Haaß talk by Professor Lothar Wieler on ‘Leadership in times of uncertainty’

Professor Lothar H. Wieler, Chair of Digital Global Public Health and spokesperson for the Digital Health Cluster at the Hasso Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam, accepted Professor Müller-Seitz's invitation to the Haaß Talk 2024. His lecture on ‘Leadership in times of uncertainty’ focused on the omnipresence of crises and how to deal with them: crises are part of our lives, they affect us in our everyday professional and private lives with varying frequency and intensity. Major crises, some of which affect society as a whole, have increased in our society over the past decade. Our society should therefore engage in a participatory and critical dialogue about possible crises. Innovations - the basis of a prosperous innovation policy for society as a whole - should no longer be limited primarily to economic goals such as competitiveness and economic growth, but the underlying science should make targeted contributions to solving social problems. In this context, there is talk of ‘mission-orientated’ research. 
However, this transformation can only succeed if managers in science, administration, business and politics internalise this idea! What are the steps towards a solution to this challenge? How can a new leadership culture be created that leads institutions through crises with conviction, agility and responsibility?

In his article, Professor Lothar H. Wieler presents his thoughts in this regard, which are based on many years of managing a complex scientific organisation with an official administrative structure on the one hand, and on the other, on leading it through one of the biggest crises for society as a whole in recent decades, the COVID-19 pandemic.    
At the centre of every successful leadership role is the ethics- and meaning-centred mission of the respective institution, which must be authentically exemplified by managers. This mission facilitates the formulation of clear goals, the achievement of which should be supported by objective data, paired with a code of values that makes it possible to lay a foundation for joint activities together with employees. In this context, the clear distribution of duties and responsibilities, which should be presented transparently within the institution and which must of course be demanded at all times, is indispensable. This is the basis for a trusting relationship with one another and thus for an open error culture for all those involved. In the event of a crisis, there should be plans in the drawer in which functions and responsibilities are also named, but which can be adapted transparently depending on the situation. This transparent feedback culture is the basis for the potential resilience of employees and managers, which forms the basis for agile and targeted decisions in the event of challenges or problems. In the event of a crisis, factual, open and prompt communication is also required, in which uncertainties must also be addressed openly. 
Ideally, a manager should not only have professional expertise, but also be aware of their own personal weaknesses and strengths in order to be able to lead authentically. Leadership training cannot fundamentally change personalities. The more the weaknesses are compensated for by strong team members in the manager's immediate environment, the better the management will succeed during the crisis. Finally, an intact social environment for the manager is certainly not detrimental to helpful self-reflection.