Uncertain times: 'Radical acceptance' as management task

Why is now the right time for radical acceptance and good fight clubs? And why it’s high time to say goodbye to toxic positivity, harmony addiction and purpose bingo. An interview with Dr. Wolfgang Jenewein, Titular Professor of Leadership at the University of St. Gallen and managing owner of the leadership and organizational development consultancy Jenewein AG.

Jenewein advises board members of multinational corporations and coaches teams and individuals in high-performance sport, such as FC Barcelona Coach Hansi Flick. In one of his columns in Harvard Business Manager, he talks about the nightmare experienced by one of his coachees, solo sailor Oliver Heer, during his transatlantic crossing. A crisis whose remedial approach can be applied to other challenges.

SGI Europe: Prof. Jenewein, I’d like to talk about one of your columns and quote one of your core statements: “Embrace this shit.” What parallels arise from this for the current geopolitical situation in relation to the sporting goods industry?

Jenewein: A good approach that certainly shows parallels. However, I’d like to take a more general approach. After all, the challenges facing industry and retail, but also us as a society, do not relate to just one sector. Let’s start with the meaning of “Embrace this shit.” It’s a powerful statement I’ve made there. In research, we talk about radical acceptance. You see, just as Oliver Heer experienced during his transatlantic crossing, it happens, to a greater or lesser extent in our lives, both professionally and privately. Things happen that we neither think are “great” nor can plan for. And then some people constantly evaluate this, interpret it negatively and remind us of the good old days. Which makes the situation and the people even more negative and depressed. On the other hand, there are always people who obsessively try to think positively about everything. I call this toxic positivity. These are the people who always remark that things could be even worse. This achieves nothing except a misjudgment of reality.

“Radical acceptance” - the choice for a crisis

And what can we do as a society, as a company, in a crisis?

Radical acceptance – in other words, recognizing the situation as such, accepting reality as it is. This does not mean giving up or becoming passive. Rather, it’s a starting point for creative solutions. Instead of getting stuck in negative emotions, radical acceptance enables us to think clearly and act in new ways. An important aspect here is curiosity – i.e. not going into competition, not judging, but instead being interested. Studies show that people who practice radical acceptance are more resilient and creative.

Would you say that, from a geopolitical perspective, (European) companies are already acting on the principle of radical acceptance? Or is there still room for improvement?

That’s a good point. From my perspective, there’s still room for improvement. Let’s just take the situation with US President Trump’s second term in office. He’s already had a term in office in which we talked ourselves into a lot of things or lived in the past. We were often trapped in the hope that the supposedly better situation would return. We did not accept the situation, were not active and did not proactively look for answers.

Structures are outdated

So now would be the ideal time to take a stance and take action. What is lacking?

Let’s take the European Union as an example. It’s a very bureaucratic, tough and complicated construct. At the moment, the people involved can do little about it. In my opinion, the most important task here is to make the entire set of rules more agile and faster, because it’s simply no longer up to date. At the moment, it’s as if I wanted to create an AI program with a Commodore 64 in the year 2025, which would require a system update. On the other hand, I also see that many companies, including corporations, are still working with structures that might as well date back to the Stone Age.

But even with a stone-age structure, you can show attitude and act. What’s missing from the researcher’s perspective?

In behavioral psychology, the first measure is “stepping out.” This means that you first have to recognize that you’re freezing, that you’re reacting. You have to recognize that you’re acting defensively and that negativity prevails. Ultimately, it’s about the ability to remain self-reflective, as a person, as a company, as a society. You see, we judge ourselves by our intentions, while we judge others by their behavior. We should judge ourselves by our behavior.

The next step is to be curious. At best, we’re as curious as children. This opens up new parameters, such as new creative solutions, new connections, new information, and this brings us back into action. And with that, we can take the lead, have the scepter in our hands and set the course.

Growth needs friction

Speaking of the course – Oliver Heer is a solo sailor, but his success depends on excellent teamwork. What are your recommendations for teamwork in a company, and also standing together as an industry?

Teams don’t come about just because we get on well with each other. They usually come about because we have a shared vision, ambition and purpose. However, many teams are sometimes overwhelmed by constant talk about purpose and vision. In my experience, a shared ambition is enough. You need a shared idea.

In addition to insisting on purpose, another mistake teams make is to get addicted to harmony. In order to grow and improve you need friction, and for this you need so-called good fight clubs. Problems need to be addressed and talked about in a safe environment. It is about respect, loyalty and trust. If these are present, the self-confidence of each team member is promoted and they take on problem-solving. In reality, in many teams, political games are played and a truce is maintained. There is no psychological security, which leads to people keeping a lot of things quiet and conflicts not coming to the table. This is poison for further development, and high performance cannot be delivered in this way.

Is this approach transferable to standing together as an industry?

Absolutely. Whenever people want to work together and achieve something together, the content level is the best way to work together. But, unfortunately, content conflicts are getting bigger and bigger. We live in a world of dilemmas, so we need a tough fight for the best solution. But a tough fight only comes about if you can be sure that you will continue to be respected after the fight. It’s about a culture of error and debate and psychological safety.

Before the final question, I’d like to come back to the column with Oliver Heer and briefly summarize its content: Heer’s boat was in danger of capsizing in the middle of the Atlantic at night. His chances of survival would have been zero. He had a mental crisis, his team in the south of France was very worried about him and asked Jenewein for help. The brief phone call (low battery on the satellite phone in the event of a total power failure) resulted in the aforementioned statement of faith: “Embrace this shit.” Three words that Heer wrote on the side of the boat once he had regained his composure and saved the boat and himself.

Was Heer guided by hope or was it the confidence to overcome this exceptional situation?

Unlike hope, confidence is not wishful thinking. Confidence is based not on external circumstances but on inner conviction. Hope says: “I hope that things will go well.” Confidence says: “I trust that I can cope – no matter what happens.” Especially in times of uncertainty – economic, social, geopolitical – confidence is not a luxury. It is an elementary tool. Confidence creates the ability to act instead of powerlessness. It is contagious and can be learned.

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