As part of the “Olivia’s Talks” series, we met with Krzysztof Herdzik – leader, innovator, speaker at the “Let’s talk business 2” conference. We invite you to read the interview conducted by Monika Bogdanowicz from Olivia.

–/–

Monika Bogdanowicz (Communication Olivia Business Centre): Why should so much attention be paid to training on the ability of managers to treat other team members individually? Why are these competencies so important in today’s business, which aspires to great achievements?

Krzysztof Herdzik: The twentieth century was the century of standardization, and deviations from the standard were treated as a statistical error. The 21st century, on the other hand, is the century of individualization. We want to be ourselves, and we want to be treated like that, in every aspect of life and interaction with other people. Companies understand this approach very well when it comes to customers, but when it comes to employees, solutions from the 20th century are still being implemented and applied, i.e. standard employee evaluation procedures, periodic interviews, etc. In the same way and according to the same scheme, feedback is also given, or promotions and recruitment – the same rules for everyone. This is what this standardization looks like and is doing well in the area of the treatment of employees in companies. Students are also seeing this today. I had a meeting with students and when asked how corporations perceive them, I got the following answer: “The same man on the left as on the right.”

Individualization allows you to demystify these stereotypes.

Monika Bogdanowicz: The challenges faced by managers today are often m.in. low employee engagement, high turnover, talent war, multicultural diversity in the workplace, global and remote teams, automation, robotics, etc. Who do you have to be, apart from the role of superheroes or action movies, to face these hardships? Is the role of a manager in business one of the most difficult missions in Poland today, which we could call “impossible”?

Krzysztof Herdzik: I once heard that if you want to help people, you should become a leader. It’s a responsible job. Only 8% of people in the world have their dream job. It is defined as work in which you can use your strengths, have a chance to grow, and feel that the work serves a higher purpose. A leader’s primary duty, then, is to create the conditions for their dream job. It is the right or duty of the employee, to take advantage of it or not.

It’s a responsible job and very demanding. Therefore, not everyone is able to meet such obligations. However, equipping the leader with tools that help in an individual approach to the employee certainly makes the task easier. As it turns out, employees who are treated individually are much more engaged in their work. In such conditions, it is more effective to manage multicultural and global teams or retain employees in the company.

^{Fig. Pawel Banaszak}

Monika Bogdanowicz: The theory of “Management by values”, based on the work of Prof. Clare W. Graves, gives modern organizations the opportunity and tools to quickly recognize the individual needs of employees and the resulting changes in the sphere of team management. I mean, for example, the choice of training, the provision of feedback, the choice of communication style… In your opinion, does this theory have a chance to be implemented and developed in Polish companies of various types?

Krzysztof Herdzik: The work of Prof. Graves’ was the basis for the creation of the concept of teal organizations. In many companies, it was difficult to implement, remaining in the realm of ideology all the time. However, the very concept of management by values is based on the principle that it is only at the level of values that we find motivation within ourselves, we do not have to look for it outside. When a leader understands the values of their employee and team, they reach the most important areas of the person, their individuality. The ability to understand these areas allows for clear communication, tailored to the individual values of the employee, and thus the basis for creating conditions in which a person activates his or her true potential. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a small or large company, whether it’s from the technology, service or traditional industries. Finally, it does not matter whether it is a Polish, local or global company, because in each of these aspects people are at the center of their values.

Monika Bogdanowicz: In my opinion, the vision and approach to employee development in companies presented by you should be more and more commonly used in Polish business, contributing to a real change in the quality of management.

Krzysztof Herdzik: I agree, of course, with this opinion. I think that active implementation of strategic practices in the field of management by values and good communication in teams are a guarantee of optimal business development. Leaders who understand this will win and succeed in 21st-century companies.

Monika Bogdanowicz: Thank you for the interview.

–/–

^{Krzysztof Herdzik – Managing Partner in the You Can Business project. He helps organizations introduce disruptive business models, specializes in future trends and modern people management supporting technological change 4.0. Senior Manager with over 16 years of experience in managing international and multicultural organizations. He founded and managed a BPO center in 3city, helping global clients manage their processes. Awarded as the best Manager in Central and Eastern Europe in the Outsourcing industry.}