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A SUMMARY OF 25 YEARS

13/09/2021

In 1996, exactly 25 years ago, Ralf Hager founded HAGER Executive Consulting GmbH, which is based on Executive Search is specialized. Time for a small, personal company analysis in four chapters - with a few surprising insights.

Hager - A SUMMARY OF 25 YEARS - Ralf Hager

In 1996, our day-to-day office work was largely analog. Communication was by fax, data was stored on floppy disks and the World Wide Web was only five years old. Even Bill Gates initially thought the Internet was hype. It was a time of technological upheaval and upheaval, new territory, in which the pioneers and the later market giants winked at each other through the time window and the pioneers rubbed their eyes in astonishment years later. The most interesting chapters in this context were written by Nokia and Apple. The Finns launched the first smartphone in 1996 with their "Nokia 9000 Communicator". A pocket-sized office, so the promise, that could send and receive faxes and weighed 400 grams. It was to become the tragic side note of the digital era. Apple presented its iPhone a decade later, the smartphone became a bestseller and game changer for an entire industry. The rest is history.

 

What lessons can you learn from this episode on the Main Stage? In order to be successful in the long term, you have to master and take two things to heart. Recognizing trends early, one could also say loosely: betting on the right horse, and at the same time constantly reinventing yourself. Ralph Hager recognized in the 1990s what potential there was in the digital industry – back then it was still referred to as IT & telecommunications. “During this time there was already an incredible dynamic. That was the reason for me to start consulting in this technology area.” The theme was found as a leitmotif and was continually adapted to current developments and market requirements, and new business units were added. Most recently with “Financial Sponsor Coverage”, an industry that is undergoing digital transformation later than others, but at a breathtaking pace.

HAGER now employs over 110 people in 14 different industry teams. These include all economically relevant sectors, including, for example, Consumer Industries, Digital & Technology, Financial Services, Industrial, Life Science, Professional Services, Construction & Real Estate and the Public Sector.

 

2. It's people's economy

It wasn't that long ago that companies focused primarily on producing and providing services. In this old school business model, employees should ideally run along inconspicuously and silently, little cogs in a well-oiled clockwork. In other words: the human factor has been chronically underestimated for a long time.

Ralf Hager had his first contact with the topic as a working student during his business studies Executive Search Consultancy. The famous eureka moment. Bringing the right people together, that was what he wanted to do in the future. He says: “When I started the company 25 years ago, my goal was to do it better than the others. Because every person can deliver an unbelievably large amount of added value in their working environment – ​​if it really fits.” The last half-sentence, as inconspicuous as it may seem at first glance, naturally contains the explosiveness and brilliance of an entire profession and affects everyone involved equally, the employees just like the companies, depending on whether the matching is successful.

 

3. Trust your team: recognising, promoting and letting go of potential

In dynamically growing companies, a look is particularly exciting (and for some, revealing): How many people from the core team are still there after many years - even if the number of employees has multiplied? Conversely, this means: To what extent are you as an entrepreneur able to develop your employees and give them room to grow?

In the case of one Executive Search Consultancy becomes a litmus test. Do we ourselves adhere to what we recommend to others as principles of contemporary leadership? Do the Sunday speeches still apply in meetings on Mondays? Many central positions at HAGER are filled by people who have worked successfully for the company for many years. For example, Martin Krill, managing partner, who started as a consultant at HAGER over 20 years ago. In 2020/21 he also conducted the future study “World of work 2030“was initiated and implemented together with the consultants from the future research company '2b AHEAD', led by Sven Gábor Jánszky and some employees of his team at HAGER. The “ABC of the world of work".

 

4. Walk the talk: Diversity as a future driver

Anyone who hires needs the right attitude. And whoever recruits has power. Countless studies show a connection between diversity and the ability of companies to innovate - diversity is a success factor. Gender diversity has the greatest effect because it can be clearly quantified and is an accelerator for an overall more open corporate culture. Although the majority of students are women, who also have better degrees, this is not yet reflected in the filling of management positions. The old song. Why is Germany finding it particularly difficult to take the necessary steps? “There are widespread cultural prejudices against women – and such stereotypes only die slowly,” explains Ralf Hager. What motivated him and the HAGER team to take a radical step: “We have committed to recommending 50 percent of female candidates when filling mandates for executive and supervisory board positions. We also cooperate with networks such as FemaleOneZero, Impact of Diversity, Mission Female and Global Digital Women to advance this topic even further.”

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