Have you ever thought about what a "year" actually means? At the end of the year, we tend to look back on things. As if something has come to an end—been completed. But what actually ends? At midnight on January 1, 2020, time does not stand still. Not everything that weighed us down in the past year changes abruptly. Nor does the end of all time suddenly strike. And unlike the clock, we are not reset to zero at this point in time.
Just as epochs are only a rough division of history, years are also only a unit of measurement that serves as a guide. Change is a fluid process. Nevertheless, it can be helpful to take a look at this fixed period of time in order to gain a detailed view. We zoom in on the most recent part of our lives to reassure ourselves once again: what we have achieved. What we have changed. How we have grown.
How we deal with distinctions at the Grundl Leadership Institute
We teach high-quality distinctions because they are a valuable tool for putting things into perspective and finding a balance between two extremes. So that you can become the best person you can be. That is our mantra. Distinctions are also an essential part of personal growth for our trainers and employees. In our very personal review of the year, we would therefore like to give them a chance to have their say – with their most important distinction in 2019.
Culture over competence
"Culture vs. competence, or rather: "Culture before competence."
Over the past few months, it has become increasingly clear to me how important corporate culture is, and therefore also the culture of the people who work there. I became particularly aware of this during recruitment and employee appraisals.
We strive every day to live by the five principles of Leading Simple©. At our core, we are guided by the following values:
responsibility, results, respect, meaning.
You can surely understand that this is not always easy. It is important that these values and principles provide guidance.
Of course, competence is essential. But you can build competence over time, and with the development buttons from Leading Simple©, this even happens systematically. Where it gets really interesting is the topic of culture. The clearer and more unambiguous my image of the internal culture is, the clearer and more confidently I send signals to my employees.
In future job interviews, please make sure you ask the right questions about culture. This will greatly help you find people who can identify with your culture and really want to do so. Please do not underestimate this factor. If you would like to know how this works professionally and with the support of scientifically validated value diagnostics, please contact us. We will be happy to assist you.
With this in mind, I wish you a peaceful Christmas. Have a good rest! May 2020 be the best year it can be for you.
Jochen Hummel, Sales Management
The distinction between harmony and conflict was a great teacher.
"For me, the distinctionbetween 'harmony' and 'conflict'wasagreat teacher this year. It created clarity and orientation in both my professional and private life. Basically, I am a person who craves harmony, but it often became apparent that being 'nice' did not get me the desired result, or only with a lot of emotion, effort, and energy. Consciously engaging in conflict resulted in me achieving my goal unexpectedly with much less effort and energy. I developed a greater awareness of myself, of what I want to achieve and what I desire – both professionally and privately. Thank you for this clarity and guidance that I am experiencing!"
Margit Haunschild, Assistant to the Sales Management
The messenger is not the same as the message
"For me, the distinction between 'messenger and message'was very important in my personal life this year. It helped me to engage more deeply with the message—regardless of the messenger.
This makes it easier for me to understand them deeply, because focusing on the messenger is just a distraction.
In the business world , it was clearly the distinction between "competence and culture. " This is particularly important to me in management, so that I can think clearly and make decisions independently of emotions .
Silke Grundl, Management
Not just a distinction
Since I first consciously encountered the power of distinctions as a guide for myself and in communication in April, I find it difficult to settle on just one.
Privately, it's clear – by distinguishing between "clarity" and "security," Ihave become very aware that I must leave the plateau of security in order to gain clarity. In 2019, I can say that whenever I stretched myself and gained clarity, security came as a gift.
Professionally, I am naturally concernedwith "receptiveness—acceptance" in both sales and the training team. What can I influence on my own through my attitude, and when? When does one lose or gain receptiveness? It would go beyond the scope of this article to describe my impressions in detail.
But in general, I consider wanting/needing to"understand without agreeing"to be the ultimate gift of insight. This attitude is like a mental liberation. I take in information, understand it, but don't judge or evaluate it.
Andrea Reiner, Sales
My own personal experience of "moving toward and away from something"
"2019 was a year of great change for me. One of those changes was the end of my "apprenticeship life" and the start of my working life. At first, I asked myself a lot of questions. Will I even be able to do this? What if I make mistakes or can't keep up? I only saw the negative and let it get me down. Even before I started something, I thought about the consequences for me if I didn't do it right.
Today, I know that mistakes don't have to be a bad thing. Once you've made them visible, they can be an excellent springboard for learning. I notice that I'm becoming more confident in what I do, trusting myself more, and as a result, focusing more on the positive.
I would say that this describes my own experience with the distinction between "towards something | away from something" quite well .
Stefanie Borgerding, Marketing Project Assistant
With this in mind: What distinctions shaped your year in 2019? How did you experience them, and how did they help you grow? Take a moment to reflect and start the new year with this awareness.
We wish you and your families a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year!
Your team at the Grundl Leadership Institute
