Executives have to act wisely and make decisions even under extreme conditions, despite Stress im Team act and be emotionally resilient at all.

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Young executives under extreme conditions

“So why not expose aspiring executives to such extreme conditions and see what happens,” thought the Metro Group – greetings from the jungle camp. And just like in the popular TV format, the extreme experiences were also documented by video on YouTube. Sounds like a cool one SALE, but is actually the purest hypocrisy!

I recently came across the topic of outdoor training to improve soft skills Conversation with one Employees of Deutsche Bahn AG I aufmerksam become. The DB does something like that in Regensburg, Bavaria, for example, to improve the team spirit of the participants work out.

Antarctic instead of Bavaria

However, what the Metro Group came up with is a bit tougher: In a competition, the Young Talent Day, they chose three from around 100 junior executives Candidates out to go on a two-week Antarctic expedition with environmentalist Robert Swan – including extreme camping in the ice.

That there are three Women were chosen was coincidence. "It's not a women's promotion program," emphasizes Simone Zilgen, Head of Staffing and Sourcing / Employer Branding at Metro AG in an interview with Gero Hesse.

Advertising for the employer

What does the company expect from the campaign? It is primarily about Teamwork and responsibility under extreme conditions, as Zilgen emphasizes in the interview. But she also says indirectly what really matters:

Not that the participants learn teamwork and responsibility and gain experience, but this under Evidence - e.g. for the video diary published on YouTube. And thus Advertising do for their company, as Zilgen put it quite bluntly in the interview:

It is about (media) attention

“Although only three employees go on expeditions, but in Internet follow many more People their video diary. By the attention inside and outside of us Company we make a sustainable contribution to employer branding.”

The Metro Group should certainly attract attention thanks to the unusual campaign. And it's also what makes it more attractive as an employer brand ("oh cool, they send their employees to Antarctica!"), not the company's spongy management culture, which is mentioned in the interview nice is feigned.

Actually, nothing changes!

At the same time, as her quote shows, Zilgen knows very well that a one-time action with only three employees does not actually change anything in the management and corporate culture. A few were allowed travel, the rest can watch everything as a video.

Further projects on the subject of corporate and management culture are planned, says Zilgen evasively at the end. It is questionable whether there will be a trip to Antarctica again. The company probably wanted to do advertising with an expensive and one-off campaign - and in Future it will be one size smaller again.

More free minds change the corporate culture

It's a shame, she's included Idea not bad with the extreme situation for executives: However, it really is about the management culture in a company sustained to change would have to clear more Young people in the freezing cold Head blow through than just three.

Maybe that would be a bit cheaper - and probably less effective in the media - for example in the Alps. With Regensburg, the German railway may not be so wrong. But who knows: Maybe too many new ideas are not welcome in such a company?