We cannot separate our private and working lives, because we take our worries from one into the other. People need purpose, community and the feeling that they matter – that’s what truly drives engagement ~ Martin Laschkolnig
Martin Laschkolnig is a visionary leader and expert in organisational growth, leadership and employee engagement. As a keynote speaker at the upcoming HR Experience conference in Belgrade, he will share his insights into fostering trust, empowering teams and shaping the future of work.
In this interview, we explored the role of leadership in unlocking human potential, the impact of continuous development and the evolving relationship between technology and workplace culture.
How can organisations create environments that truly unlock the full potential of their employees and foster both individual and collective growth?
— If we set aside the basics, like a liveable wage, etc. – as they should be a given – it ultimately boils down to creating an environment of trust and the management of expectations; things that are often implied by the buzzword of “Psychological Safety” that we hear so much about these days. It comprises trust in the company itself as well as trust in the immediate leadership. So, this is a lot about the alignment of communication and the actual action that is taken. It’s not about always knowing what’s going to unfold. Today, nobody knows the challenges that lie ahead – the uncertainties are far too great for that. However, communicating that honestly and respectfully is a crucial indicator.
In this modern world, I believe we are beyond the age of the “lone wolf leader” who makes all decisions by themselves. Rather it’s about collaboration, about coming together to discuss the challenges and bringing all the perspectives to the table, so that we can come up with the best possible solution. And then enable the people to actually go out and execute. If you create a game plan and then micro-manage it, all engagement will be killed. Be there to help them, coach them, but also – if possible – let them make and learn from their own mistakes. Preferably in an uncritical environment, of course. We don’t want to let pilots make mistakes when flying, which is why they are heavily trained in simulators. But that, luckily, doesn’t apply to most environments. There we can go out and try stuff out and make the corrections to our mistakes.
What role does leadership play in empowering employees? How can leaders align their actions to inspire and support their teams effectively?
— The role of leadership in empowering employees is critical. People join a team for the company, but they leave it due to the failure of their immediate leadership. So, the effect of a good role model and leader is absolutely critical. It is about the little things, daily communication, the trust that you build up through interactions in the team, so they know that they can be open about their strengths and weaknesses, and that they are still accepted for who they are. So, again, this boils down to trusting one another and it’s therefore extremely important that a leader is a person who honours their word.
If you, as a leader, are not able to deal with criticism, then you should not be a leader. People usually want to be helpful, so they are actually trying to improve things when they voice a criticism. Try to separate the statement from the person, observe the facts and see what can be done to make it better.
The old joke goes: the CFO asks, “What if we invest in our people, and then they leave?” To which the CEO answers, “Well, what if we don’t and they stay?”
There are few things that are more helpful in building a positive culture than when you have the feeling that you can contribute, that you are listened to and that you are taken seriously. This doesn’t mean that you can’t renegotiate agreements or change directions, but you should never override a previous agreement without first communicating that properly with the people involved.
Also don’t pretend to be perfect, as nobody is! Rather, be open about our human nature and acknowledge that we all make mistakes at times. A leader who honours their mistakes and owns them will have loyal team members, and this will encourage open communication of mistakes and ways that we can fix them, ultimately leading to better results for everyone involved.
Mistakes occur because of misunderstandings way too often, because expectations aren’t communicated clearly enough. So, it’s a good idea to not only issue orders, but also to ensure that they have been understood properly and that everybody is clear about what’s expected of them.
What are the key benefits of investing in education and continuous development for employees? How can companies structure these efforts to achieve the greatest impact?
— Well, as the old joke goes: the CFO asks, “What if we invest in our people, and then they leave?” to which the CEO answers, “Well, what if we don’t and they stay?”
One mistake that I see repeated over and over is the promoting of the best performing people to be the leaders of their department. So, the best salesperson is promoted to leader of the sales department, and all too often these people are miserable in their new role, because they love selling, but they don’t love leading and maybe don’t even have the skills for that.

One of the critical indicators is to build a relationship with people, to be interested in them, to see what they are doing, for example, in their free time, are they engaging in a sports club etc., are they taking on leadership rules in these environments? This can be a great indicator that somebody could prove to be a good leader of a department in your company, even if they aren’t the department’s most brilliant subject matter expert.
Another element is a culture of ongoing feedback. I’m not a big fan of performance reviews every half a year, because engagement depends on a timely feedback culture. This is what I call catching them when they do something right, and noticing and applauding them for it. This is much more effective and has a much higher impact on their engagement than when you bring that up half a year later.
A leader who honors their mistakes and owns them will have loyal team members, and this will encourage open communication of mistakes and ways that we can fix them, ultimately leading to better results for everyone involved
One common misconception is that we hire people with great skills and then try to train them to adopt the company culture. If somebody is a very skilled person in their field, but their culture does not match that of the company, i.e. the way we prefer to treat each other here – maybe they are even disloyal and only thinking of their own benefit, instead of being a team player – then they can be the most skilled person and they will still kill the team spirit and the engagement of others.
So, my recommendation is to hire for character and cultural fit, and then work on the skills they need to possess. It is thus much easier to integrate them into a team and create a common climate of trust and teamwork.
I also want to emphasise the importance of integrating organisational development into the ongoing leadership culture of the company as a whole. This isn’t only something that HR does and implements, rather it needs to be a strategic goal of the entire C-level suite in the company. We can no longer separate the training and developing of employees from the overall enterprise culture.
In your experience, how does fostering creativity within teams contribute to organisational success? What practices can leaders adopt to encourage it?
— Creativity is important, and it’s also wise to notice that not all people are creative. Some need a lot of structure, and these people are really good at getting things done in a consistent and thoughtful manner.

And sometimes it’s good to bring those people together, even though they might irritate each other – because the others lack structure on the one side and are way too creative on the other. But forging an understanding between these two kinds of people can lead to new insights that can help everybody to better understand the needs of the other side and how to make processes run smoother for everyone involved.
Many employees resign over dissatisfaction with the way they’ve been treated by their employers. Initiatives like the four-day workweek and the ‘right to disconnect’ are gaining traction in Europe as ways to enhance employee wellbeing. In your view, are we entering a new era in which the work environment is being reshaped to prioritise workers’ wellbeing, and what role do leaders play in driving this change?
— I don’t think a four-day work week is, per se, the solution to the problems we are facing nowadays. I think people lack inspiration, community and the feeling of actually being able to contribute to something that’s bigger than themselves. We all want to make a difference and to have the feeling that we are seen and appreciated in what we do. If we have a strong enough reason, we can also endure very difficult circumstances.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not promoting making it difficult for your team, but I’m trying to emphasise that the human connection and the feeling that we have each other’s back and that our community cares for each other is a greatly underestimated factor when it comes to the engagement of employees.
And a simple way to assess this is to ask yourself (and your team members): Am I looking forward to going back to work on Monday, or am I already ready for it to be Friday by Tuesday? Now, of course, if external conditions are difficult, e.g. if a young family doesn’t have proper childcare, that will harm their ability to be fully present in the workplace. These things need to be remedied. We cannot separate our private and working lives, because we take the worries of our private lives into work and take our work stresses home to our private lives.