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Inquiries via Whatsapp: In his kitchen in Coesfeld, Marcus Diekmann checks his most important tool – his iPhone
Photograph:
Anton Hirschle
What has happened so far in "Lion Seeks Den":
Marcus Diekmann, founder, online retail professional, ex-managing director of Rose Bikes and business celebrity, is looking for a job – as a top manager.
Only he reverses the principle, as described in episode 1: He asks companies to apply to him according to defined criteria. These include purpose and a specific salary expectation: 2.5 to 4 million euros for a four-year contract.
manager magazin accompanies the unusual search in the series "Lion Seeks Den" over the coming months. The outcome is open, but Diekmann has promised full transparency, in all details.
After Marcus Diekmann (44) made his search for a new boss job public, his father summoned him to himself. Diekmann grew up in a children's home for the first three years of his life before joining his adoptive parents in Coesfeld. They have a close and trusting relationship, he attaches great importance to their advice, he still lives in the place today. "What's that?" his beloved father (70) asked him. "That's not how we raised you, we don't talk about money. What should the neighbors think now? And what if you can't find a new job now?"
He received more than 500 personal messages in response to his call, says Diekmann, most of them positively. Many admired his courage to approach the search for the "last ride of my career" so aggressively and to formulate details such as his salary expectations. Others found it arrogant, or at least not advisable. His father, a former mechanical engineer, can't understand the move at all – although the son has earned more in previous roles. "He made a real announcement to me. As a seasoned manager, you sit like a little boy again. That was awesome."
The father's words occupy Diekmann, otherwise he stands by his stunt. One should not confuse self-confidence with arrogance, he says. "I know what I can and can't do. Both. And I know what I'm worth. Hopefully everyone knows that, no matter what the job is."
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