Emotions as a factor for success

Paul Beerli, in a nutshell: What is your new book about?

Leadership viewed from a human perspective, rather than from the perspective of business requirements. ‘Emotions, success and a touch of chaos’ describes the management of emotions in various leadership scenarios, ranging from recruitment and managing difficult staff to change initiatives within the organisation. Anyone in a leadership role must be attuned to human emotions and prepared for them. This aspect is often given too little attention in leadership training, staff recruitment, employee appraisals and communication between managers and staff. Yet this area encompasses the key aspects of leadership work and success.

And what do you hope to achieve with the book?

My aim is for every executive to read this book. Particularly those who are new to a leadership role or who are ready to take the next step up the career ladder – right up to CEO or managing director. In my view, it is also of interest to boards of directors, as the body responsible for appointing members of the executive management team.

You mention that a significant proportion of managers are no longer able to lead their staff in a way that achieves the best results for the company. What is going wrong with leadership?

Many managers are not sufficiently prepared to deal with the human impulses and emotions of their staff. This aspect is often neglected, yet it contributes significantly to the success or failure of a company. Among the approximately five million employees in Switzerland, there are around 500,000 managers. A considerable proportion of these managers are, in fact, no longer capable of leading their staff in a way that achieves the best results for the company. That is the companies’ perspective. From the employees’ point of view, many people can no longer cope with the pressure of work and are instead seeking a freer, more self-determined working environment. In such a situation, the question arises: what is the Holy Grail – or the magic formula?

‘Those who lead must be attuned to human emotions and prepared for them.’

The answer is often: to flatten hierarchies and introduce an agile organisation that enables employees to work more flexibly and autonomously, to contribute their ideas and to put forward suggestions.

At first glance: yes. Initially, everyone applauds: managers are relieved of the tedious task of direct supervision, and employees have greater freedom to decide how and where they work. However, the majority of these five million employees and a considerable proportion of these 500,000 managers need or want a focal point to which they can anchor themselves and align their efforts. This is known as clear, unemotional leadership.

In your book, you also discuss employee performance. Why is this topic important to you?

Not all employees and managers have the mindset of a top-class athlete. I would like to help set realistic expectations and recognise the importance of individual strengths and weaknesses. It is advisable to assume that only around 20 per cent of employees and managers perform at the highest level; one should not expect top-level performance from the rest. Regrettably, some within this 80 per cent group regard themselves as outstanding performers and make corresponding demands of their line managers. Do not, however, allow yourself to be swayed by this.

In your book, you mention the phenomenon of leadership. What do you mean by that?

The question of whether an employee’s performance actually depends directly on their manager’s leadership style, or whether there are other factors that may influence it. This dynamic is complex and deserves closer examination. You can find out more in the book; here is just a brief summary: there are other factors!

‘The most important quality a leader can have is the ability to intuitively recognise whether their leadership is effective.’

And why is time an important factor in leadership during a turnaround situation?

In a turnaround process, time is of the essence, as delays are often unacceptable. It is important to prepare staff quickly and effectively for change and to engage them emotionally in order to ensure the success of the turnaround. It should be borne in mind that, during a turnaround, there is a risk that one third of the workforce will participate very actively and positively, one third will await new instructions from management and attempt to implement them – whilst one third of the workforce will be fearful, uncertain, withdrawn and will offer active or passive resistance.

So what do you recommend for the future?

I recommend that leaders foster a culture of emotional acceptance in which employees can freely express their feelings. Furthermore, leaders should be able to intuitively recognise whether their leadership is effective – and adapt it accordingly. For me, this is the most important quality of a leader: that they intuitively recognise whether their leadership is effective or not. You can see this in the employees’ attentiveness and their sparkling eyes – and in the boss’s attentiveness and his eyes! When you see and sense that attentiveness and those sparkling eyes, you experience positive emotions and great success in the leadership relationship. This creates a mutually positive resonance. However, if you do not perceive this attentiveness and sparkle, you experience a hint of chaos in the leadership relationship.