Talking Chemistry

"Talking Chemistry" is a management book about leadership. It shows why the good chemistry between managers and their employees is a mandatory prerequisite for the success of a company. The book propagates a modern management style which has the employees in its core focus and is aimed at fostering their individual capabilities and talents - to their own benefit and to the benefit of the company. Mutual trust and respect form the foundation of modern leadership. On the basis of concrete business scenarios, the book shows how trust can be built and addresses some bad practices which destroy trust. It explains why many current approaches for building trust (such as team events and workshops) cannot function and suggests that daily business offers enough opportunities in this regard. For example, the yearly recurring planning process opens managers excellent opportunities for building mutual trust with their people and for aligning everybody toward the global business success. In some companies, planning fails in achieving this goal and destroys trust. The book presents a new method for establishing meaningful management profiles which can be of great use for assessing the suitability of candidates for management positions. It further proposes a new method which allows a differentiated evaluation of individual performance and personal motivation. "Talking Chemistry"addresses managers with the aim of stimulating them to continuously reflect about their leadership behavior. It addresses also young people at the starting point of a manager career for encouraging them to opt for a career path flanked by trust and respect. Why is this book especially relevant today? The expected economic transformation resulting from the tremendous technological development and the introduction of new (hybrid) work models is likely to also change the business culture of companies, making more room for value managers with a collaborative, trustful, and empathetic leadership style. Winning the race for the best and most talented people requires a new kind of management in total contrast to conven­tional approaches based on hierarchies, subordination, and authority.

Hello, I'm Christian M. Wegner. After finishing my studies in electrical engineering, I started my professional activity as a service engineer for industrial computer systems. With the increasing trend towards service outsourcing in the beginning of this century, my area of activity changed into the field of industrial maintenance, where I was acting as project manager, head of business development and product manager. During the last 10 years of active professional engagement, I was privileged of heading one of the largest technical service organizations worldwide, and for certain the largest one in the field of logistic systems. We proudly served and continue to serve most of the large airports as well as the most important mail and parcel companies worldwide. As a manager, this was the most rewarding time of my career. Working for more than three decades in an international company has proven to me that trust and respect are values of universal relevance which are equally appreciated across continents and business cultures. Staying interested in business matters also after retirement allowed me some additional and very interesting insights into other companies. These experiences were also a valuable source of inspiration for writing this book. I am still active in the areas of strategy, leadership, organizational development and technical services, being prepared to share my knowledge.