EmoTalk mit Maren Gräf Leiterin Konzern Personal Top Management von VW

Yes, gladly. I have been working at Volkswagen for 20 years, currently in the function of HR Director of the top management team.

That's correct. I am often asked how I cope or what the situation is in the automotive industry, which is very male-dominated. Emotions between men and women are still very different. My experience is that the success factor is authenticity—being yourself, focusing on your strengths, and living your emotions as a woman or as a female executive. And I believe that leads to...

I think it's not something you train; I think it is partly nature. I am basically someone who is very positive and has a very optimistic basic attitude. I like that, and if you maintain that and work with it professionally, then it almost happens by itself.

Of course, over time you learn the experience of dealing with defeats. What helps me is to see that everyone—female and male colleagues—cooks with water, and no mistake is so bad that it cannot be fixed. If I keep that in mind, I go about it professionally, analyze what went wrong, learn from it, and approach the next similar situation with optimism and joy. Then it definitely gets better.

I think this is a big discussion that varies greatly by country. I worked in China, and there the topic of need and self-fulfillment is completely different than here. In China, it is normal for working mothers in leadership positions—they are not exposed to this societal pressure. Here in Germany, I think the conditions are different. The important thing is to be happy for yourself, to be satisfied for yourself. I have to determine what my need is, not what the environment or society expects of me. And when you have that clear, when you have found your inner peace and say I am happy in my function and my job, then that transfers to my family, my husband, my friends, and you have done everything right. I have many friends in France and Scandinavia who do it similarly, and that is quite a good concept.

For the first question, regarding focusing on your own strengths and potential, I think it is important to recognize early where your talents lie, what you can really do well, where you feel secure, what added value you can offer the company. When I look at myself, I know that I am very good at bringing people together—people from different backgrounds, educations, orientations: engineers, communicators, politicians, finance people. I think I succeed in being a kind of bridgehead or hub, mediating. I like communicating, meeting people, and I believe I am very good at building trust. That in turn is a prerequisite for generating potential in others. If I understand the person, if I can look behind the surface, it is easy for me to recognize their strengths and find the right place for them in a large company.

Honestly, I often rely on my gut and my heart. If you look at decision-making behavior, we have learned over the years how our decision-making patterns work. It helps a lot subconsciously, and when you have that experience with the most diverse decisions and then listen to your inner voice, your intuition, that's how I do it. So far, I have never made a wrong professional or private decision, so it seems to work.

I would recommend women to stay with their emotions, to live them, to listen to them, and to follow them. And to men, the same thing, actually.

[smiles and music plays]