Siemens’ CEO: “It is Crucial For a Leader to be Authentic. Everything Flows From That.”

Glassdoor caught up with the CEO of Siemens, Juergen Maier, to discuss what it means to be one of the Top 50 CEOs in the UK this year. We asked him how to retain the best talent with a workforce of thousands, how he puts candidates at ease when interviewing, and, what book everyone should be reading! Glassdoor: What qualities do you think a leader needs to have? Juergen Maier: First and foremost it is crucial for a leader to be authentic. Everything flows from that. I think it’s important to be natural – a ‘normal person’ at ease with whomever you meet. A successful leader has empathy and listens to people. I make time to ensure I know lots of people through networking and nurture those connections. As a leader if you are genuinely passionate and enjoying the work you do that is inspiring and motivating, not only for yourself, but for the people around you. Glassdoor: What attributes do you look for in today’s top talent? Juergen Maier:

• People who are smart, agile and flexible
• Good collaborators and communicators
• People who see the bigger picture (but not disconnected from the detail)
• People that have values that are aligned to the organisation
• People with personal drive and ambition

Glassdoor: Interviewing with a CEO can be intimidating. Do you try to put candidates at ease in any particular way? Juergen Maier: Physically I try to put myself at eye-level with candidates. I’m natural, friendly and relaxed and hope that sets the tone. My aim is to have an open dialogue with a candidate – using the interview time to get to know each other as much as possible. Glassdoor: Retention is hugely important these days. How do you lead your teams to retain top talent? Juergen Maier: Retention of our talent is less about my personal leadership and more about the culture of the organisation. At Siemens we are fortunate we have a huge scope of opportunities in different industry markets, job roles and in countries around the world, which gives our people opportunities for change and new experiences. We are also transforming our working environment to a much more agile way of working, adopting new technologies and fostering innovation, for example organising hackathons and future-focused events exploring potential. This gives a dynamism to the company and is highly motivating for top talent who recognise they can flourish here. Glassdoor: When you look back over your past year as CEO, can you share how you have navigated a leadership mistake or challenge? Was there a time when you didn’t perform like you thought you should have, and how did you recover? Juergen Maier: One of the qualities of a leader is to talk about their mistakes and to accept that people make mistakes and need to learn from them to improve. There are numerous times when on reflection I felt I didn’t land a message; where we as a team didn’t win a contract, or I regret that I didn’t empathise sufficiently with someone. I constantly and consciously try to improve the way I work and it’s more about continuous improvement and small steps, rather than big mistakes needing to be the driver of that change I’m busy and I know I need to spend more time with individuals, it’s a constant battle. Glassdoor: What is one book that you think everyone should read? Why? Juergen Maier: I’m not a great reader of novels or books on management theory. One book that I remember having an impact on me was The Road Less Traveled  by M. Scott Peck- it’s a great narrative on how the most the difficult aspects of your life can actually build the greatest strengths. Glassdoor: What is your go-to productivity hack? Juergen Maier: I recognise that I tend to put myself into three distinct working modes:

1. The On-Stage Public Voice Mode - performing,
2.  Creative Mode – generating ideas preferably in collaboration with groups of people,
3. Get Stuff Done Mode: I put time aside in the diary, sit down and focus, not my most natural or enjoyable mode, but it’s all part of the job.

Glassdoor: What is your #1 job search tip? What is your advice for searching for a job? How should job seekers be thinking about their hunt, given today’s competitive job market? Juergen Maier: I recommend candidates search out a company whose values, brand and product or service fires them up. Glassdoor: What scares you? Juergen Maier: The current political trends of nationalism & populism scare me. Glassdoor: What energises you? Juergen Maier: Every day I am energised by seeing talent grow and achieving success – especially talent from under-represented groups in engineering. And, for myself, getting out into the mountains (usually the Austrian Alps) – walking and hiking refuels me and gives me quality time to reflect.

Does Juergen sound like someone you’d like to work for? Apply for jobs at Siemens