Andreas helps business leaders to manage the human side of change. He works with you to answer this central question:

How do you ensure that people do what you want them to do?

Most obstacles that stand in the way of change are down to human issues. You may encounter tensions between board members, senior colleagues may interpret your strategy differently or they may lack important ‘soft’ skills.

“At the top level you usually deal with excellent professionals,” says Andreas. “They bring all the technical skills but sometimes lack the ability to interact with people and to motivate them for change. But these skills are essential and you can address them.”

How? With a highly pragmatic approach that focuses on the business situation.

The ’10 to 15′ rule

The ’10 to 15′ rule is grounded on Andreas’ personal experience in senior leadership positions: You cannot and you should not change people.

But you can help them to recognise the 10 to 15 % of their behavioural patterns that are particularly unsuitable for certain business environments and that keep them from efficiently interacting with people.

The good news is: changing or at least adapting these 10 to 15 % is usually perfectly sufficient.

Take the example of an executive with a difficult personality who is an otherwise excellent professional. Not all of his or her behaviours cause harm. Only some do: about 10 or 15 %.

That is probably the amount of behaviour that he is able to change.

Business reasons lead the way

It is what Andreas concentrates on. Doing so, he mostly avoids theoretical discourse and focuses on the business situation instead.

“Intelligent people can use their brains for self-reflection, “says Andreas. “They can recognise how their behaviours and attitudes relate to the business issues and their role in the company vision. Business reasons lead the way.”

The results can be astounding. Staying in above example, a difficult person will always remain difficult. Yet, a change in his ’10 to 15′ can be transformative. The very same person can become a real champion of change, using his or her great skills to truly move the company forward.

Using the 10 to 15 toolkit

CEOs work with Andreas to develop their own ’10 to 15′ tool-kit: they use it to get their people ‘in the boat of change’.

Andreas also works directly with senior teams and individuals, helping them to assess their own ’10 to 15′, using their business perspectives.

Career and academic background

Andreas has worked as a business consultant for seven years and held a number of senior positions in multinationals companies for fourteen years, including at Bertelsmann, AOL and L’ORÉAL, and was a member of the Board of Directors during several appointments

Andreas works in German (mother tongue), English and French. He holds a doctorate degree in Law from Fribourg University in Switzerland.