The latest Randstad-ifo survey reveals clear differences in leadership culture. Keynote speaker Norman Gräter explains why trust and psychological safety matter for high-performing teams—and why leaders should welcome uncomfortable answers.
Berlin, 27 October 2026. “Is everything all right in your departments?” the managing director asks during a meeting. The employees nod. Another item ticked off the agenda. The atmosphere remains friendly, and the meeting ends on time. Three weeks later, however, a problem emerges that several people had seen coming long before.
Why did nobody say anything?
Perhaps the crucial question is not whether the employees recognised the problem in time. It is whether they felt able to raise it openly—and whether they still felt their opinions were wanted at all.
This is precisely where the latest Randstad-ifo HR survey for the third quarter of 2026 comes in. Only 20 per cent of the large companies surveyed describe the relationship between employees and managers as open and trusting. Among small companies, the figure is 53 per cent.
For keynote speaker and leadership expert Norman Gräter, this finding raises an important question:
“A friendly atmosphere is pleasant. But it tells us little about whether employees would also disagree with their managers. And that can be crucial for a company.”
When harmony becomes more important than honesty
An employee realises that a project deadline is unrealistic. A team leader sees that a new rule does not work in practice. An experienced colleague knows that a decision could create problems for a customer.
But nobody wants to be seen as difficult or disappoint the boss. So the truth remains unspoken.
“What happens in a company when someone says, ‘Boss, I see it differently’?” Gräter asks. “Is that person treated as a valuable contributor to the discussion? Or do they quickly learn that agreeing is the easier option?”
Especially in difficult economic times, this kind of culture can be costly. Recognising problems too late leaves less room to act. Leaders who do not receive critical information make decisions without the full picture.
The Randstad-ifo survey shows that, for 44 per cent of the companies surveyed, economic pressure was the defining issue in the relationship between employees and managers over the previous twelve months.
Trust cannot be ordered into existence
During his 24 years within the Würth Group, Norman Gräter experienced the importance of communication, responsibility and collaboration for business success. Today, as a keynote speaker and consultant, he helps companies bring together commitment to performance and humanity.
He believes that trust is built less through impressive mission statements on a website than through a leader’s everyday responses.
“If an employee speaks an uncomfortable truth three times and meets resistance every time, they will probably stay silent the fourth time. And eventually the leader wonders why nobody said anything.”
This does not mean leaders have to agree with every opinion.
“A managing director has to make decisions, including difficult ones. But they should make sure that the people who work with the consequences every day can contribute their experiences and concerns.”
Why the best teams are not necessarily the loudest
Google’s research project Aristotle had already shown that trust and openness can be important conditions for effective collaboration. The company investigated what distinguishes particularly successful teams.
One central finding was that individual employees’ abilities are not the only thing that matters. The way people interact matters too.
Psychological safety proved particularly important. This means feeling confident that you can ask questions, admit mistakes or express a different opinion within a team without being humiliated or punished.
Another interesting observation concerned communication: over time, individual members of successful teams had a relatively balanced share of the conversation.
For Gräter, this contains an important lesson:
“Imagine a team meeting with ten employees. Three speak; seven listen. At the end, the boss asks, ‘Are we all agreed?’ Everyone nods. But does that really mean all ten support the decision? Or have seven people never contributed their thoughts at all?”
This is not about every employee speaking for exactly the same amount of time.
“It is about giving everyone the opportunity to contribute. Someone who only ever listens, despite having something important to say, may eventually stop feeling important. And that is where companies lose valuable ideas, experience and potentially crucial warning signs.”
The most important leadership question comes after disagreement
Gräter recommends that leaders deliberately invite different perspectives in meetings.
Instead of asking, “Does everyone agree?” they could ask:
“What are we overlooking right now?”
Or:
“What would you tell me if you did not have to fear any negative consequences?”
What matters most, however, is less the wording than the response to the answer.
“If you ask for an honest opinion, you must also be willing to hear an answer you do not like. For me, that is where leadership competence begins.”
Gräter considers another question particularly valuable:
“How would you know that I was doing a really good job as your leader?”
It changes the perspective. Suddenly, the leader is no longer the only person defining what good leadership means. The people working with them every day have a voice too.
Appreciation and performance belong together
In his talks, Gräter explores appreciation and what motivates people to take responsibility and work towards shared goals.
His central message is that people want to be seen, heard and recognised as important.
“Appreciation is more than praise for good performance. It also means taking someone’s opinion seriously—especially when it contradicts your own.”
For Gräter, an open leadership culture is therefore not a matter of being lenient. It is an important part of a high-performing company.
“Companies need clear goals, decisions and people who take responsibility. But responsibility only works when employees can name problems before they become major problems.”
His message to business owners and leaders:
“Do not just ask yourself whether your employees would follow you. Ask yourself whether they would also disagree with you. The answer could reveal more about your leadership culture than any staff event.”
LOOK AGAIN. Take another look.
About Norman Gräter
Norman Gräter is a keynote speaker, author and expert in motivation, mental health and humane, performance-oriented leadership. A three-time European public speaking champion, he spent 24 years within the Würth Group and was responsible for more than 150 events and incentive programmes with a total of over 370,000 participants.
Today, he supports companies, leaders and teams through keynotes, workshops and tailored insights that connect trust, appreciation, motivation and performance. His clients include Bosch, PayPal and companies within the Würth Group.
His guiding principle: “Joy in life = success at work.”
Further information: norman-graeter.com
Sources
Randstad-ifo HR survey, third quarter of 2026: leadership culture in German companies.
Randstad Germany, press release of 23 October 2026.
ifo Institute, analysis of 9 October 2026.
Note: The Randstad-ifo findings are based on assessments by the company representatives surveyed. Google’s Project Aristotle was an internal company study; its findings cannot automatically be applied to all companies.
Press contact
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Norman Gräter
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10435 Berlin
norman-graeter.com
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