Our Leadership Guidelines at the University of Freiburg

Regularly reflecting on my role as a leader allows me to grow, both personally and professionally. Having a clear understanding of my role provides orientation and builds trust as well as a sense of security. Investing time in leadership pays off in the long term– through more effective collaboration, high-quality results and high levels of satisfaction for everyone.

As a leader in academia, I have a dual role, combining responsibilities for staff management and academic supervision. The Compass for Good Supervision provides valuable guidance and inspiration for self-reflection.

I take my leadership role seriously and am fully aware of the responsibilities it entails. I understand that my team looks to my actions for direction, so I motivate and inspire others by modelling the behaviour I expect from them. I place a high value on sustainability, and I see myself as a role model for the mindful and responsible use of ecological, economic, and social resources. To me, leadership is an ongoing learning process. I remain open to growth and am committed to regularly reflecting on and improving my leadership practice.

• We recognise that leadership requires time and commitment. That is why we work independently and reliably – to help free up our manager’s capacity.
• We support each other with empathy, acknowledging our individual needs and circumstances.
• We make time for regular team conversations, creating space for active listening, mutual support, and shared learning.

Communication is the most fundamental tool I use to lead and to navigate challenges in collaboration. By making time for intentional communication, I can prevent conflicts, foster transparency, and create space for dialogue. This builds greater understanding and clarity within the team, and enables smooth, effective cooperation.
Open and respectful communication – especially during difficult conversations – helps find constructive solutions, strengthens trust and team relationships, and reinforces my leadership role.

I regard communication as one of my most essential leadership duties. I value respectful, transparent, and appreciative dialogue, as well as the open exchange of knowledge and information. It matters to me to express appreciation, but also to address uncomfortable topics promptly and without judgment. I actively seek and offer constructive feedback, and I adapt my communication style to different individuals and situations.

• As a team, we create dedicated and safe spaces for communication – including informal ones.
• We value honest and constructive feedback, which we use as a tool for continuous development, including during annual staff appraisals.
• We address challenging topics and personal needs respectfully – we are aware that not all conflicts are avoidable, but that addressing them constructively, including conflicts between others, is part of effective teamwork.
• When conflicts persist, we are open to seeking external support.

Diversity-sensitive leadership fosters respectful and appreciative interaction within teams and across the university community. It recognises different talents and perspectives, and promotes equal opportunities, thereby taking on social responsibility. This strengthens creativity, collaboration, and team resilience, helping to build a fair and inclusive working environment that attracts and retains talent.

As a leader, I am particularly responsible for creating equal opportunities, and ensuring an anti-discriminatory, family-friendly, an inclusive working environment. I embrace the associated learning processes and challenges. I consider different life designs and personal circumstances, and promote a culture in which diversity is valued as a source of enrichment and strength. I actively help to create opportunities and contribute to the university’s equity, diversity and inclusion goals.

• We structure our team processes so that everyone can participate and feel seen in their individual needs, while considering factors such as work-life balance, language skills, illness or disability.
• We keep reminding ourselves that unconscious bias and patterns of exclusion exist, and ensure that our recruitment and selection processes are fair and transparent.
• We stand up for people who face discrimination and take action when needed.

I make responsible decisions without delay and communicate them clearly. This creates orientation and fosters acceptance, especially in challenging situations, while strengthening trust. When needed, I consult my team’s expertise to make well-informed decisions. Acting promptly enables agility and leads to high levels of efficiency and performance.

I take ownership of decision-making processes and their outcomes, even when they are uncomfortable. My decisions are guided by the university’s mission statement, and I remain open to the input and expertise of others. Wherever possible and appropriate, I involve my team in decision-making processes. My proactive mindset allows me to implement decisions promptly. At the same time, I stay flexible and adapt decisions to changing circumstances when necessary. I regularly reflect on my decisions and continuously strive to improve my decision-making processes

• In unforeseen situations, timely decisions create clarity and help us focus on implementation.
• We help to improve processes, so they can be adapted and optimised quickly.
• Once decisions are made, we move them forward together – even when they are unpopular – and maintain a constructive, solution-focused mindset to keep progressing as a team.

By setting specific, achievable goals, I provide orientation and foster motivation in my environment. Clear goals help to focus on what really matters and provide purpose. Effective prioritisation enables me to make sound, situation-based decisions and manage processes efficiently. This allows me to remain capable of action and to use resources wisely, even in demanding situations.

I take responsibility for setting direction for my team. I focus on progress and value small wins along the way. With a clear understanding of resources and context, I flexibly balance individual needs and challenges within a dynamic environment – always aiming to stay focused and purposeful.

• We regularly exchange updates on progress, challenges, and priorities to ensure everyone stays aligned.
• We regularly review our priorities as a team and adjust them when needed.
• We are open to agile tools and methods that make daily tasks easier and free up time for creative work.

A positive and appreciative working and learning environment promotes creativity and innovation, while supporting the mental and physical well-being as well as satisfaction of all team members. By fostering a constructive and collaborative team culture, I strengthen everyone’s connection to the University of Freiburg and help attract new talent. This creates a more stable, productive environment and actively contributes to a strong and positive workplace culture.

I value an open, empathetic mindset and promote a culture of lifelong learning. Therefore, I approach challenges with optimism and a positive attitude. I support a feedback culture in which we see mistakes as opportunities for learning and growth. To boost motivation and to ensure my team’s well-being, I take my duty of care seriously and promote a healthy work-life balance.

• We appreciate everyone’s contributions to our shared success and actively recognise good performance.
• We engage in open and respectful communication, and we are committed to fostering a supportive and collegial atmosphere.
• We treat mistakes as learning opportunities and address them constructively, with a focus on growth and development.

By promoting the skills and strengths of my team members, I help increase the quality of our work. Supporting their development into experts enhances their job satisfaction and sense of self-efficacy. By paying attention to my employees and recognising their individual strengths, I increase their commitment to their working environment. This allows us to grow together as a team.

I pay close attention to the individual needs of my team members, consciously acknowledging their strengths, skills, and areas for learning. I see it as my responsibility to identify their potential and actively support their professional growth. Therefore, I create space for learning and encourage everyone to take ownership of their own development while offering guidance and support along the way.

• We make use of targeted development opportunities that help us act with confidence and build on our strengths.
• We take on and lead projects that align with our skills and talents.
• We explore how sustainability issues inside and outside the university are interconnected and evolving.
• We hold regular feedback conversations to help us understand our strengths better and identify tailored steps for our professional and personal development.

Trust-based cooperation fosters reliability, solidarity, and a sense of security within my team. Allowing people to try things out results in creative ideas and a culture of experimentation and learning. By building mutual trust and strengthening individual responsibility, I enable flexible working – both on-site and remotely. The more independently my team members work, the more capacity I gain to focus on strategic and overarching responsibilities.

Building trusting working relationships is fundamental to me. I create space for autonomous work and am open to diverse approaches and outcomes. At the same time, I ensure I remain a reliable point of contact for everyone and offer support when needed.

• We work reliably and adhere to agreements in order to actively build and maintain trust.
• We create an environment in which all team members feel empowered to make decisions, contribute their ideas, and take on responsibility.
• We support one another by sharing our skills and resources and by helping where needed.

By recognising change early on and proactively helping to shape it, I can lead with foresight, preparing both myself as well as my team for future developments. This keeps us in touch with current trends and continuously drives innovation and adaptability. As a result, we strengthen our resilience and agility, and can actively contribute to shaping the University of Freiburg as a future-oriented institution.

I approach change with an open and proactive mindset and see it as an opportunity. I am committed to actively shaping the university’s future and driving its ongoing development. To do so, I rely on a forward-thinking and strategic mindset.

• We promote an open attitude towards change and innovation by actively involving everyone in transformation processes.
• We regularly question existing structures when needed, creating a culture of continuous improvement.
• We stay informed about general trends and challenges that are relevant to our work, so we can prepare for change and take advantage of emerging opportunities.