How to succeed in providing good leadership today?

At the end of October, I had the honor of speaking to over a thousand officers of the Swiss Armed Forces on the topic of leadership. At the invitation of Major General Thomas Süssli, Chief of Staff of the Swiss Armed Forces since January 2020, I was the third of three speakers at the annual Leadership Talk, following Monika Walser, CEO of furniture company de Sede, and Enrique Steiger, a war and plastic surgeon.

In my speech entitled “Breakthrough as a Leader,” I took the opportunity to talk about current challenges for leaders and how to meet them with contemporary leadership. My speech focused on the importance of emotions and the necessary ability of leaders to establish, build, and maintain genuine authentic relationships even under difficult circumstances. In such a way that people to follow them of their own accord even in times of crises or in exceptional situations, when highly directive leadership is necessary with clear instructions and, in the case of the army, even orders.

Particularly in uncertain times like today it is of utmost importance to create a climate of psychological safety in leadership and teamwork. A climate in which everyone feels accepted, recognized, and safe enough to admit mistakes as well. To achieve this, it is necessary to establish mutual appreciation and trust. Effective leaders are therefore characterized above all by encouraging and engaging individuals and by setting a positive example, rather than by simply demanding and pushing for performance.

The leadership talk was concluded with a brief panel discussion in which the topic was discussed in greater depth again. Jointly with specialist officer Tonio Zemp, Anna Muser, Head of the Command Support Organization Commission, celebrity chef Meta Hiltebrand, and Enrique Steiger, we discussed potential improvements in leadership and leadership styles, as well as stress management, systematic problem analysis and problem solving, and the assumption of responsibility, which are also part of leadership training in the military and will play a key role in successful leadership in the future.