# Building Sustainable High-Performance Leadership Culture

**Podcast:** LEITWOLF Podcast - Leadership, Führung & Management
**Published:** 2026-10-29

## Transcript

The sense of belonging to a successful team is an enormous force.
Want to win ambitiously and together.
Second, be able to lose honestly and responsibly.
And three, keep growing with curiosity and consistency.
Hello and a warm welcome to today's Leibwolf Leadership Podcast.
I'm Stefan, your podcast host in this podcast for Leading with Impact.
Es ist alles über eine Kultur-Klösche, eine Kultur-Klösche, die wir oft hören hören, wenn wir mit Kunden arbeiten.
No matter ob wir sie auf den Strategie-Implementation unterstützen, eine der die meisten Frequenten-Issen, die Leute in Unternehmen face, ist das eine Strategie-Theorie und die Flipcharts und die wonderful PowerPoint-Presentations.
Und die andere ist die Strategie-Execution, Or we work on real sustained culture, culture evolution.
Specifically, leadership culture evolution.
And it's a fascinating journey that we are allowed right now to have with a series of clients, sometimes over many years.
And here are the challenges that we observe across the patch.
Everyone wants to win, but how do you and your team deal with losing?
Because everyone who has ever had a real sustained win, you know that What looks like a straight linear line of success forever in reality is not.
It's like a ball of wool with ups and downs and forwards and backs and setbacks.
That's reality about success.
It's a series of setbacks and failures that precedes an ultimate success.
So how do you deal with it when teams lose?
Performance pressure is rising.
Goals get more and more ambitious.
Competition gets more intense.
Change has always been constant but gets ever faster.
And in this context that we observe, we sometimes face one of two different extremes.
One, winning at all cost.
And two, harmony over performance.
Winning at all cost looks like pressure.
Even 100% is not good enough.
Fear of making mistakes all around.
Pressure.
Blame.
Burnouts.
Short-term result focus.
We need to win today, tomorrow and this quarter.
And no view at all on the longer term.
And on the other hand, harmony over performance.
Avoiding conflict.
Preferring artificial harmony.
Glossing over poor results.
Glossing over poor results.
für Tage, Wochen, Monate, vielleicht sogar noch ein paar Jahre.
Wenn etwas etwas geht, dann sind es viele Fathers.
Aber wenn es sich nicht so gut geht, dann sind es immer die anderen zu blame.
Das ist die andere extreme.
Und beide von diesen extremes, gewinnen-at-all-costs- und Harmonie-over-Performance, beide standen in der Lage von Sustainable High Performance.
Aber viele Unternehmen wollen es all.
Sie wollen both.
Sie wollen gewinnen und harmonie.
Sie wollen short-term results und sustainable leadership excellence.
Als ein CEO in der Food-Industrie, der ich mit dem letzten Wochenende, in der Beginn der Major-Transformation-Projekt, sagte er, Stefan, eigentlich, du und dein Team sind right.
Wir sollten...
So, our task now, soon we'll start working together.
Das ist es, dass Sie das Unternehmen der Menschenrechte der Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschenrechte, die Menschen und lernen von both success and failure.
Once you crack that code, very likely you and your company will be on your way up.
Now in preparation of today's podcast, I distilled three key thoughts and experience that I'd like to share with you today.
Maybe there is one of them that inspires you and that informs your way forward as a successful leader.
Maybe one of them helps you become the leader you want to be.
Tipp number one, wanting to win, celebrating victories together.
Desire to win, celebrating victories together.
I'll start this section with a quote from a friend.
I have always believed that quite profound lessons on success, lessons on strategy, lessons on change, culture and performance can travel between two worlds.
The world of business, the corporate world, could be small companies, mid-sized companies, and the world of sports, high-performing professional sports.
Learnings can travel between these two worlds in both directions.
For that reason, I've always been fascinated.
I've never been a professional sportsman myself.
At the age of 14, I was lucky enough to be surrounded, to be part of a team that was really extremely successful.
Und ein paar Spieler, ich war es beherber, haben sie als Professionals in Deutschland gespielt.
Eine der ersten Spieler in Deutschland spielt in der National Team.
Ich war es beherber, aber ich habe nie ein Professionals.
Aber ich habe immer immer fassiert, besonders bei Professionals, Team Sports.
Luck had it that years ago I crossed paths with a man who I now call a friend.
A true high-performing leader who has many reasons to be proud of the teams he was part of and the culture he was able to contribute and in fact create around him.
This gentleman's name is Lars, Lars Weibel.
And if you want to listen to an entire podcast interview with him, Es ist hier in der Lightwolf Podcast.
Es ist alles über die Focusing-Auskarte-Golie.
Lars Weibel hat ihn als Eishockey-Professor in der Galle für 21 Jahre in Switzerland gegeben.
Er hat ihn in den Olympischen Spielen gegeben.
Und über die letzten 7 Jahre hat er sich in der Senior Leadership-Auskarte-Federation.
Er war der Direktor-Sport-Auskarte-Auskarte.
Wir hatten eine gewisse Moment.
Ich möchte jetzt in diesem ersten Block auf WANTING TO WIN.
Es ist unglaublich, was die Nationaldeutschein-Eise-Hockey-Team hat sich über die letzten 7 Jahre geschafft.
Particularly in diesem Jahr 2026, als die Welt-Champions-Werstehen war in Switzerland, die Team in eine sehr impressive consistency performed.
Throughout die ganze Gruppe Phase, The knockout phase, until the semifinal, they won each and every game.
In between, I often texted Lars and we chatted back and forth and it was just so amazing for me to see the consistency of playing for each other, remaining focused, remaining calm under pressure.
And they beat one after the other, reaching the semifinal again.
Third time in a row.
Und guess what?
They play Norway, and they win 6-0.
6-0.
The night before, we texted, and I asked, how are you?
He said, we are great.
How is the confidence level?
And his response was, we don't just believe, we know.
Unquote.
You may find it a bit arrogant.
I don't, because I interpret it as we are beyond belief.
Wir sind so confident, dass es mehr als nur believing in success ist.
Und ich denke, dass das Kind of Attitude, das Spirit, represents wanting to win.
No wonder, dass das Nacht, sie won die Semifinal wieder in einem impressionen Weg und erreicht die Final der Welt in Icehockey der 3rd time in a row.
Ein remarkable success.
Und in die drei Finals, sie haben...
Closer and closer to triumph.
Each single final.
So really chapeau and hats off to Swiss Ice Hockey for the success you guys have created over the last seven years.
Zooming out again.
Still in the same point.
People want to belong to a successful team.
The sense of belonging to a successful team is an enormous force.
I have to...
Young men, two boys, two sons.
The younger one has been a rugby player for 10 years, from 8 to 18.
I've watched many, many games over the years.
And I've always enjoyed when the boys enjoyed playing for each other, not just with each other.
And when the boys enjoyed turning games around.
Beating stronger oppositions by playing for each other.
I've always been delighted seeing my son play rugby.
So the sense of belonging is a key source of energy and motivation that you for sure are able to unleash in your team or nurture even more.
Another tool at your disposal is your goals.
Always 100% achievable.
It's boring.
It's not motivating.
It's not ambitious.
If you want to create a sense of winning, then you need ambitious goals.
Not naive goals.
They need to be achievable.
But they should be ambitious at the same time.
Ambitious and clear.
Define exactly what winning looks like.
Ideally visualize what winning looks like.
And then celebrate success.
Even small ones.
Celebrate them.
And celebrate not only results, but also development, teamwork, and exceptional contributions from individuals or groups in the team.
Because in the long term, it's this development, it's this extraordinary contributions that will make your team grow step by step.
And by that, you will get more and more successful.
The leadership question resulting from this, I think, is How will you know that you and your team won together?
How will you know that you won together?
That illustrates point number one, wanting to win.
Celebrating victories together.
Point two, be able to lose.
Make setbacks discussable.
Es ist ein Matter-of-Fact.
Manchmal gewinnen und manchmal lernen.
No individuell, no team, no company on this planet has ever been only successful forever.
Success contains setbacks.
Es ist sogar von setbacks und failures.
So make es safe to discuss them.
Make es safe to discuss setbacks without diluting accountability.
but also without making anyone feel punished for a loss.
Because setbacks are part of every genuine performance culture.
What matters is not to avoid losses, but how you respond to them.
No blame, no excuses, no sugarcoating.
And I would recommend you clearly distinguish between a good progress and a good process on the one hand side, mit outcomes, maybe poor outcomes, und avoidable mistakes.
Und wirklich analysen honestly.
Weil ich habe gesehen, wenn es alles alles lines up ist.
Either ein Team wirklich develops well, hat die richtige Mindset von der get-go, shows die desire zu win in every single second, grows, wins, tackles, plays für einen anderen, scores.
und scores again und wins.
Es ist wie eine straight line upwards.
Es kann auch passieren, dass es eine straight line downwards ist.
Wenn du ein bader Tag hast, dann geht es um Murphy's Law.
Und manchmal gibt es blends, strange blends.
Du hast ein Spiel, dass du gewinnen, aber du sehen, dass der process nicht folgt, dass es mehr luck als performance ist, vielleicht eine weaker opposition oder bad luck auf der anderen Seite.
You may have won, you may still have performed below your expectations.
And vice versa.
You may have lost the game.
And you might still have performed above expectations.
And maybe at full potential.
Just a tiny bit less than would have been necessary to win the competition.
And you can still have had a great performance.
In this moment, I'd like to share something I heard about the now German football.
Jürgen Klopp, der ist gesagt, hat den folgen moment mit dem, der Liverpool FC gespielt, nachdem sie die erste Champions League final verloren.
Sie sind nach Hause, nach dem Hotel, natürlich alle alle, die Füße aufhörbarer, und alle, die zu gehen, nachdem sie zu beden, nachdem sie zu gehen, nachdem sie zu Hause.
Und anecdotally, Jürgen Klopp looks around and says, hey guys, what do you look like?
And then I think Henderson, at the time captain of the club, says, well, coach, we just lost a Champions League final.
And then anecdotally Jürgen Klopp responds, but so what?
There are at least two good reasons to be proud and celebrating.
Guys, get up on your rooms, drop your bags, back down here in five minutes.
So they're all...
Und dann, anekdotally, ich habe nicht da, aber ich kann wohl imagine es passiert, zumindest zu diesem.
Apparently, er hat sich gesagt, hey, guys, was ihr seht ihr?
Yes, wir haben vielleicht verloren, aber ihr habt zwei Reasons, um zu sein, zu sein, dass ihr euch sehr stolz seid.
Do you know, wie viele Teams in der Welt, die sich in unserem Platz haben, um zu sein, um zu spielen?
Champions League final in their entire life.
Thousands and thousands of teams.
That's reason number one.
And reason number two, we will be back in a Champions League final.
Now let's celebrate.
And again, anecdotally, it seems like they had a long night.
Not sure that everyone really went to bed before then joining the plane back home next morning.
And?
No matter whether you are a supporter of the club or a supporter of their opposition or whoever you support, one year later, they were in the final again.
And they won.
So there is something to learning, respecting, accepting a loss and still being proud of a performance, of an attitude and of a development.
I love this story.
However complete or accurate or inaccurate it may be, I love it.
And I out myself, I am a big fan of Jürgen Klopp.
I think he has two outstanding skills, enormous willpower to get the right football being played and then sheer endless human humility to support his players, to care for his players, to care for the humans.
Impressive.
I mean, an impressive leader.
Ich stoppe meine outing, als Jürgen Klopp's fan, at this point.
Aber ich bin mit diesem Punkt.
Es ist wichtig, wie Sie es safe zu discussieren, ohne zu schützen, aber auch ohne zu dilutenen Accountability für die Mistzache.
Wie Sie reagieren?
No Blaming.
Es hilft niemandem.
Es hilft niemandem.
Wenn wir uns über...
whose fault it is and who is to blame.
Nonsense.
No one intends to make mistakes.
No blames, no excuses, no sugarcoating at the same time.
And distinguishing between good process and the quality of an outcome.
The best teams systematically analyze defeats instead of looking for someone to blame.
They look at the performance, not at the people.
And that's something that good leaders Und wenn ich zurückkehren, ich war blessed.
Ich hatte 16 Vosses in meinem Corporate Karriere.
Und viele waren wirklich strong und viele waren outstanding leaders.
Two women und zwei Männer, wo ich wirklich glücklich bin, dass sie ein Teil meiner Leben sind und dass ich bin ihre subordinator.
Ich habe so viel von ihnen gelernt.
So, distinguish zwischen outcome und development, performance und result.
Und distinguish zwischen people und results, und people und performance.
I think the leadership question for you in your business leadership role may be, what was within your control?
What wasn't?
And what will you do differently next time?
That might be the question resulting from this block number two, being able to lose, making setbacks discussable.
And tip number three, keep growing.
Turn every...
Outcome into better behavior.
Turn every outcome into better behavior.
It's not winning or losing that makes you better, but what you learn and what you change in your behavior as a result.
After important wins and after important losses, and maybe even regularly after every single game.
15 minutes of honest team reflection.
What did we want to achieve?
Did we achieve?
What worked?
Why?
What didn't work?
Why not?
And what will we do differently as a result?
Starting tomorrow morning.
Agree on one specific behavior, maybe one specific attitude you want to take.
Because attitude isn't happening to us.
It doesn't fall down from heaven.
Attitude is what we choose every morning when we get our first foot out of the bed.
What attitude do I adopt today to go through this day?
And what attitude and what behavior will I change as a result of my learning?
I think in a nutshell, a healthy performance culture means high expectations for results, deep respect for people and an uncompromising Und ich denke, dass drei Dinge, die du als Leader, als du als Leader, wenn du die richtige Kultur in der Richtung, in der du deine Definition von gewinnen, gewinnen und gewinnen.
Erstens, wollen Sie gewinnen, ambitiously und zusammen.
Secondens, werden Sie gewinnen, honestly und responsabli.
Und dreiens, Keep growing with curiosity and consistency.
Let me release you for the day and into your week with a little challenge if you like.
Discuss a recent success or discuss a recent setback with your team.
No judging, no blaming, but understanding and agree together one specific improvement you want to take together.
If you are looking for more effective leadership tools to drive performance and culture in your own team, then please explore Lightwolf Leadership Academy.
It contains my team's and my own best knowledge from a collective of more than 200 leadership years of experience.
It's six different courses, all the way from leading employees to leading strategically.
It contains 80% of anything you need to master as a leader.
Videos, podcasts, tools, learning controls, and six times live coaching with me.
So if you're interested, enter the show notes, book your academy, and join Lightwolf Academy.
Looking forward to learning together with you.
And if you enjoyed this episode, I would also welcome and appreciate your five-star rating because it helps us be visible.
and further widen the group that wants to learn leadership together.
In a nutshell, and to close for today, the best leaders don't create a culture where everyone always wins.
They create a culture where everyone wants to win, can handle losing, and gets better every day.
Thanks for listening.
Have a great day and see you soon.