Leadership is about much more than delegating tasks or making decisions. It means supporting people, providing guidance and taking joint responsibility for the company’s success. That is precisely why we at Ursa-Chemie GmbH, in collaboration with the Strategy School Münster, have developed the UrsaVia programme – a bespoke learning journey for our managers.
Why we set up UrsaVia
Ursa-Chemie has grown steadily over recent years. As a result of this growth, our teams have expanded and new management positions have been created. Our current managers have earned these roles through their professional expertise, their commitment and their achievements.
However, we have come to realise that technical expertise alone does not make a good leader. Interpersonal communication, the ability to deal with different personalities, and the ability to provide guidance and build trust are just as crucial.
Various internal measures – such as our mental health risk assessment – have also shown that we have room for improvement in this area. It was therefore clear to us that we wanted to actively develop our leadership culture further and provide targeted support to our managers in this regard.
A programme that suits us
With UrsaVia, we have deliberately chosen not to follow a standard approach. Together with the Strategy School Münster, we have developed a programme tailored to the requirements and challenges of our company.
The programme began with an anonymous situational analysis. This enabled us to identify genuine issues and challenges arising from day-to-day management practice. Building on this, a practical learning journey was developed which does not rely on theoretical models, but instead provides concrete solutions for our day-to-day work.
At the heart of this are our shared values:
- Clarity
- Effect
- Security
- sense of togetherness
These values are intended not only to describe our leadership, but also to make them tangible in our day-to-day work.
Practical learning – growing together
UrsaVia runs for one year and comprises a total of six days of face-to-face sessions.
The first two modules focus on leadership. The content is tailored to the respective areas of responsibility. Whilst senior management and department heads focus on change, accountability and their role as role models, division heads concentrate in particular on the challenges of what is known as the ‘sandwich position’.
On days three and four, all levels of management come together. The focus here is on communication, constructive feedback and dealing with conflicts professionally – skills that are essential for successful collaboration.
The final modules are aimed at senior management and department heads. They focus on strategic issues and potential-based leadership, with a view to actively shaping the long-term development of our company.
Moving forward together
A particularly beautiful image that accompanies our learning journey illustrates our understanding of leadership.
Rather than a tug-of-war, where two sides work against each other, at UrsaVia everyone involved pulls together on the same rope, with a shared goal in mind.
This motif symbolises the leadership culture that we practise and wish to continue developing at Ursa-Chemie: not competition between departments or hierarchical levels, but cooperation, mutual support and moving forward together.
The focus is on open discussion, reflecting together on challenges and developing practical solutions for our day-to-day work. After all, lasting change does not come about through lectures, but through dialogue with one another.
Leadership is an ongoing process of development
For us, UrsaVia is not just a one-off training programme, but an important building block in our long-term corporate development.
We firmly believe that good leadership is a process of continuous development. That is why we will continue to invest in the personal and professional development of our managers and introduce further measures to strengthen our collaboration.
Because when our managers grow, so do our teams – and with them, Ursa-Chemie as a whole.
