Why leadership is more than just a process or control routineWhat really counts in the crisis

In stable times, processes, role models and key figures work quite well. The organization runs smoothly, decisions follow defined paths – many things are regulated “systemically”. But when a crisis occurs, whether externally driven or home-made, it quickly becomes apparent:

What a company can really build on is not the most beautiful flowchart or the cleanest Gantt chart – but leadership, clarity and trust.

I well remember a project in special machine construction where this realization hit with full force.

A complex system was to be delivered to an international OEM – with customer-specific software, sophisticated measurement and control technology and several interfaces to existing systems at the customer’s plant. The project was technically ambitious, but well organized: Dozens of process descriptions, documented transfer points, detailed test plans, clearly defined responsibilities.

Until the moment when everything started to slip at the same time.

The system was mechanically and electrically installed and the commissioning team took over – supposedly just a small step to the end of the project. Everything had been tested, planned and programmed. But then it happened, as it often does in such projects: the small adjustments that were “still to come” turned into major challenges. And the whole project came to a standstill.

The schedule was out of control – and so was the customer’s. The resources required for troubleshooting and rectification seemed endless. The teams – both internal and external – reached their limits.

And then a new project manager joined the client – young, committed, hungry, but with a completely new perspective on the specifications. She called many things into question that had previously been taken for granted.

Until a few days ago, everything seemed to be on track – now it feels like we’re back to square one.

Suddenly everything was unclear: delivery date, range of functions, technical details – and above all, trust.

Processes provide stability – but only as long as people feel safe

The result was what happens in many projects when pressure arises:

• Uncertainty.
• Fingerpointing.
• Retreat into your own silo.

And suddenly none of the defined processes worked any more – even though they were supposed to be designed precisely for such situations.

The truth is: BPMN diagrams don’t help at times like these. Nor do meeting series, milestone lists or double-backed release loops. In case of doubt, they are even counterproductive – because they place an additional burden on overworked project participants instead of relieving them.

They take up valuable time that would be better used to tackle the problem directly: pragmatic, experience-based, focused.

I’m a big fan of tools and structured processes – if they fit the situation. But in acute crises, you need to act quickly, not create the umpteenth top management presentation or tick off a document that nobody reads.

What the team would have needed in this case – and what I am calling for early on today – was not a trial.

It was a manager.

Someone who is present.
Who listens.
Who makes decisions – even under uncertainty.
Who reads between the lines, recognizes cultural nuances (especially in international projects), and resolves conflicts, not exacerbates them.
And above all: someone who builds trust instead of managing mistrust.

Leadership means seeing people

Crises don’t just affect projects. They affect people.

I have seen how experienced technicians lose their confidence under pressure, how team leaders push away responsibility – for fear of making a mistake.

And I have seen how simple gestures – a conversation at eye level, a clear word, a sincere “We can work this out together” – can stabilize entire teams.

In the project in question, it wasn’t a top management meeting or a project task force meeting in a conference room, far away from the action, that turned things around. It was an afternoon spent on the construction site with the team, asking and answering questions, ordering pizza – and, above all, listening rather than judging.

The technicians, who had been quietly going about their work until then, began to speak again. Problems became visible – and solvable. The customer felt that they were being taken seriously. The project got back on track.

Sometimes it is not the formal decision template that determines success – but the ability to see the human element.

What I learned from it – and how I act today

As an (interim) manager, I often find myself in situations where processes are in place but are not working. Or even block them. And in which leadership is either missing – or is frozen in pure control.

My approach is not to abolish processes – on the contrary:

• I simplify,
• I clarify,
• I restructured.

But I lead – with a view to the people in the system.

I ask questions like:

• What does the team need to get moving again?
• Where is there a lack of clarity – not in the process, but in the mind?
• Which formalities can be omitted to create breathing space?
• What decision does someone simply have to make now – without endlessly hedging their bets?

Sometimes true leadership begins precisely when you have the courage not to go through with a perfectly defined process – but to break through in order to restore trust, bring back energy and enable movement.

Conclusion

A crisis is not just a state of economic emergency – it is above all an emotional stress test for teams and organizations.
Processes help – but only if people feel safe.
And leadership begins precisely where control reaches its limits.

What remains is a simple realization that has stayed with me for years:

👉 In a crisis, it’s not the best tools that count. But the best people.

And that’s exactly where I see my role: creating clarity. Taking responsibility. And getting a project back on track – not with PowerPoint, but with attitude.