to fight climate change—who speak up about the necessary structural changes required to stand a chance against the world’s most pressing issue.

So on one side, it seems that leaders have their hearts in the right places as far as environmental sustainability is concerned. But on the other, a peculiar problem is intensifying: organizations are living shorter and shorter lives. Consider that in 1958, the average age of an S&P 500 company was a healthy 61 years. But in 2023, that number is down to a mere 18 years.

In fact, McKinsey calculates that most S&P 500 companies will disappear by 2027. I suspect that this rate of decay has a lot to do with the aforementioned issue of bad bosses. As I wrote about extensively in my pandemic-inspired book, “Leadership, Reinvented,” during times of change and crises, people don’t “step up”—they actually “fall back” and “sink” to the level of their values, training, and preparation. 

Given that most managers are incompetent and that our world is becoming increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, the problem becomes clearer: overwhelmed and incompetent bosses are reverting to and doubling down on a counterproductive style of management—a remnant of the early Industrial Revolutions, known in the leadership literature as “Dominance.” 

Dominance-Oriented Leadership

Dominance-oriented leadership it’s a one-size-fits-all style of management which relies on force and intimidation to induce fear. Below are common traits of this leadership style:

  1. Assertive
  2. Highly Directive
  3. Top-Down
  4. Traditional
  5. Command-And-Control
  6. Hierarchical 
  7. Coercive
  8. Intimidating
  9. Punitive
  10. Authoritative

Dominance-oriented leaders are inclined to enjoy giving orders, intimidating subordinates, overly relying on reward and punishment, and prioritizing the organization’s needs over those it employs. The one critical problem with this management style is that it doesn’t replicate.

And so, in the truest sense of the word, it’s an unsustainable approach to managing. After all, think back to the bad boss you visualized earlier—you’re actively choosing not to replicate their management style.



Dominance-oriented leadership

Caught up in Dominance cycles, most companies—whether on the S&P 500 or FTSE Eurofirst 300—haven’t committed to comprehensive measures to fight climate change, such as running net zero carbon operations. Staring into the abyss of time, afraid, the managers of these companies are making the grave mistake of prioritizing greater profits.

All the while, they’re exacerbating the very problem that will upend their business. Intimidation can beget compliance, but relationships based on Dominance are less stable. Getting out of unstable survival mode involves looking to the opposite approach to Dominance, namely, Prestige. 

Prestige-Oriented Leadership

This style of management involves the sharing of expertise or know-how to gain respect. Prestige-oriented leaders are servant leaders who care about relationships with their team, avoid intimidation and coercion, strive to be role models, use soft power to influence subordinates, and create more organizational leaders. Below are common traits of this leadership style:

  1. Transformational 
  2. Humble
  3. Non-Directive
  4. Empowering
  5. Egalitarian
  6. Inspiring
  7. Generous
  8. Admired
  9. Supportive
  10. Authentic

Benefits of Prestige-Oriented Leadership

Compared to Dominance, Prestige is more tedious to manifest, for it requires substantial tailoring to the needs of individuals. But the caveat is that of the two, Prestige is the only style that is widely and willingly replicated. In this way, it’s the only sustainable option. But putting aside the question of ease, Prestige is actually better for business.

A ten-year examination of stock market returns for the 20 best-ranked public companies on Glassdoor reveals that 60% have beaten the S&P 500, and 91% have had positive returns. And behold, Fortune’s Top 100 best companies to work at also outperformed the S&P 500 over the past decade. The top company, Adobe, beat the market by 9.5% each year and returned 1762% during this time.

And according to the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, companies that promote a culture of health, safety, and well-being also outperformed the market by 2% per year, with a weighted return on equity of 264% (compared with the S&P 500 return of 243%). It turns out that exceptional places to work create outstanding returns for their shareholders. So while Prestige may be a more challenging path to the top, it’s absolutely worth doing.



Prestige-Oriented Leadership

Dominance or Prestige?

Are there situations where a Dominance-oriented leader performs better than a Prestige-oriented leader? Yes. A top-down, dominant approach can be efficient when a solid plan is in place, and a highly coordinated, unified effort is needed to deliver it.

A dominant leader can make each part of a company adhere to clearly defined actions, and can save time through quick and firm decision-making. But all this assumes that there is a healthy relationship between managers and employees, and that good communication and buy-in have taken place.

Which, as we know, is simply not the case in the modern workplace. One way to rethink the Prestige-Dominance dichotomy is as a permission-based blend—the privilege of successful Prestige orientation is the earned ability to switch to Dominance as the needs of the organization and its people change. 

For Human Resources and Learning & Development professionals, the business case is clear. And it needs to be communicated to managers across the organization—potential managers, newly minted managers, and C-Suite alike: lead with Prestige. Early in my career, a mentor advised me that a leader’s true purpose is to “develop new leaders.”

A coordinated contingent of Prestige-oriented leaders is critical to navigating our world away from impending environmental catastrophe and toward a sustainable positive-sum future. And this global effort depends on every organization’s ability to develop new leaders. 

Hamza Khan

Hamza Khan

Keynote Speaker

Hamza Khan is a best-selling author, award-winning entrepreneur, and globally-renowned keynote speaker whose TEDx talk “Stop Managing, Start Leading” has been viewed over two million times.

The world’s leading organizations trust him to enhance modern leadership, inspire purposeful productivity, nurture lasting resilience, and navigate constant change.

This could also interest you:

Leadership Horizon powered by HR INSIDE SMMIT

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus

by Peter Grabuschnig | 17. August 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership in the digital transformation, training new leader | 0 Comments

Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus Prefer to listen to the article? Click below to access our AI speech-generated audio. However, if you want to read it as usual, keep scrolling.Promoting Cohesion and Retaining Talent: Leadership in Focus In...
Read More

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning

by Iris Burner, Melanie Holzner | 26. July 2023 | Customer Story, Leadership Tips, learning effectiveness | 0 Comments

High-Impact through Blended and Flexible Learning Over the last few years, we at MDI have been working with more and more tools to strengthen high-impact with our clients. In this blog post, we'll introduce you to two of these tools: Blended Learning, which we use at...
Read More

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI

by Jana Wölfl | 26. July 2023 | Agile Leadership, eLearning, Leadership in the digital transformation | 0 Comments

What Leaders Should Consider When Implementing AI A New Step into the World of Technologies - Artificial Intelligence for Leaders Prefer to listen to the article? Click below to access our AI speech-generated audio. However, if you want to read it as usual, keep...
Read More

10 tips for effective communication with dominant partners

by Dominik Etzl | 20. July 2023 | Best Practice, Leadership Tips, learning effectiveness | 0 Comments

Homer Simpson has been delighting young and old for many years. Irascible to slightly choleric, he says straightforwardly what he thinks, is constantly annoyed by trivialities, and doesn't give much thought to the opinions and advice of others. If you meet such a...
Read More

What is Sustainable Individualization in Leadership?

by Iris Burner | 28. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, Leadership Impact, Leadership in the digital transformation | 0 Comments

Sustainable individualization in leadership - pious hope or real alternative? In line with the last blog post on our MDI website "Inner Development Goals For a Better Leadership World", this time we dedicate ourselves to the megatrend topic of individualization and...
Read More

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably?

by Aline Depoorter, Jana Wölfl | 26. June 2023 | Leadership Impact, Leadership Tips, MDI Inside | 0 Comments

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably? It is hard to imagine most companies today without the concept of "sustainable leadership." Leaders are not only becoming more privately aware of the impact of climate change but also want to fight it on a corporate level. In this...
Read More

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

by Peter Grabuschnig | 26. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, International leadership development, Leadership Tips | 0 Comments

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention This article presents 5 tips on how you can build a strong corporate culture within the trend of hybrid work that fosters a sense of belonging to your company. The challenge of a hybrid work environment presents companies...
Read More

3 Highlights of HR and Learning Technologies 2023

by Nicole Wessely | 26. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, eLearning | 0 Comments

"The Future of Learning in London: 3 Highlights of the HR & Learning Technologies 2023" The Learning Technology 2023 in London was a groundbreaking event that showcased the latest developments in learning and technology. The event attracted a wide range of diverse...
Read More

Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

by Gunther Fürstberger | 30. May 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership Impact, training new leader | 0 Comments

Inner Development Goals for a better leadership world Many companies invest in training and programs to prepare their leaders for the challenges of business. But in addition to traditional goals such as increasing sales and optimizing efficiency, Inner Development...
Read More

Successful instruments for Employee Retention

by Christoph Monschein | 26. April 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership in the digital transformation, Leadership Tips | 0 Comments

Successful instruments for Employee Retention Employer Branding: How to position your company sustainably as an attractive employer Today's employers and leaders face several challenges. The search for qualified employees is becoming increasingly difficult and...
Read More
« Older Entries

Information

  • Imprint
  • MDI company website

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn

© MDI Management Development Institute, 2020