Company 29.07.2024

#Exchange #Career

“I want to understand how young talent sees our company.”

Learning partnership with the CEO

One of them is 50 years old, is from South Tyrol, has a wealth of experience and is CEO of the Westfalen Group with 2,200 employees. The other two are 29 and 25 years old, come from the Münsterland region and work at Westfalen as an IT process manager and a project manager in the business center of the Industrial Gases & Services division. Between them: three hierarchical levels.

The idea of the “learning partnership” has been in place for about a year, during which Westfalen CEO Dr. Thomas Perkmann, Marco Hof and Madita Renzewitz have been meeting regularly to exchange ideas. The aim is to learn from each other, to change perspectives and to achieve a better understanding of each other. In this interview, the three of them report on an exciting year and take stock.

Dr. Perkmann, you have been in a learning partnership with Madita Renzewitz and Marco Hof for about a year. How did that come about?

Perkmann: I am fundamentally someone for whom learning and experiencing new things is important. And as CEO, I realized at some point that, due to the hierarchy, I actually always talk to the same people, who often tell me the same thing (laughs). I had the feeling that it would be enriching for our company and for me personally to change my perspective.

Hof: The HR department then asked me if I would be interested in a learning partnership in general. However, they didn't tell me who it was about at first (laughs). But now I'm glad that I had the chance to exchange ideas with the CEO.

Renzewitz: To be honest, I thought, “Why me?” (laughs). But then I was really happy about it.

Dr. Thomas Perkmann has been CEO of the Westfalen Group since 2018.

A learning partnership with the CEO... Weren't you a little bit afraid of the hierarchy before you started?

Hof: Yes, of course we were a bit nervous at the beginning. We didn't know exactly what to expect. But Thomas immediately offered us the informal “Du”. Of course, the exchange is a bit special. I don't have any CEOs in my circle of friends.

Perkmann: By the way, I don't have any IT process managers or project managers in my circle of friends either (everyone laughs).

Renzewitz: We also talked less about private things and more about work-related matters. I'm actually not that afraid of hierarchies. I think “they're only human too”. We both always felt that we could talk to Thomas honestly and openly.

Dr. Perkmann, as CEO you naturally have a lot of appointments – why was it still important for you to take time for the learning partnership?

Perkmann: I want to understand how young talent perceives our company. What drives them? What ideas do they have? And where are they heard and where are they not? As CEO, you often get filtered information due to your position; you can't always be close to the action. I wanted to change that.

Hof: But Thomas rarely asked for background information. We simply described our point of view on certain topics and he listened.

Perkmann: That wouldn't work either, and besides, I would be putting my learning partners in a difficult situation. I'm particularly interested in their perspective.

Renzewitz: And even when we had different opinions, that wasn't a problem. You can just leave it at that and it enriches the exchange.

Marco Hof, 29, is an IT process manager.

What topics do you cover in your regular meetings?

Hof: I asked a lot of questions, especially about how to approach certain things. I think I've learned to ask the right questions that help me move forward. We also talked a lot about the Westfalen Vision.

Renzewitz: We also talked about the employee survey and Simpli4. And about personal development issues. Thomas' advice was often very helpful to me.

Perkmann: I was particularly interested in how you see our Westfalen future and the transformation. Or how do you assess our talent management? And you also learn from the questions you get yourself. What concerns our young employees, which company messages have been received, which have not...

Let's play with prejudices: the young generation is lazy and prioritizes work-life balance, the older generation burns the candle at both ends and is only interested in money and power... Your opinion after a year of joint learning partnership?

Hof: Of course we, as the younger generation, tick a little differently. But times have also changed. Maybe 60-hour weeks used to be normal, but for us it's 37.5. But in my opinion, it's not about the hours. It's about working at full speed when we're at work. I think our generation is doing that and really wants to make a difference.

Perkmann: The prejudices are not true, of course. But as different generations, we have different backgrounds. For example, I have worked in different countries. And when you are in Asia or Latin America, material success is even more important to young people there. This difference certainly comes from the fact that many of us come from more secure backgrounds, money is already there to a certain extent and is therefore no longer so important, and then the topic of leisure time comes more to the fore.

Renzewitz: I can only speak for myself. I really enjoy working when I know why and for what I am doing it and when I can see how it adds value for the company. Ultimately, however, I don't think it's about the hours worked, but about how you want to shape your life. And that's also legitimate.

What similarities do you see between you? What differences?

Perkmann: Marco, Madita and I are learners. We are curious and enjoy educating ourselves. We want to achieve something.

Hof: That's right. But I have also noticed differences. Thomas thinks more analytically than I do. He is very level-headed, rarely makes gut decisions and does his research beforehand. I tend to be more intuitive.

Perkmann: Yes, Madita also approaches things differently than I do and still achieves success. That was interesting for me.

Renzewitz: I usually try to put myself in other people's shoes. It's important to me that we work together harmoniously as a team because we can then work better together. And I'm a very patient person. Thomas is generally more numbers-oriented. But as CEO, you probably have to be.

Madita Renzewitz, 25, is a project manager in the business center of the business unit Industrial Gases & Services.

What is the most exciting thing you have learned about each other?

Perkmann: I now have a better understanding of how IT works (laughs). And I have learned how our vision for the future is seen by younger people, namely as the right way forward.

Hof: I often asked questions about what the job of CEO is like and got a lot of insights. I now better understand that it is an extremely big responsibility and requires a lot of dedication.

Renzewitz: I found it interesting to learn about Thomas' professional development and to consider what I can take away from it for myself. I also took away the message that it's okay if I sometimes disagree with the CEO. That's allowed, despite the hierarchy.

In conclusion – learning partnerships at Westfalen: what are the benefits for our company?

Perkmann: For me, it was an experiment at first. And it was a complete success. In the future, I would like to not only focus on the generational topic, but also on our internationality, which means that I would like to do the next learning partnership with employees from our national subsidiaries. In general, learning partnerships help a lot to think outside the box.

Renzewitz: The learning partnership also breaks down hierarchies a bit. It's important to exchange ideas in order to create closeness, and also to achieve your goal. I have also learned a lot from other colleagues outside my own team.

Hof: I can only recommend it. The exchange was exciting and very helpful. I would sign up for a learning partnership again anytime. Even if it's not with the CEO... (laughs)