Meaning in a crisis: why we need «motiviruses» in change

08In good times it's easy to get over Sinn to speak and write. When nerves are on edge in difficult times, it shows who is serious about it and for whom Company-Ethics only pure Marketing-Communication at a hunt.

Crisis as an opportunity does not go down well

Declaring crises as opportunities may be correct in terms of content, but it works People with acute existential problems caused by this Crisis have arisen, extremely badly. But one thing is actually true: crises act as catalysts.

This increases the reaction speed. For example, with the “forced digitization” during Corona. Every CEO with a medically certified home office intolerance has noticed at the latest during the pandemic that the impossible is not so impossible.

Change as a stress factor

Likewise in the private sector. Grandparents suddenly take the hardships of change and the technical hurdles in order to at least see the grandchildren again digitally. Secretly one is proud to have mastered these obstacles of the digital age. Many people have developed the habit of shopping online and communicating via video chat.

This has a massive impact on brick-and-mortar retail and many others Industries. The demand for fast Solutions is increasing and it is worth searching for meaning and questioning how crises are ours Working world and with it our life sustained change.

Leadership at a distance

The presence of Employees is extremely important to many executives because it conveys a kind of "security". But it is also an old adage that work can be extended over time. So it was less about what was actually done during this time and more about how long you were there. The management culture must and will change here. towards less Control, but more real trust. The new Discipline for Executives is called: Guide on Distance.

If there is no mutual trust, home office will not work. In the home office, the results count and less how long you sat at your desk. Although this myth that in the home office - i.e. when there is no control from the supervisor - less work is finally out of the Welt done.

Companies commit communicative suicide

Communication - whether internal or external - has always been the supreme discipline, but it is underrepresented in many company managements. Communication is not an executive body, but must be represented personally in every management. Especially in times of social media and co. It is crucial that everything that is written in mission statements, ethical guidelines or sustainability reports by professionals is 100 percent lived. That you yourself - the management as well as all employees - believe in it. Because it corresponds to your own values.

Some large corporations burned their fingers and maybe their good reputation during the Corona crisis. They wanted to defer the rent because it was possible. The impossible thing was that with a profit of almost 2 billion euros last year, you could even count on such a Idea came. If then something of «Team","Society» and «responsibility», the shitstorm is inevitable. In very many minds this is Brand for a long time negative marked: Marked with three stripes.

Leadership in transition

This may sound "banal", but it is in fact a revolutionary change to the previous model. Anything I pretend to be that isn't really alive can and will be publicly used against me (the company). This requires a new image of leadership. Leadership must change. Away from commander towards team player.

A manager is a service provider for his employees. If, as a manager, you are tied to old ways of thinking, things get tight in new structures. The structures call for less leadership, but for real content-related authorities. Leaders who manage to unite people behind them to create a Objective to achieve something that really makes sense and embodies values. Perhaps one could call them "Sinnfluencer".

The right focus creates the future

Crises can force companies to make innovative leaps. Jumps for which one was “too full” or too scared before. So it's about showing that those who set their focus correctly now have the chance of a good one Future have. Those who are now taking responsibility and constructive come into action. Those who self-critically question their business model, their communication and their leadership style.

Pointing blame and constant nagging about what went wrong don't help anyone in a crisis. The focus has to move away from the crisis towards real motivation. And this Motivation can be contagious. Because our focus determines our energy level, our motivation.

Motivation needs a motive. So let's focus on the possibilities. After all, it is not only about our own future, but also about the future of all employees in the company and the future of our (working) world. All of this should be worthwhile for us to look boldly into the future and really tackle changes - completely independent of crises.