Tear down walls, dare to do something new

A few days ago, a journalist from a major German daily newspaper asked me what I had been doing the evening the Berlin Wall came down. In fact, I was sitting in a lecture hall when somebody suddenly shouted: “The Wall is open!” Back then, television was THE live medium. Unfortunately, there were no television sets at university. So we all ran home to watch events unfold live and in color on our TVs. Even today, 30 years later, the images of the fall of the Wall are more to me than merely a habitual memory about a historical event. Back then I became aware of the enormous driving forces, people are actually able to develop when taking their fates into their own hands. Irrespective of the East-West context, the fall of the Berlin Wall is a symbol for anything we can achieve, if we have the courage to actively shape change ourselves.

This philosophy applies not just to major societal issues. Each day in the business world, we run into a wide range of walls that prevent us or our employees from fully tapping our potential. These walls can be structural barriers, seemingly overpowering trends or societal glass ceilings. This is exactly where we need to go to work. We cannot wait for somebody else to come in and demolish these walls for us. In essence, freedom boils down to one thing: assuming responsibility for your own well-being and your own personal growth.

Freeing yourself from limitations

This also requires us to question the existing. As a company, these questions should be directed at our strategy or even our business model. Initially, changes may be viewed as a threat. My view is: We have to think of changes as opportunities! 

The trend towards digitalization is a good place to start. In the beginning, the radically altered laws of nature in the digital world and the speed of new competitors caught many companies flat-footed. Well-developed organizations suddenly had a gun against their head. Today, many companies with long traditions have devised their own digital strategies and successfully taken the transformation of their business models forward. They have gained new freedom. But this – and there is a parallel to the fall of the Wall here as well – does not mean that everything is said and done: This freedom must be seized and actively shaped.

Tapping new worlds

In companies, people tend to think within the limited realms of their own tiny cosmos. But there is one fact we cannot ignore: No matter what industry you are talking about, all of us are being confronted by the same global megatrends. Globalization, individualization, connectivity, new work and sustainability will significantly impact the future of companies.

It does no harm to leave our comfort zones and exercise our freedom by taking a look at what is happening on our left and right. And to look past our next-door neighbor. The customers’ demand for products and services that are tailored to their specific needs is universal. For this reason, we would simply be irresponsible, if we focused solely on the solutions created by the beauty industry. I very deliberately take a look beyond my own business horizon: What sort of best practices can be found in other industries? Does Tesla have a good idea here? How are fashion designers positioning themselves? And what can I make use of, for the benefit of Douglas?

The aim is to demolish the walls in our heads and to develop an appetite for the world that awaits us outside our front doors. This is why a company needs diverse teams. People who have a variety of university majors as well as people who are switching industries or changing careers. The ability to react to societal changes and trends is in demand everywhere. I have personally profited from the practice of taking a new look at things. Be it after the switch from beauty to the automotive industry or back again afterwards.

Removal of barriers

We also have to think about the seemingly soft walls that limit our growth. Let’s consider the glass ceiling that still prevents women all too often from getting management jobs. This still occurs even though it is proven and widely known that women in management jobs make a decisive contribution to companies’ success. But good intentions will not solve the problem by themselves. We also need women, who have the courage to claim these positions, who assume responsibility and who are willing to create a new standard. Cultural change will not happen overnight, and it cannot be dictated from above. 

Nobody can accomplish this on their own. The Berlin Wall was not torn down by a single hero either. It was real, authentic team work! And it also works as a reminder for us: we can break down walls and shape the future if we have the will and the courage to make changes as well as a common goal. We have the freedom to dare to do something new. Let us use it!