How do you release synergies?

Somehow it didn't really work out for us on the Swiss market. Or at least I saw upward development potential. So I thought about how we could proceed there, developed ideas. And when I had come up with a concept that seemed conclusive and promising, I thought, "So, now I'll call the colleague responsible for Switzerland and explain my concept and how he should implement it."

But then I thought: Maybe I should first talk to the colleague, how he sees the matter. And take one or two others along and ask them what they think of my concept or what ideas they have on the subject. Or does that just eat up time unnecessarily? I am actually convinced of my ideas. Am I unnecessarily keeping other colleagues from their work?

How different viewpoints become win-win situations

My many years of experience from discussions with colleagues or even customers have taught me one thing: You should never understand the dissenting opinion of a counterpart as resistance! Even if it seems to come across as such at first. But if you go into a conversation with this attitude, you will miss something very crucial: the chance for an alternative point of view! If I enter into a discussion with a viewpoint A with someone who represents a viewpoint B, then I first look: What advantages does viewpoint B have? What potential is there in it?

And my experience is: If you go into a conversation like this, if you listen first instead of always staying on your own send button, if you let the other person's arguments work on you and think about them instead of just formulating your own response in your mind, then something very special almost always results at the end: Possibility C!

Creating synergies as a corporate culture

What is special about option C is that in many cases it is more than a compromise, more than the sum of A and B. Because C offers the chance of win-win situations, of releasing synergies. Of course, this also requires a certain degree of honesty and transparency. To a certain extent, you have to play with your cards on the table. This way, even when negotiating prices with customers or suppliers, you can achieve results that benefit both. At allsafe, it is part of our corporate culture to seek more rather than too few other points of view, to involve more rather than fewer colleagues in decisions. To proactively put our ideas and viewpoints up for discussion, not to defend them, but to deliberately let them be "taken apart," to listen and to deal with counter-arguments. And we have been very successful with this.

... and in the end found an even better idea

And that's why I also decided to get the opinions of others for my concept for the Swiss market. And indeed, a classic win-win situation arose: The colleague responsible for Switzerland felt better involved in the decision-making process, was more motivated to implement the new approach - and my concept was significantly improved by decisive ideas from him and from the involved team.

Jens Laufer

 

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