Life-stage oriented leadership

When managers are away

For a long time, management positions were considered roles with a high level of responsibility, endless working hours and constant availability. Those who wanted to lead usually had to choose between their career and their private life – or reconcile the two at great personal sacrifice. Today, I sometimes have the impression that we are heading back in that direction.

Leadership urgently needs to become more attractive, otherwise it will lose talent. A promising approach is life-stage orientated leadership.

Rethink leadership…

The demands on modern leaders have changed dramatically. It is no longer just about strategic decisions and control, but also about empowerment, communication and the ability to change. It is also – and in my view this is an enormous challenge – about crisis management and creating a sense of security.

At the same time, the world of work has also changed: employees expect more flexibility, meaningfulness and work-life balance – and this applies to managers just as much as anyone else.

All of this in a world that is becoming increasingly uncertain, less plannable and more fast-paced. If you don’t live today, you’ll miss out on life.

Money alone has long since ceased to be a motivator. Flexible working hours and personal development are far more important than monetary incentives, and this applies not only to Gen Z and their successors. If managers are not allowed to experience this change themselves, the role will lose its attractiveness – with far-reaching consequences. Who wants to take on a leadership role in the future if it is only associated with a high workload, excessive responsibility for the crises of the world and little creative freedom?

…means reconsidering the concept of working hours!

This is precisely where the concept of life-stage oriented leadership comes in. Managers are people with individual needs and they are also in different phases of their lives. Whether it’s family time, personal development or health breaks – managers also need models that allow them time off without jeopardising their careers.

Depending on the phase of life, different needs have a different weighting – modern leadership must be able to reflect these dynamics and internalise turning points in life as well as possible. Companies that understand this not only gain more loyal managers, but also a more sustainable corporate culture.

Reasons for taking career breaks – More than just a time out

Why should a manager take time out? The first impulse of many companies is: ‘That’s not possible, we need stable leadership!’ However, it is precisely through life phase orientation that leadership remains stable in the long term because it adapts to the real needs of people.

There are many reasons for taking a career break:

• Family and care work: Parental leave is a well-known example, but caring for relatives also requires time and flexibility. Many managers are faced with the challenge of balancing family and career at some point.
• Health and prevention: Stress, overload or illness make it necessary to incorporate phases of recovery. Leadership must be sustainable in the long term – and this can only be achieved if health is not treated as a secondary matter.
• Personal development: whether it’s further training, a career change or returning to education to study for a degree, lifelong learning is crucial for managers too.
• Fulfilling lifelong dreams: some people want to take a trip around the world, write a book or realise a social project. These are not pipe dreams, but often important phases for creativity and renewal.
• A change of location and flexibility: Sometimes new opportunities arise from a move or a temporary experience abroad. Companies that allow for flexibility in this regard are more attractive.

Reality shows that those who drop out completely or partially often return with new energy and fresh ideas.

Time out is not a weakness, but an investment in sustainable leadership.

Legal bases for time-outs – Why they also apply to managers

In Germany, there are a number of legal regulations that enable employees to take time off. It often seems to me that these laws do not (or are not allowed to) apply to managers or that they cannot be implemented. However, the opposite is the case!

The most important legal options for time-outs are:

• Parental leave (Section 15 BEEG) – up to three years per child, with protection against dismissal and the option of part-time work.
• Care leave (Section 3 PflegeZG) – up to six months unpaid leave to care for relatives.
• Bridge part-time work (Section 9a TzBfG) – temporary reduction in working hours, with a right to return to full-time work.
• Sabbaticals – individually contractually regulated longer leaves of absence with flexible financing.

These laws are not limited to certain professional groups. Managers are just as entitled to use flexible working models. However, it often fails due to the corporate culture or the fear of organisational hurdles. Numerous examples show that, with good planning, time off can be implemented at every level of the hierarchy.

Three models for time out

How can companies organise time out for managers without jeopardising operations?

1. team or part-time leadership

Instead of replacing a manager completely, the responsibility is shared between two or more people. Leadership tandems are already successfully in use in many companies and enable a regulated substitution. The old idea that ‘leadership is not divisible’ must be eradicated from people’s minds!

2. sabbatical

A longer planned exit for three to twelve months, financed by a waiver of wages, working time accounts or individual contracts. A sabbatical is particularly suitable for further training, travel or personal projects.

3. holiday instead of money

Instead of paying a salary increase or a bonus, managers receive additional time off as a benefit. This model is particularly attractive for managers who want more time for private projects or who want to and need to devote more time to their families than the statutory regulations require.

Companies that can take a break

And of course there are the lighthouses that are already making it happen – companies that have recognised that life-stage oriented leadership is a competitive advantage:

SAP: Introduction of the ‘Pledge to Flex’

SAP, as the world’s leading provider of enterprise software, introduced the ‘Pledge to Flex’ work model in June 2021. This concept enables all employees, including managers, to flexibly organise their working hours and locations. The model is based on trust and personal responsibility and offers:

• 100% flexible, trust-based working models: employees can decide whether they work from home, in the office or on the road, depending on their personal needs and the requirements of their role.
• Flexible working hours: employees have the freedom to organise their working hours in a way that suits both business needs and their individual needs.
• Attractive office design: the offices have been designed to promote creativity, collaboration and community, while also providing spaces for focused work.

And all of this applies regardless of position – including for managers!

OTTO: Part-time management positions and job sharing

The Otto Group has also anchored flexible working models at all levels of the hierarchy in its employer branding concept. Particular attention is paid to part-time and job sharing in management positions:

• Part-time management: OTTO is now advertising management positions as part-time positions with 80% of the working hours as the new standard. This model is particularly intended to help get more women into management positions.
• Job sharing: Two people share a management role, which makes it possible to take on management tasks together and fill positions with maximum expertise. This model promotes diversity and takes into account different perspectives in decision-making processes.

Hamburg Chamber of Commerce: management tandems in job sharing

It’s not just corporations, it’s also tradespeople, care services or, for example, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce that think in terms of leadership with a break: Anna Heidenreich and Michaela Beck jointly manage the ‘Skilled Workers and Liveable Metropolis’ division as ‘Team HEIDECK’. This model of job sharing enables both of them to fulfil their management tasks on a part-time basis and still take on full responsibility.

Life-stage oriented leadership means allowing flexibility

Leadership must continue to develop in order to remain attractive. Life-stage oriented leadership is not a utopian vision, but a necessary response to the changing world of work. Companies that offer flexible models for managers benefit from more committed, motivated and satisfied leaders.

The key is to make use of the legal possibilities, to think up new models and to break down cultural barriers. Leadership is not a one-way street – and if you want to be successful in the long term, you have to fill leadership with life.

And even though I have talked a lot about the needs of managers here, it is of course also about the needs of companies, employers and employees. The basic requirement for any kind of time out is good communication about the planning, the duration and the distribution of tasks. The more open the communication is, the easier it is to estimate the effort involved and the sooner joint solutions can be found. A positive attitude towards the planned approach, trust in all those involved, but also the courage and consistency to find the right model and implement it together are absolute success factors. This is where it becomes clear whether the much-vaunted corporate culture actually also embraces a new management culture.

To be honest, a boss who only fulfils their role and tasks when they are physically present can no longer fit into a hybrid working world, can they? And most importantly, if we consider planned time off and life-stage oriented leadership, we can also deal better with unplanned time off.

After all, if there’s one thing we can’t plan for completely, it’s life itself…

 

Notes (links in German):

Britta Redmann has published a book on the subject of Lebensphasenorientiertes Leadership: Wie Führungskräfte eigene Auszeiten vorbereiten und umsetzen können.

Further information on the topic including workshops and lectures can also be found on Britta Redmann’s German website.

If you like the article or would like to discuss it, please feel free to share it in your network. And if you have any comments, please do not hesitate to send us a message.

Britta Redmann has published more posts in the t2informatik Blog, including: