I recently looked at my resume to see how long I've been leading teams.
It's been 14 years, I took over my first team leadership in April 2010 at Gruner + Jahr Wirtschaftsmedien, which included, among others, the salmon-pink daily newspaper "Financial Times Deutschland", the business magazine "Impulse" and "Capital".
“What are the most important things you have learned since then?” our working student Laura asked me.
This newsletter is her idea.
Laura was of the opinion that if I was connected to 30,000 people on LinkedIn, I had to think of something special.
I could share what I would say to myself, Antonia, who is starting her new leadership role at the age of 31.
Dear Antonia,...
There are many ways to accomplish a task.
Give people the freedom to find their own way.
your greatest strengths are your greatest weaknesses.
Mature as a personality means finding the right balance.
give your team freedom and coverage at the same time.
Be available to support and always put yourself in front of your team.
have the courage to surround yourself with people who are better than you.
never forget that work is just one pillar in your life.
If you are the highest-ranking person in the room, always let everyone else have their say first and think carefully about when and how you will participate.
There is a space between stimulus and reaction.
This is the scope to choose how you react (according to Viktor Frankl).
Power and perfection may inspire respect, vulnerability and trust create connection.
Don't treat yourself better than others, but don't treat yourself worse either.
say no more often.
Your power is not infinite, and you are missing out on the chance to say yes to the things that matter.
Address difficult conversations or conflicts before they become larger.
never lose touch with people who love you for who you are beyond your position.
Bonus advice: Try not to stress yourself out so much.
Trust in life.
Most of the time, unplanned detours and worries lead to a path that makes you happy and allows you to look back proudly.
And now you come into play.
Since I'm connected to 30,000 people, I wanted to collect 30 smart lessons.
So far I'm at 20 - I'm sharing 12 here, and I'll post 8 more on LinkedIn this week.
I hope I get 10 more tips from the community – i.e. from you.
Do you have a lesson or piece of sage advice you would add?
Then write to me here or comment on LinkedIn (my profile can be found here).
I am excited.
With joint strength and experience, 30 lessons should actually be manageable.
Kind regards
Antonia Götsch