Bonding - More than materials | Herrmann Ultraschall

“AS A SHERPA, I HAVE THE CHANCE TO LEAD AND SIMULTA- NEOUSLY TO STRENGTHEN THE TEAM. I AMWHOLEHEARTEDLY A ‘SOLUTION FINDER.’” he says and laughs. These contribu- tions can vary greatly in nature. They include multi-day external workshops, called team camps, in which the teams work and reflect on team develop- ment and on their own contribution to the success of the culture journey. Another important element are training sessions that take place as part of the established Herrmann Academy on the basic principles of the culture journey, which is an essential component of the onboarding, especially for new employees. The tasks of the sherpa also include internal individual and team coaching. “In these I support our managers as a moderator in self-reflection and the further development of the team, as well as each team member. Import- ant key words here are our mistake culture and our culture of trust. Daily, personal contact with the colleagues in all areas is also very important to me. This helps me a great deal to obtain an impression of the current mood in the company.” However, Michael Ross and his sher- pa colleagues – André Deponte, David Weiler, Michael Leipold, and Steffen Ullrich – do not always succeed in getting every Herrmann employee on board with this journey. And this is completely OK. “The important thing is that everyone understands why we are on the culture journey and what is to be achieved with it. Everyone should understand how to communicate with and treat one another here. That is the job of the managers and the sherpas,” says Michael Ross. Everyone, he says, can decide for themselves whether they like the culture journey and want to be part of this brave expedition into the future. If not, they don’t have to. “In the end, only those who really want it, from the heart, should be there!” In Janu- ary 2019, the company-wide culture journey roll-out began – and since then Guide, support, enable – a sherpa has many roles at the company. all the employees have been to a two- day base camp in the Black Forest. However, it was some time before the first changes became tangible and visible. “It was not at all easy to accept that the culture journey did not very quickly make us into a splendid team,” remembers Ross. “We are now much wiser and more mature and have understood that we require a lot of patience. Neverthe- less, I can honestly say that I do see positive changes in very many parts of the company and I repeatedly receive the feedback that something has changed. The values and our WHY provide orientation. They serve as clear orientation aids in working together in our daily business!” The culture journey will never be truly complete. The journey does not have an end, something Michael Ross and his sherpa colleagues know. “We will never reach a final and ideal condition at our company; we will have to always keep working on ourselves. However, the longer we are on this path, the closer we will come to the ideal.” “I DO SEE POSITIVE CHANGES IN VERY MANY PARTS OF THE COMPANY.” 73