Stay on Course

The first 90 days are over. Now it is important to maintain the momentum of a new leadership culture. This includes, in particular, living the team mission statement and generally following the imperative to “walk your talk”, i.e. to actually deliver what has been promised so far as new momentum, because this determines the credibility of a leader. Important issues here are communication and the great need for open, honest and timely feedback, both appreciative and encouraging as well as critical and constructive when deviations occur. When it comes to talent management, it is crucial that talent is not only identified but also consistently challenged and nurtured and this is a very important task for leadership and not just HR, especially in the age of the “war for talent”. Managing teams virtually and across different time zones as well as different cultures is another leadership challenge, with growing importance. This requires discipline, a high degree of empathy and an intercultural sensitivity. Even in the best teams with exemplary cooperation it can happen that problems arise in the teamwork, be it that a new team member joins or personal problems of a member fade into the daily solidarity in a disturbing way. In this case, ignoring any misbehavior is the wrong option because it doesn’t solve the problem. There is a very simple process to get this back on track. With all modesty, it is also important for a leader himself that his own performance is visible and not only to his direct boss. What can I do to achieve this? Further aspects in this chapter are the topics leadership in times of crisis – how do I deal with difficult requirements and also the integration of different company/leadership cultures in mergers. Both topics with which any new leader will be confronted sooner or later. For both you will find here recommendations from experiences made.