“Leaders must push team members out of their comfort zones.”
Dr. Hans W. Hagemann of Munich Leadership Group about the importance of being honest without scaring people off
Dear Hans Werner, you write that the latest brain research has debunked long-held myths about the fundamental limits and motivations of people. What myths are these and what new findings should make leaders in particular pay attention?
The most significant realization is the importance of sufficient sleep, exercise and nutrition and their interplay for long-term cognitive performance. A few years ago, people were almost envious of colleagues who boasted about working 16 hours a day and getting by on four hours’ sleep. They wanted to constantly deliver peak performance. Diet and exercise played a subordinate role. The logical consequence was burnout, which was usually swept under the carpet. Today, we are replacing the myth of constant peak performance with the concept of Best Perfomance for our clients. It’s about being able to call up the right performance with the utmost precision at all times. When you’re driving your car, you don’t drive through the city center with the pedal to the metal, you call up the right performance and are vigilant about constantly adjusting it. And while you are doing this, you are training your powers of observation, self-awareness and agility.
The world has changed rapidly in recent years. Despite this, many leaders still think and act in outdated ways. What needs to happen for this to change? What findings from brain research can help? Or to put it another way: can leaders outsmart their brains, according to the motto ‘Don’t believe everything you think?’
Some of the outdated patterns are hierarchical thinking, the belief in linear progress and the fairy tale of constant growth. Yet the central theme of our time is disruption. It is the most important task of leaders to get this into the minds of employees and support them in accelerating transformation. However, we are seeing too much soft-pedaling in companies. The situation is not taken seriously enough, irrelevant information is relied upon, people cling to slogans or completely pointless token projects are launched. All of this costs unnecessarily valuable time and ultimately leads to learned helplessness. More knowledge about the function of the brain helps enormously. The basic principle is that our brains always try to provide us with the greatest possible security. Leaders need to get employees out of their comfort zones in order to create change. They need to use emotions much more constructively. They need to create psychological safety, increase curiosity in a targeted way and help the team to deal with uncertainty. Then the desire to perform will grow.
Does the ‘typical leadership brain’ exist? And what characterizes it?
No, there is no such thing. It’s down to the interplay between personal behavioral preferences and the respective environmental conditions. We observe time and again that the same leaders are extremely successful in one environment and suddenly underperform when they move to another. The basis of our work is therefore to give leaders as much self-awareness as possible and help them to make the best possible use of their individual strengths in every environment.
What else is important to be a good leader? What qualities do the leaders of today and tomorrow need to have?
We work intensively with our clients in training and coaching sessions on the topics of self-reflection, openness to new ideas, dealing with uncertainty and providing orientation.
Every leader is a role model, whether they want to be or not. You are always on stage. Each of us has a network of so-called mirror neurons in our brains that constantly scan the behavior of others and tempt us to imitate them if the person in question seems important to us.
It is therefore less important what leaders say than what they actually do. An increasingly important leadership skill will be to ‘shake up’ employees, as we call it, in a controlled manner. Making them insecure in their established behavioral patterns in order to move them out of their comfort zones without frightening them. Only there, outside the comfort and fear zones, is learning possible.
Leadership qualities are no longer only necessary at the top of a company, but in every team. How do companies find such personalities?
Through targeted observation of their own talents. There is no better playing field than the real situation. Leaders must learn to observe very closely what is happening in their own environment. They must recognise talents by their strengths and promote them in a targeted manner. As we will be working more and more in networks and matrix organizations, natural authority will become more important. Who contributes good ideas without boasting about them? Who thinks in overarching contexts? Who is listened to, whose contributions carry weight? Who expresses seemingly absurd ideas from time to time, is not easily discouraged and shows resilience? We run development centers with some of our clients in which talents and their strengths are identified at an early stage in a playful and appreciative manner. The right use of these talents and how they are handled will be decisive for the success of the company in the future.
The further development of AI has accelerated the transformation of the world of work many times over. Can our brains even keep up with this? How do we manage not only to grasp the complex environment around us, but also to work with it?
It all depends on whether what is happening around us is perceived as a threat or an opportunity.
And leaders have a decisive influence on this. Imagine you’re a parent driving through thick fog with your three small children in the back seat and you can’t see your hand in front of your eyes. Of course you’re scared. But you can deal with it by adjusting your speed, using the fog lights and paying extra attention. What about the three small children? You can of course tell them that you’re scared and that you’re prepared for a collision at any time. Then you probably won’t be able to control the screaming in the back seats. But you could also point to the sat nav and tell them that there’s a petrol station five kilometers away where you can take a little break with popcorn. The situation is the same, you’ve told the truth, you’ve given guidance and you’re moving on. In the future, it will be a matter of dealing constructively with these probably growing uncertainties.
How is AI changing the process of recruitment itself and to what extent can findings from brain research be helpful?
Selecting the right people and providing them with targeted support in developing their talents into strengths is becoming a game changer in a competitive environment. We have been using psychometric tools for several years as an instrument for self-reflection, always combined with intensive debriefing for the individual leader. Some tools have come to a standstill in their development or are no longer up to date. AI will help to create much more accurate profiles through the precise processing of huge data sets and considerably more in-depth calculations. This is where Zortify’s AI-based diagnostics really help us. We use it as a starting point for coaching when conducting in-depth personality analysis. Zortify’s AI differentiates very well, especially in the top management area, and prepares the ground for a profound examination of one’s own understanding of leadership. Leaders who have been in the business for a long time find this a particularly welcome leadership update. In addition, it will soon be possible to predict successful behavior in different team setups.
To what extent will it be more difficult for applicants to get a position with socially desirable answers in the future?
Social desirability is the main bias that we need to get a better handle on if we want to use personality analysis in talent recruitment and development in a meaningful way. I don’t see how we can significantly limit the effect of social desirability with conventional personality methods. Sure, there are lie scores that also measure the honesty of the answers. But as long as we only work on the basis of questionnaire-based self-assessments, everyone is free to answer honestly or dishonestly.
If we cannot avoid social desirability, how can we make it visible?
In HR diagnostics, we achieve better results when we combine different methods that are valid in themselves. For example, Zortify opens up a new source of information by using indirect personality measurement via the analysis of written free text responses. This makes it possible to visualize differences between the self-assessment using questionnaire items and the findings from the indirect method of text analysis. That’s very promising.
Why is it so important in psychometric diagnosis to add indirect methods (method within the method)?
Projective methods, for example, help to get distance from one’s own emotions that could distort the answer. ‘What would you say about a colleague who …’ makes it easier to tackle sensitive issues. In our Development Centres, there are many practical simulations in which real difficult situations are dealt with in a playful way instead of just cognitive self-assessments.
Will AI be the brains of the organization in the future and will humans have to master the so-called ‘soft skills’ above all?
We will see. I believe that AI will indeed be the rational artificial brain that will provide all kinds of information in every conceivable form and analysis in a matter of seconds. Unbiased. But this will also lead to increasing conformity. The difference will then be made by leaders who work creatively on the basis of a solid human value system and a high level of self-awareness and who recognise the special nature of situations that no one else can see. In this context, I believe that there will be a reassessment of the importance of cognitive and emotional biases. After all, we humans are top performers precisely because the sum of our personal biases makes us unique and sometimes somewhat quirky personalities with all their flaws, peculiarities and unpredictability.
What future of work are you looking forward to?
To a time with even more mutual appreciation, more flexibility, more self-determination and, above all, a desire to perform.
Munich Leadership Group Website
Hybrid work: the ‘person first’ approach and the role of AI
Return to the office or offer flexibility and freedom? – Hybrid working combines the best of both worlds. At the same time, it presents organizations with challenges in maintaining productivity, engagement and wellbeing. Understanding the different personalities in teams has never been more important. Hybrid work environments require hybrid recruitment and development strategies, namely those that add a third pillar to the personal impression and the facts from CVs and application documents: AI-based personality assessments that make it possible to find out what really makes someone tick and what he or she needs to be able to work well. They can make a significant contribution to optimizing hybrid working environments. A recent survey found that 8 out of 10 employers have lost talent due to the obligation to return to the office, underlining the need for a balanced and personalized approach. ‘Person first’ as an extension of “people first”.
Why personality is important in hybrid work
Hybrid work environments affect different personality types differently. Introverts, for example, tend to thrive in structured hybrid environments, while extroverted employees tend to struggle with the isolation of remote work. There can be no one-size-fits-all solution, simply because companies should have an interest in forming heterogeneous and diverse teams. After all, these are proven to be more successful. This means that companies must also act strategically with regard to working environments to ensure that collaboration works well.
Form determines performance
The ‘Extended Mind Theory’, for example, states that our thinking must always be considered in conjunction with our environment. Where someone works therefore has a significant influence on how that person works. Companies should ask themselves what resources their employees have access to in order to think and perform well, and whether these are sufficient. After all, employees’ potential sometimes lies untapped because the spatial conditions do not allow them to develop in a way that suits their personality. Or to put it positively: Companies should be aware of the different preferences when designing work environments in order to promote the strengths of their employees.
Personalized recommendations for greater productivity
Based on the personality data analyzed with the help of AI, HR can make personalized recommendations for employees to make their day-to-day work more productive and enjoyable. These recommendations can relate to a variety of aspects, such as the selection of the ideal work location (whether in the office or working from home) or the use of suitable communication tools (e.g. video conferencing vs. chats). Similarly, employees who work better in quiet environments could receive specific suggestions for office areas that meet their needs. Last but not least, AI can help to put together teams in such a way that employees with complementary personality traits work together in the best possible way. This personalized and balanced approach not only promotes employee efficiency, but also their well-being and satisfaction in the workplace.
AI literacy: These are the key skills for modern HR work
The use of AI systems will revolutionize the HR sector. Not using AI is no longer an option. It is now a matter of developing the necessary skills to be able to use the technology in a targeted manner. HR professionals need to start equipping themselves with the knowledge they need to use AI tools effectively while retaining the invaluable human judgment that machines cannot replace.
Employee diagnostics: What do you care about my personality?
Which personality traits should companies definitely know about their employees? How are behavioral expectations in the work context changing with the new generation of young employees (GenZ)? Why should companies therefore take a very close look at the characteristics of future leaders in particular?
HR should focus far more on personalities!
The so-called “hard” skills that companies need are changing faster than ever before. Today’s expert skills will be yesterday’s news tomorrow. What remains are the supposedly “soft” skills and people’s personalities. The better companies know their employees, the better they can assess who they should invest in in terms of professional and personal development.
From Quiet Quitting to Quiet Thriving
How AI promotes a proactive work culture
Every movement has its counter-movement. This is also the case in HR. While “Quiet Quitting” describes a state in which employees only do the bare minimum, “Quiet Thriving” is a concept that encourages people to actively and creatively participate in their work sphere.
A proactive counter-design
The idea behind this approach is that people have a fundamental need for joy, development and fulfillment in their work. This creates motivation to not just strive for the minimum, even in a working environment that is perceived as rather negative, but to take on a proactive role. Such an attitude contributes to mental health and makes it possible to positively shape the environment within one’s own capabilities.
Exploring the possibilities
The “Circle of Control, Influence and Concern“, a model from positive psychology, shows the different levels of influence and the resulting options for action. It illustrates very well that some things are within our control and others are not. Recognizing and differentiating between them paves the way to more (inner) freedom and enjoyment of our own actions, even under suboptimal conditions.
In relation to the work context, this essentially raises three questions:
- If I cannot control or influence my work environment, can I learn to accept it? (e.g. the behavior of my manager)
- If a problem in my work environment is not within my control, can I influence it so that I experience at least some enjoyment at work? (e.g. work routine)
- What is within my control? How can I gradually increase my scope of action in order to not only do the bare minimum, but to develop and contribute my own ideas out of an inner drive that pay into the company’s goals? Not out of obligation, but out of an authentic motivation that enhances me both personally and professionally?
In “Quiet Thriving”, employees consciously deal with their self-efficacy (however small it may be), proactively shape aspects that they can influence and adjust their attitudes and reactions with a look at the things that they cannot (initially) change. They also network with like-minded people and build a supportive community together in order to strengthen and utilize their collective self-efficacy.
Happier work thanks to AI
From an HR perspective, employees who perform monotonous tasks or tasks that are perceived as less meaningful are particularly prone to “quiet quitting”. Especially if they cannot see the immediate effect of their work and therefore do not feel valued. This is where HR can take targeted action and help shape the scope to promote “thriving”. One requirement for this is that HR employees recognize the emotional state of employees. Artificial intelligence (AI), which works with comprehensive language models (as we know them from ChatGPT), can help here. It determines how people in the organization are actually feeling by evaluating qualitative data (e.g. open text responses in a survey). Based on this data, HR can show demotivated and dissatisfied employees development and learning opportunities or enable a temporary transfer to another job.
For example, job rotations or further training can break established patterns, offer variety and provide new inspiration. Which development step is suitable for which employee can also be determined by the AI. It is important that these offers do not come as an additional burden “on top” and increase the employee’s workload, but represent a real alternative to the previous area of responsibility. A deep understanding of employees’ character traits, conditions and needs can also help to place the right people in the right roles within the organization at the right time and thus create optimal conditions for them to perform their tasks with motivation. Thanks to AI, HR has the opportunity for the first time to delve deep into the organization and unleash the full human potential that lies dormant within it.
Know your Privilege – and use it for the better.
It is important for me to emphasize that “Quiet Thriving” represents a privileged approach that is not applicable to all life and work situations. On the work side, it is particularly suitable for office jobs and industries in which skilled workers are scarce and employees have a certain amount of power. At the same time, the knowledge of the diverse nature of work experiences and environments should be an incentive for companies to make working life appreciative and fulfilling for as many people as possible. Emerging AI technology offers fascinating opportunities here. Let’s use them to leverage the creative potential that lies dormant in everyone.
Empowered teams: doing the right thing (instead of doing everything right)
What is more important on the job – doing things right or doing the right things? – Most people will probably answer “both”. Nevertheless, in the context of changing corporate cultures, it is worth thinking about this question in its absolute either-or variant.
Good leadership: With self-reflection and unsympathetic filter
A good leader – is that something you are or is that something you become? – Let me put it this way: you are one if you are willing to become one. In other words, leadership requires a willingness to develop. Leading always means learning to lead. It is an ongoing process that is never finished, especially in the fast-paced world we live in.
The self-made skills shortage
Why should we analyze applicants in depth if we have no choice about who we hire anyway? We hear this question a lot. It reflects the frustration many companies feel about the lack of skilled workers. And rightly so? – We say: Yes and no. For one thing, we think that the shortage of skilled workers is not a “force of nature” that companies are helplessly exposed to.