Great Resignation
In Forbes’ end of November edition there is an article „How to manage the Great Resignation”.
I quote: “The spike in staff departures known as the Great Resignation is centred on America: a record 3% of the workforce there quit their jobs in September. But employees in other places are also footloose. Resignations explain why job-to-job moves in Britain reached a record high in the third quarter of this year.”
The situation around employees loosing motivation and getting disengaged is getting more and more severe. Leaders need to find updated ways to deal with the New Reality.
What is your management expecting from its leaders to keep your employees motivated and engaged and not just on paper on-board?
Other thoughts? Add them to the comments below.
Interview with Michael Aagaard Anderson, Global Brand Builder
I was very lucky to conduct an interview with Michael Aagaard Andersen, a world-class brand builder who was my best leader ever at the beginning of my career at LEGO. I never experienced such an outstanding level of empathy, motivation and support. What an example to follow. He is sharing his view on some extremely important questions about leadership. Enjoy the start of the year with the thought-generating answers of Michael.
What three leadership strengths do leaders need to be successful?
So, Krisztina, in my mind, leadership is quite simply the capacity a person has to influence the behaviour of others toward a goal, and to do things they would not otherwise have the skills or motivation to achieve.
Hence, to be successful as a leader you need the ability
– to formulate an inspiring vision,
– to secure alignment, and
– to coach the team to deliver on strategic goals.
Besides the above, the leadership skill that I believe has helped me the most in my international business career, is my intercultural sensitivity and self-awareness – or as you prefer to call it at LPA, my capacity for self-reflection. Only if you know yourself fully, can you be a great leader.
What was a moment in your life when self-reflection helped you to achieve a breakthrough?
I’ve made a habit of performing self-reflection almost daily, in connection with my exercise regime. Whether going over a hill on my mountain bike, cross-country running or kayaking, as soon as my body begins to release the feel-good chemicals, dopamine and endorphins, I start reflecting on the issues facing the businesses that I am involved with. Often my most profound breakthrough ideas have come to me in connection with self-reflection during an exercise high.
What stands in the way of self-reflection for most leaders?
I can only speak for myself but a lack of time can be a road-block. Also, as an active board member and advisor, I have seen “not invented here” and even arrogance stand in the way of this important leadership skill. But the biggest self-reflection “killer” is the inability to listen, and not being open to feedback. I have come across this problem both in early-stage startups and established enterprises.
Leaders suffering from this inability need to come and see you and your team and get on your world-renowned LPA program to open their minds!
What role do the skills of unlearning and relearning play in the development of a leader?
If leaders are able to un-learn skills that don’t serve them any more, this makes space for new, necessary behaviours. Then, these new habits and ways of working can be re-learned in a better way.
Today, what do you think is the primary reason people are leaving their jobs?
Krisztina, we have long known that employees do not leave their jobs – they leave bad managers – managers with low emotional intelligence, that micro-manage, exhibit a closed mindset, that play favourites, that bully, blame, and steal credit. And the pandemic has only accelerated this trend.
Today, what is the best way for leaders to remotivate their teams?
If the past 2 years have taught us anything, it’s that employees crave focus on the human aspects of work. Employees are exhausted. They want a renewed sense of purpose in their work. They want meaningful interactions, and they want to feel a sense of shared identity.
To achieve all this, today many senior executives are being challenged to rethink and reimagine how they lead. Now is the time for leaders to unlearn and relearn how to best perform in a post-Covid world – and that’s something I know you people at LPA really excel at helping them to achieve.
Thank you Michael for your thoughtful response to our questions.
Do you want to understand how the LPA Method could help your organization?
Contact Us
Conversation with Olena Tymofiyiva
CEO ALD Automotive Hungary
Today, we are talking with Olena Tymofiyiva, CEO of ALD Automotive Hungary. ALD Automotive offers corporate fleet management and long-term leasing services. They carry out more than 1,700,000 cars worldwide in 43 countries. Owned by the French group Société Générale, which is the dominant financial institution of the eurozone. ALD Automotive is a leader in both Europe and Hungary.
As CEO for Hungary, Olena provides great insight into leadership expectations through practical experience, observation, and leading teams.
What is something that you expect from ALL your leaders?
First of all – the attitude. Being passionate and determined toward what they are doing.
Another important detail is higher-than-average standards. Standards become habits. And then habits become outcomes. Exceptional results are almost always achieved by humans with higher-than-average standards.
Do you think you need to be a born leader or can you become a great leader by developing leadership skills?
Well, it is definitely both. Leadership is a mindset. There is no universal definition of what makes the best leader. In the same way chefs specialize in certain cuisines or musicians master specific genres, leaders can lead in different ways.
The only things, probably, that keep someone from becoming a sound leader are lack of character, effort and desire. Everything else can be developed. It’s not what you’ve been given, but rather what you do with it that matters.
Some people mistakenly believe that a leadership “title” gives them the “authority” to lead and be more effective. I would say, if you need a title to be heard, you don’t have a voice probably.
What is the role of self-reflection in your opinion as a leader?
Taking a step outside of yourself is very powerful. It helps leaders in three different directions:
1. Acknowledgment – facing the fear & disabling its ability to frighten you
2. Gratitude – having a moment of gratitude and compassion for yourself and other people
3. Setting goals to grow – taking actions toward meaningful things based on true values
What type of leadership development do you think works best?
I strongly believe that only ability to learn, unlearn and relearn makes people agile and ready for challenges. Seeking, acquiring and sharing knowledge should be a continuous process throughout the life of a leader, to benefit your career and keep you ahead of the game. It’s a well-known fact that humans who changed the world are those who were brave enough to change themselves first.
How can leaders maximize their potential?
The first and most important thing to know about leadership is that it’s not a position. It’s a process. Your ability to lead others is only as good as your ability to be the leader of you. Before you can maximize your leadership potential with others, you should be well-led yourself. One of the powerful tools to use is coaching and mentoring, as well as constant re-evaluation. It gives a sense of direction, accountability, and allows leaders to measure how they are doing.
What advice would you give today’s leaders to follow in our complex world?
Stay curious. Exceed expectations. Be ambitious. Shift from reactive to proactive.
Take calculated risks to learn continuously and stay out of your comfort zone. It’s ok to have fears, but it is important to find the strength to face and overcome them. By default, we do things we like and enjoy. When we start doing uncomfortable things, we grow.
If you see a problem and want to do something about it, act. If someone else is doing something inspiring, help. You have nothing to lose. Don’t expect anything in return.
Listen to diverse opinions and feedback. Surround yourself with people that inspire you. Who you work with is equally if not more important than what you work on and where you work at.
Instead “all or nothing” – each step matters. Instead “life is a competition” –life is an adventure. Enjoy it.
When somebody is using “Learn-Unlearn-Relearn” concept
What is the impact of being open to Learning?
I want to share the success story of the French owner of a car part designing and manufacturing company.
Their HR manager asked me to run a training for their shift and team leaders. The training was tough because I was bombarded with complaints about dire circumstances and many smaller and bigger critical working conditions.
I felt that participants were so full of negative thoughts that it was nearly impossible to make them pay attention and open them up for learning.
So I offered them to share their problems with the owner. They gave me their green light, and since they felt that someone cared about them, they started to be active in the workshop.
How to react to employee feedback
The day after the training, I sent a text message to the owner and told him that I heard some complaints about the working conditions in his company and asked him if he wanted to hear about them. He immediately shared his availability with me, and in a few days, we had our first meeting. He even booked a meeting room in a hotel to have a safe place for confidential discussions. He took notes and listened carefully to every word I said. He sometimes stopped me and asked for clarification.
A week later, he called me and asked if I was willing to coach him and told me about the changes he initiated. I was so impressed by his speed of action!
During his 10-session coaching journey, he did a lot of self-reflection about the management culture in his company. Very soon, his organization saw some significant changes. The reforms enacted were over 15 years ago.
Yesterday I attended a company event with his management team. He was also there. I observed how carefully he was making sure that nobody had to stay alone at dinner. He even put together tables so that people could sit together in bigger groups. Attention to detail has always been essential for him. It felt amazing to think back on how huge the impact of self-reflection, willingness, and ability to change can be. The once “cold” owner became an exceptional, inspiring leader with superior emotional intelligence. He needed openness for feedback, even if it hurt a lot sometimes, to look into the mirror, unlearn old habits, and learn new tools and techniques for his management skillset.