In our article, Mission Team: The 5-Step Cycle to Building Outstanding Teams, we introduced the practical and theoretical foundations of our 5-step cycle, which is based on practical observations as well as insights from psychology and neurobiology and was specifically designed to help individuals and teams enhance their performance.
This document takes a completely different approach. Written from a personal perspective, it does not reflect the collective experiences of our entire team but rather my own insights, shaped by over 40 years of leadership experience with world-class teams in sports, music, and business. The goal of this paper is to provide practical and directly applicable insights into the 5-step cycle and to demonstrate how it can be adapted to meet the specific needs of a team. A special focus is placed on conflicts, as negative conflicts often prevent teams from achieving peak performance. This guide is intended for team leaders, coaches, entrepreneurs, managers, people developers, and anyone working with teams – regardless of their size or industry.
As outlined in Mission Team: The 5-Step Cycle for Building Outstanding Teams, I strive to actively apply our 5-step cycle in my daily work. In this document, I will therefore follow the same structure, but with a focus on personal experiences and insights.
Right from the start, I want to highlight a key point: Our 5-step cycle is based on acceptance and trust. By its very nature, this approach aims to minimise negative impacts and create a constructive environment. It is therefore essential to distinguish between positive and negative conflicts.
Positive conflicts arise from the friction between different personalities, perspectives, and viewpoints, ultimately leading to better outcomes. This occurs especially when individuals focus on the issue rather than their ego, engage in constructive discussions, and treat their colleagues with respect.
As outlined in Mission Team: The 5-Step Cycle for Building Outstanding Teams, I strive to actively apply our 5-step cycle in my daily work. In this document, I will therefore follow the same structure, but with a focus on personal experiences and insights.
Right from the start, I want to highlight a key point: Our 5-step cycle is based on acceptance and trust. By its very nature, this approach aims to minimise negative impacts and create a constructive environment. It is therefore essential to distinguish between positive and negative conflicts.
Positive conflicts arise from the friction between different personalities, perspectives, and viewpoints, ultimately leading to better outcomes. This occurs especially when individuals focus on the issue rather than their ego, engage in constructive discussions, and treat their colleagues with respect.
As outlined in Mission Team: The 5-Step Cycle for Building Outstanding Teams, I strive to actively apply our 5-step cycle in my daily work. In this document, I will therefore follow the same structure, but with a focus on personal experiences and insights.
Right from the start, I want to highlight a key point: Our 5-step cycle is based on acceptance and trust. By its very nature, this approach aims to minimise negative impacts and create a constructive environment. It is therefore essential to distinguish between positive and negative conflicts.
Positive conflicts arise from the friction between different personalities, perspectives, and viewpoints, ultimately leading to better outcomes. This occurs especially when individuals focus on the issue rather than their ego, engage in constructive discussions, and treat their colleagues with respect.
I cannot completely separate the first two steps in our cycle. For me, the development of self-knowledge was inextricably linked to recognizing the value of diverse perspectives and approaches. Therefore, I logically address these two steps in the same section.
Improving Self-Knowledge and Recognizing Diversity: An Introduction
As a young man, I was insecure and vulnerable, in great part due to my weight. This insecurity often surfaced as what others perceived as arrogance. To compensate, I threw myself into work, regularly exceeding 70-80 hours a week. When I left a job, it often took multiple people to replace me. It took me years to understand why: I was driven by a deep fear of failure – fear of not meeting my own high expectations and being ridiculed.
At the time, I also projected my own worldview onto others. As a track and field coach, for instance, I couldn’t understand why an athlete wouldn’t prioritise training above all else to avoid failure, rather than simply enjoying the sport. Looking back, I don’t take pride in that period of my life – I had a reputation as a demanding, stubborn leader who bulldozed through opposition rather than considering alternative viewpoints.
Coming to terms with my fear of failure as a core driver was difficult, but my wife and mother played a crucial role in helping me gradually recognise and accept it. Once I understood that this fear fuelled my relentless drive, I began to realise that not everyone is motivated by the same things. I started surrounding myself with people who had different perspectives and sources of motivation. This wasn’t without conflict – I initially struggled to navigate such diversity.
To manage these conflicts, I had to deepen my understanding of both me and others. One of the most significant lessons I learned was that I have poor perception – unless I actively focus, I miss a lot of details. In fact, I once failed to notice new curtains in our apartment for over a year! This realisation was a turning point: I started hiring assistants with strong observational skills, tasking them with making me aware of the details I overlooked. This was the first step towards a transformative change of attitude. I discovered that working alongside others who complemented my strengths significantly improved both team and individual performance. This realisation became the foundation for the team approach I now define as the five-step cycle.
Like most people, my education had emphasised overcoming weaknesses rather than leveraging strengths. I decided to take the opposite approach – deepening my understanding of my own personality, interests, and motivations, and doing the same for my team members.
This resulted in several key INSIGHTS, which ultimately shaped the first two steps of our cycle:
INSIGHT 1: Self-understanding is difficult
Gaining a deep understanding of yourself is far more challenging than understanding others – so take advantage of any support available! Self-acceptance is the foundation of effective leadership, requiring honesty, humility, and a willingness to seek guidance from trusted sources. Focus on identifying your natural strengths – you’ve likely already heard plenty about your weaknesses.
INSIGHT 2: Appearances can be deceptive
Appearances can be deceptive! It’s worth taking the time to truly understand others before making judgments. My first meeting with my wife was a disaster – she initially found me arrogant, loud, and unlikable. It took her only milliseconds to form that opinion. Like all of us, she instinctively assessed and categorized me. However, once she realised that much of my behaviour was simply a mask for my own insecurities, her perspective shifted. Today, after more than 42 years together, with two wonderful children, we are truly a “dream team.”
Having an anchor helps! The role of the Visual Implicit Profiler (VIP)®
In my pursuit of self-knowledge and a deeper understanding of others, I sought guidance from renowned leaders in business, sports, and music, as well as experts in psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience. I experimented with countless psychological tests and promising frameworks, but many proved too complex or time-consuming to sustain.
Then, in 2014, I came across the precursor to the Visual Implicit Profiler (VIP) – and it was a revelation. In just minutes, it delivered actionable insights, enhancing my self-awareness and shedding light on others’ personality traits.
To be clear, the VIP is not a magic solution. Rather, it provides a structured, step-by-step assessment of preferences in perception and decision-making, primarily at an unconscious level. Nothing more – but, more importantly, nothing less. When combined with our five-step cycle, the VIP serves as a powerful anchor, grounding the journey of self-discovery and fostering a deeper appreciation of diversity. If you wish to learn more about how the Visual Implicit Profiler (VIP)® works, please read our article: Visual Implicit Profiler (VIP)® and have a look at an example of the Personal Strengths Profile it generates.
INSIGHT 3: The unconscious is incredibly powerful – approach it with respect and openness
It is nearly impossible to manipulate VIP results to fit a desired outcome. The profile you receive may not align with your expectations, and that’s perfectly fine. You don’t have to agree with every detail, but by embracing it with curiosity and an open mind, you may uncover valuable hidden insights. In my case, my VIP profile highlighted my weak perception – both in noticing details and grasping the bigger picture. This perfectly aligned with my habit of overlooking new curtains in my apartment for nearly two years, only to be baffled when others didn’t share my sudden enthusiasm once I finally noticed them.
INSIGHT 4: The VIP is a simplification of reality
The VIP doesn’t provide absolute truth, but rather a valuable starting point for meaningful discussions, in other words a most valuable anchor. Categorising preferences of perception and decision making into four basic patterns – like the VIP does – is a simplification of reality. However, the strengths profile and professional roles profile offer a more detailed and accurate reflection. Engaging in conversations about these profiles – both your own and those of others – enhances self-awareness and fosters a deeper appreciation for diversity. Give it a try!
INSIGHT 5: Focus on strengths (& how to avoid conflicts part 1)
Early in my coaching career, my mother – herself a wise and experienced leader – shared a piece of advice from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Treat people as they are, and they will get worse. Treat people as they could be, and they will get better!” This insight struck a chord with me, reinforcing the idea that discussions centred on shortcomings often lead to resistance and avoidance.
Think about your own experiences. Have conflicts ever arisen in a team simply from discussing positive aspects? Probably not. Now consider how quickly tensions escalate when conversations focus on weaknesses and failures. By emphasising strengths – at least initially – individuals can tap into their own resources and become more receptive to others. In contrast, focusing on negatives restricts that access and reduces openness.
INSIGHT 6: Promote a realistic self-assessment.
I’ve learned to pay close attention to two types of people: those who overestimate their abilities and those who consistently underestimate themselves. Neither extreme reflects reality. Encouraging open discussions about individual strengths and contributions helps create a culture of acceptance and appreciation for diversity.
INSIGHT 7: The VIP empowers shy and quiet individuals.
Like most people, I once had a tendency to hire individuals who excelled at selling themselves. As a result, I repeatedly placed my trust in candidates whose performance did not match their promises, while overlooking those who were less adept at self-promotion but likely more capable.
The VIP helped me break free from this bias. By asking targeted questions about their strengths, I created a space where more reserved individuals felt comfortable expressing themselves. This shift allowed me to uncover exceptional talent that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.
INSIGHT 8: Promote integrity and individuals with civil courage (& how to avoid conflicts part 2)
During my time leading Weltklasse Zürich and the 2014 European Athletics Championships, I had the privilege of working with Aurelia Denzler, a professional whose expertise was beyond question. However, she was often criticised for what some perceived as unnecessary interference – primarily because she consistently championed the concerns of ordinary people – volunteers, visitors, and athletes.
If we, the management team, were truly honest with ourselves, we often had to admit that she was right. Too frequently, we had veered off track, adopting a condescending attitude without even realising it. While Aurelia’s interventions were sometimes inconvenient – if not outright uncomfortable – they were almost always justified.
This experience strengthened my resolve to uphold two fundamental principles: integrity, ensuring that actions align with values, and civil courage, standing by these values even when it is difficult or unpopular. Although Aurelia’s persistence initially created internal friction, it ultimately prevented larger conflicts by addressing issues before they could escalate. Through her unwavering commitment, she built trust with those we served, who recognised and appreciated not just our adherence to values, but the fact that we openly stood by them.
I have been fortunate to have people like Aurelia in almost every team I’ve led. However, I can’t shake the feeling that they are becoming increasingly rare. It seems that individuals with strong opinions and unconventional approaches are too often dismissed as troublemakers or rebels, rather than being valued for their courage and integrity. As a team leader, it is crucial to push back against this trend as people with civil courage have become so rare that they ought to be put on the endangered species list!
In The 5-Step Cycle to Building Outstanding Teams, I highlighted the importance of social connection through shared backgrounds, interests, and experiences. However, my experience has shown that nothing strengthens acceptance and unity more effectively than pursuing common goals.
Performance, Attitude and Purpose Goals
In both business and sports, common goals often serve as the key differentiator. Sports teams, for example, typically unite around a single performance goal: winning the next match. Meanwhile, attitude goals shape the mindset, behaviour, and values that determine how that performance goal is pursued.
Whenever possible, I integrate performance and attitude goals into purpose goals, which answer the fundamental question: “What do we want to achieve together?” Simon Sinek, in his book Start with Why, advocates for beginning with the “Why?” – the deeper emotional purpose behind a company or project, rather than focusing solely on commercial success. This emotional connection is essential for fostering a strong sense of identification and commitment among both employees and customers.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup™ Example
Crafting truly compelling purpose goals is no easy task. During a workshop for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the Chairman of the Organising Committee, the famous Franz Beckenbauer challenged the team to think beyond simply promoting football or showcasing new stadiums. He envisioned something far greater – reshaping the world’s perception of Germans.
I was the one who shaped this purpose goal into the official slogan of the event: Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden™ (A Time to Make Friends™). This slogan was reinforced by the Service und Freundlichkeit Kampagne (Campaign for Service and Friendliness). As part of this initiative, tens of thousands of volunteers, police officers, public transport employees (train, bus, tram, and underground), customs officials, and many others were trained and prepared to warmly welcome guests from all over the world.
These efforts resonated deeply, turning the World Cup into a global celebration of hospitality and friendship. Beyond the event itself, it had a measurable, high positive impact on Germany’s international image and fostered a lasting sense of unity within the country.
INSIGHT 9: Common goals create acceptance.
When individuals share a common goal, they are more likely to appreciate and value each other’s contributions, even if their approaches or perspectives initially seem unconventional. On the other hand, when someone’s goals appear misaligned with the group’s, their actions tend to be met with skepticism and resistance.
INSIGHT 10: Attitude goals are the key step towards trust (& how to avoid conflicts part 3)
I rarely begin a meeting without addressing both performance and attitude goals. There is no doubt that performance goals are important. However, incorporating attitude goals – such as “Have fun!” or “Let’s openly discuss challenges” – can greatly enhance team dynamics and strengthen trust and is critical as well.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, especially in young companies or smaller teams, a clearly defined corporate culture is often missing. Taking the time to establish not just performance goals, but also the desired team mindset and shared values, i.e. attitude goals, is essential for building trust and creating a cohesive, high-performing team.
Fostering trust within a team is both challenging and straightforward. It demands consistency, self-reflection, openness, and honesty – particularly when it comes to acknowledging your own weaknesses and mistakes. Yet, the path to building trust is clear. The following INSIGHTS are the behavioural patterns I have found to be most effective on this path.
INSIGHT 11: Be authentic!
Most people have a strong instinct for authenticity. When someone is merely putting on an act, it undermines trust, as it suggests they may be hiding something. Genuine behaviour, rooted in self-awareness, is the foundation for building trust.
INSIGHT 12: Be a role model!
Lead by example – behave as you expect your team members to behave. This doesn’t mean striving for perfection; rather, it’s about demonstrating leadership, especially when things don’t go as planned. Your actions under pressure are closely observed, and inconsistency can quickly erode trust. However, these moments also present a powerful opportunity to show genuine leadership and reinforce trust.
The next two INSIGHTS explore key aspects of being a role model. Remember, it doesn’t have to be complicated. If you stay authentic, treat yourself and others fairly, and consistently show respect in your interactions, you will naturally become a strong role model.
INSIGHT 13: Create an error culture (& how to avoid conflicts part 4)
Errors are inevitable, but how we respond to them makes all the difference. A rigid, punitive approach to errors creates fear and secrecy, while excessive leniency stifles progress. The key is to cultivate a positive error culture – one that views errors as opportunities for learning, growth, and trust-building.
The most effective error cultures focus on leveraging strengths. When individuals work within their areas of strength, errors naturally become less frequent. This requires team members to not only understand their own strengths but also appreciate and utilise those of their colleagues, fostering both confidence and trust.
Avoid the blame game. Instead of asking Who made this error?, shift the focus to Why did this error occur? This approach encourages constructive conversations, prevents unnecessary finger-pointing, and promotes proactive problem-solving and shared learning. In my experience, fostering a healthy error culture – combined with asking “why” instead of “who” – is one of the most powerful ways to prevent conflicts and create a more resilient, high-performing team.
INSIGHT 14: Eliminate uncertainty (& how to avoid conflicts part 5)
Uncertainty can quickly spread through a team like a ripple effect. In my experience, it typically arises in two ways: a lack of information and perceived inconsistency in decision-making, which is often interpreted as unfairness.
Good information leads to trust.
As someone motivated by fear, I naturally seek information. When information is lacking, my mind instinctively jumps to worst-case scenarios – and I know I’m not alone in this. For people like us, having clear and ample information minimizes speculation and fosters trust. While some individuals are comfortable with less information, over-communication is rarely a burden. Transparency strengthens trust and helps prevent unnecessary conflicts.
Consistently fair behaviour is a cornerstone of trust – Lead by example!
The second type of uncertainty often arises when a leader lacks consistently fair behaviour. Inconsistent or perceived unfair behaviour creates a ripple effect of insecurity, eroding morale and fostering mistrust and conflict. Trust takes time to build but can be broken in an instant. My personal conclusion: Leading by example – within human limits – and fostering a positive error culture are the most effective ways to counteract this type of mistrust.
While I previously mentioned experiencing greater determination in sports than in the professional world, upon reflection, that’s not entirely accurate. Any time I’ve worked with people engaged in competition – whether in sports, music, or business – a strong sense of purpose has emerged. In fact, young professionals competing in EuroSkills or WorldSkills are among my favourite people to collaborate with. Although these are often individual competitions, they rely heavily on teamwork. Champions frequently credit their success to coaches, supportive employers, and personal networks, highlighting the importance of soft skills such as self-confidence, determination, perseverance, motivation, readiness to commit errors, communication, acceptance and trust.
A competitive environment naturally fosters a collective drive toward success. It provides a clear common goal and encourages people to maximise their strengths. But this mindset doesn’t have to be limited to competition alone – it can be embedded in everyday work life. In our current economic system, supply and demand create ongoing competition, and those lacking motivation and commitment often struggle to keep up. However, competition doesn’t mean being antisocial – which is why attitude goals are just as important as performance goals in building a high-performing team.
INSIGHT 15: Let the team make a conscious decision for its own success & repeat this commitment regularly (& how to avoid conflicts part 6)
Seeing a team transform when they collectively commit to a shared goal is always inspiring. Even strong teams improve rapidly when this alignment occurs. Most importantly, nothing fosters harmony and prevents conflicts more effectively than this shared commitment – it naturally shifts the focus away from weaknesses and shortcomings, directing attention instead toward strengths and meaningful contributions.
INSIGHT 16: A lack of skills can be corrected, a lack of commitment cannot.
I have a deep belief in human potential. When given the right opportunities, most people can surpass expectations – they grow, learn, and develop new skills. However, this only happens when they are motivated and committed. If someone lacks commitment, there’s often little you can do beyond finding a replacement. This highlights the importance of cultivating a positive team culture, where every individual feels valued, supported, and empowered to contribute their unique strengths.
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