Basics of leadership

There are conversations with employees that the manager knows in advance will be challenging. This may be because an employee has behaved inappropriately or because an employee has been absent without giving advance notice. Managers often stumble into the harmony trap during these discussions: They are afraid to call criticism by its name and unnecessarily put employees on the spot. In challenging conversations, however, that is exactly what is needed: transparent communication and an open attitude towards challenges. Other managers, on the other hand, find it difficult to remain respectful and keep a cool head in difficult situations. This behavior also prevents constructive discussion and successful conflict resolution.

Performance reviews are a key leadership and human resource development tool. Nevertheless, many managers do not necessarily associate them with positive things, often perceiving them as unpleasant and spasmodic and their counterpart sometimes as unmotivated or nervous. This does not have to be the case. When conducted in an appreciative and goal-oriented manner, employee appraisals offer lasting benefits: They ensure an effective two-way exchange of information and play a key role in shaping the relationship between employees and managers. In this e⁠-⁠training, participants learn about the potential of well-managed employee appraisals. They learn how to best prepare for, conduct and follow up on an appraisal interview – on-site or virtually. 

Everyone is unique. Nevertheless, we always see similar personality traits in different people. Type models help us to understand people better as they simplify a complex world. In your role as a manager, you deal with a wide variety of employee types and should know how best to deal with whom. So that all employees in your team can fully use their potential, it is important to address them individually according to their personality or personality type, to understand them, challenge them and develop them. Type-appropriate leadership enables you to do exactly that. You can assess what type of person your counterpart is and then accurately select the strategy from the repertoire of actions to help to understand them in the best possible way. This way, you not only succeed in responding to individual employees in a way that is appropriate to their personality type but also in forming teams in such a way that similarity has a mediating effect and difference has a stimulating effect.

The majority of companies are now making a deliberate decision to favor diversity. International cooperation, demographic changes, women in management positions and individuality in the workplace — the general conditions for professional and private life have changed and there is a demand for tolerance and respect in our diverse society. But what does "diversity" actually mean? What are the advantages of diversity for a company? And how can managers promote this diversity step by step and establish it as an integral corporate value? That is what this e⁠-⁠learning course is all about.

In this e⁠-⁠learning the participants get to know the model of the Johari-window. It shows the difference between the perception of others and the perception of oneself. It clarifies the "blind spot" and shows why the "secret" will remain a secret. With the help of the course it is taught that "giving feedback" does not mean "praise" or "criticize". Rather, it is about the systematic opening of self-perception through feedback from outside.

Delegating is more than just "do it"! The participants learn which tasks can be delegated in principle and which ones must not be passed on under any circumstances. They learn to develop requirement profiles in order to be able to assign the respective activities to suitable employees. The four stages of the delegation discussion are then presented. The participants also learn to avoid back delegations and to check agreements and deadlines.

This e⁠-⁠training video features video lectures, tips, mnemonics, transfer tasks, templates, study questions, key messages, and a knowledge check. Participants learn step-by-step how to create a job description, develop a job profile, conduct the job interview, ask the right questions and draw the right conclusions.

When employees hide behind their desks, it does not have to be because of ill will or convenience. They often lack knowledge, ability and confidence in themselves. So how can managers motivate their employees to come out of their shell and face new tasks? In this e⁠-⁠learning, the participants will learn helpful methods of employee motivation. The focus is on the so-called "self-efficacy".

For managers, the rule is: intervene as little as possible, but as much as necessary in a conflict involving their own employees. As a starting point, it is important to also recognize hidden conflicts and assess their severity. The theoretical basis for this is provided by Friedrich Glasl's model of the nine stages of conflict escalation. It clearly shows how conflicts can escalate if timely intervention is neglected. For each escalation stage, managers therefore learn various methods of conflict resolution - from the promotion of independent conflict resolution to mediation and arbitration as well as to the intervention of power.

Decisive strength is an essential skill in an ever faster changing environment. Participants can train this competence in this multimedia e⁠-⁠learning. They learn to quickly decide in which category a topic belongs, what needs to be done immediately and what can be postponed. And they learn methods to systematically prepare good decisions and then be able to make them.

Termination meetings differ from other meetings due to immense importance they have for the employees involved. They are often associated with a great emotional shock that can manifest in various ways. It is part of your job as a manager to conduct termination meetings in a professional and respectful manner. This e⁠-⁠training course will equip you with the tools you need to do this. You will learn the proper way to perpare and how you should plan and structure termination meetings. One focus of the e⁠-⁠training course is handling emotional factors: What are typical reactions and how can you deal with them well? In an extra chapter, you will learn how to conduct termination meetings by online videoconferencing or telephone.

The focus is on specialists who are promoted to management level. The training is suitable as a preparation for management tasks and imparts knowledge in the areas of result control, process management, employee leadership and self-management. The participants learn how to deal with different expectations and conflicts of interest. In addition, seven leadership myths are explained and refuted - because leadership does not fit into simple patterns.

The ability to lead with empathy is considered to be a supreme discipline in leadership. If you succeed in managing your team with appreciation and trust in your daily work, you will be able to win over your employees more easily. Because with empathy, you not only take other people with you – you can also better understand them and put yourself in their shoes. This will create a working atmosphere in which your team will know they are appreciated and therefore will feel more comfortable. This will have a positive effect on every conversation and on your ability to persuade and convince others as a manager. Those who show empathy and attentiveness when dealing with other people can also better assess their attitude and thus avoid negative consequences of misjudgments. But leading with empathy is something that needs to be learned. In this training course, you will learn how to be more perceptive of other people's emotions and understand their motives. By applying this understanding, you will have greater assurance in working out suitable courses of action.