SWITZERLAND, fma. “How we form the future. It depends on the leader.” Last month the second Jour Fixe for leaders took place in Quarten under this motto. This is an event in collaboration between the Training Centre, New Schoenstatt, and the international Kentenich Academy for Leaders (IKAF). Lecturers from Germany and participants from Switzerland, Austria, Poland and Germany considered the question of an ideal manager – enough material for a fascinating and enriching afternoon for almost two dozen leaders from business, church and society.
As though to underline the international character of this second Jour Fixe in Switzerland, the international Pilgrim Mother picture was present at the end of her unofficial, but effective, visit to Switzerland.
“From practitioners for practitioners.” This was how Melanie and Ulrich Grauert from Ebikon, near Luzern, characterised the Jour Fixe for leaders, during which inspirations and possibilities for enriching discussions and exchanges of experiences took place. So there were no Excel charts, check lists, floods of material, but real life examples taken from life, tried and tested by personal experience. That was what mattered.
The success of the week
In the introductory meeting the question was raised as to the personal and work successes of the week – and this brought us straight to the point of the Jour Fixe and the IKAF.
Our gaze turned to what succeeded – looking at it and learning to see: That’s what it’s all about! With each “success of the week” the climate of joy grew, as did the openness and relaxation of the participants. Whether it was a matter of clearing out the house, or the successful delegation of work (including the possibility of personally tackling something new), it was plain to see how the stories gave rise to other personal experiences … and the participants would gladly have gone another few rounds.
Christine and Erwin Hinterberger, from Windach, Germany, took this as the starting point for their talk. They quoted a study by John Hattie in which he discussed school achievements, and came to the conclusion everyone instinctively knows: It depends on the teacher. If you repeatedly examine the 1:0 win of Bayern Munchen vs Barcelona in slow motion, you will see that it was not only due to the striker – the typical slow motion player, but to the trainer in the background who is seldom filmed. Yet he is fully alert, and if his help is needed anywhere, he is there. An ideal manager!
Free, creative, conquering, forming, strong
The speakers presented descriptions of the qualities of leaders taken from Fr Kentenich’s school of life.
Fr Kentenich formed people who could decide freely from within. He formed people who pursued a favourite idea, and who were passionate about something. These were people who thought outside the box, who looked further “and perhaps even further afield”. They are people who build wooden houses that are not pulled down, but burn down, and who place an espresso machine in the office so that the good opportunity that just presented itself for a discussion is not spoiled by people having to fetch coffee next door.
Fr Kentenich liked to awaken the creative, conquering and formative forces in people, and he formed people who also enjoyed doing so, rather than being afraid of too much innovation and preventing too much independence. Leaders who are close to him become the authors of life – the life of others, independent life. They are people around whom original life can flourish.
Fr Kentenich enabled people to do what was possible (and possibly even a little more) with energy; they were relieved of the pressure to have to do everything better than their own colleagues, or to have everything under control.
An intensive discussion followed – many subjects, many inspirations, many personal observations were raised. Seminarians preparing for ordination, owners of gardening companies and joiner’s workshops, auditors, scientists, managers of homes for the elderly, and many other jobs and fields of experience, met together. The discussions moved seamlessly to a plentiful buffet supper until feet began to hurt… Then they moved on to another table and joined in with an equally interesting conversation…
It was already evening before the last left the house. And they said quite naturally: Till next time!
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| June 9, 2013 – Jour Fixe in Quarten |
