Why Servant Leadership Is the Key to Havas Germany’s Transformation
Leadership comes in many shapes and sizes and varies from company to company, person to person. A good leader brings out the best in their team whilst also prioritising company culture, development and team morale. There are many different thoughts on what makes a good leader, and a good management style, and today we learn more about the approach that underpins the approach at Havas Germany.
Peter Mergemeier has been working in advertising for 28 years and took his place as CEO at Havas Germany just over a year ago. Starting within the ‘90s ad agency world, he’s seen a range of management and leadership styles throughout his career, and in his recent role, he was determined to do things his own way. Though Peter has been championing his particular leadership style for years now - one in which he tries to empower rather than control his employees - and it was only a few years ago that he discovered it had a name: servant leadership. Since this discovery, and joining the team at Havas, he’s been seeing the benefits that come from this approach.
“I am not a micromanager,” Peter explains, “I give the people freedom, let them find their own way to do things and to take responsibility, because I think this is really, really necessary that the people evolve in a direction they want to go in.” With his approach, Peter is keen for people to learn from things that go wrong as he says, “I think it makes people stronger when they learn from their own mistakes.”
Peter further explains how he reached this approach, “The biggest inspirations I had were from my past bosses because some of them were bad examples – so you know what you shouldn't do – and other ones were a positive example.” Between both approaches, he combined his perspectives to create the best strategy to suit his team. He says, “It's not only democratic because of the decisions at the end of the day, but it also has to be combined with economic reasons. So, it's a mix of top-down and bottom-up, and I think the most important thing behind it is the story. People feel that you take them with you on the way to creating something great.”
He’s keen to create an environment in which everyone feels heard, seen and valued as part of the team. “The biggest result I could get from clients, and also from the teams is for them to say, ‘OK, I had the best time under the leadership of Peter.’”
It’s a style that seems to be paying off creatively, empowering people across the company to come up with proactive ideas and solutions. An example of this comes in the form of ‘Winter in Germany’, a campaign created by the German homeless magazine fiftyfifty. “In this campaign, we challenged people's perceptions of homelessness and raised awareness about the increasing number of homeless individuals succumbing to frostbite,” says Peter. “The entire concept originated from an internal initiative called the ‘Right Brain Month,’ during which our creative employees of all levels submitted five innovative ideas per week over a month. The winning idea, ‘Winter in Germany’, went into implementation in winter.”
This collaborative approach at Havas Germany has also evolved as a result of the covid-19 experience, when people were working remotely. “As a creative agency, we recognised the importance of collaboration and physical interaction. However, we were unwilling to overlook the advantages that remote work and digital tools had brought us.” Consulting the team, a solution was reached “[We established] a dedicated task force – the motivation team – comprising individuals from diverse disciplines, age groups, genders, and locations.” Accounting for various perspectives and requirements, the team has created employee satisfaction and streamlined operations.
Another positive change that’s come from the pandemic experience has been the diminishing importance of physical location. Peter explains how Germany operates as a decentralised market, across clients, talent and networks in general. “This shift in local relevance has opened up new opportunities in recruitment and stimulated conversations regarding the necessity of establishing multiple locations within Germany. Furthermore, this trend also contributes to increasingly streamlined processes and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Combining the lessons learned from the pandemic and with the addition of the servant leadership approach, Peter explains how the agency’s operations and culture have benefitted. “By placing a strong emphasis on collaboration and empowerment, and prioritising collective decision-making, we can foster a sense of trust and allow team members to feel that they have a voice in shaping the agency’s direction. This inclusive approach has led to improved communication, better problem-solving, and the ability to leverage diverse perspectives for more effective solutions.”
The German market, like the rest of the advertising and marketing world, is having to respond quickly to seismic changes in tech, consumer behaviour and regulation. Client budget allocation is changing and, so too, are agency setups. At Havas Germany, they’ve brought all of the local German agencies together to maximise their firepower and collaboration. “As an agency and a sparring partner, we recognise the need to respond swiftly and provide modern inspiration and guidance to our clients. This requires the right setup and mindset in our agency. We demonstrated our commitment to the setup by merging all German Havas creative agencies under one brand umbrella earlier this year – Havas Germany.”
Servant leadership and this responsive approach are coming into their own when it comes to the current hot topic of artificial intelligence: “We have established a dedicated AI task force to explore, evaluate, and develop new technologies. One notable example is our own AI tool “Havas PredictAIble”, which optimises social media performance. However, it's important to note that a successful setup is only effective when coupled with the right shared mindset. This is where servant leadership plays a pivotal role in paving the way.”
With this unique way of approaching things, it’s not about ticking boxes for Peter, it’s about doing what feels right. With benefits to both the team and the clients they work with as well as taking into account the current market climate in 2023, this approach is certainly one that seems in tune with shifting ideas and attitudes to working culture and life. Peter says, “‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,’ as a wise man once said. This belief, for me, revolves around dismantling barriers that impede growth and broadening horizons. By adopting a similar mindset and striving towards a common objective, no challenge is insurmountable. Motivation and empowerment are crucial at an individual level to build strong, united teams.”
He also leaves us with what underpins everything he does, “If you feel right, you do it. If you don’t feel it’s right, you don’t do it.”
