Sharing Power, Doubling Success – That’s Co-Leadership @ SAP! 🚀 #2 Tandem

Pairing up for Success: The Co-Leadership Story of Rebekka and Simon

Hello and welcome back to our special blog post series, focused on the concept of Co-Leadership at SAP. In today’s episode, we’re introducing you to our second Co-Leadership tandem, Rebekka Hoferer and Simon Kessler. They’ve been co-leading since February 2023 as Head of Customer Advisory BTP CH – located in beautiful Zurich, Switzerland. What sets this tandem apart from our first one is the work arrangement, where Rebekka works part-time and Simon is full-time, showcasing another variant of the Co-Leadership model.

Let’s dive deeper into their co-leadership journey and gain insights into their successful partnership. Let’s hear their story!

 

Why Co-Leadership?

When we asked Rebekka why she opted for the Co-Leadership model, she told us that it was for two key reasons. First, it gave her the flexibility she needed to combine part-time work and management responsibilities after returning from maternity leave. As she wished to step back into her beloved role as Head of Customer Advisory BTP, this model proved to be a perfect fit, allowing her balance without affecting work quality.

Secondly, she also admitted to being a big fan of the Co-Leadership model itself. In her opinion, the combination of four eyes, two brains, and two hearts can significantly boost team efficiency and promote a collaborative working environment. The opportunity to share, extend, and refine ideas with a like-minded counterpart proved invaluable, acting as a sounding board for confidential topics and strategic issues. For her, Co-Leadership encourages to try out new things since ideas have already been tested together.

Simon saw the Co-Leadership model as a golden opportunity for him to rise into a leadership position in his chosen area – BTP Customer Advisory. This model facilitated a smooth transition, allowing him to acquire the necessary skills in a continuous, non-disruptive manner. However, what Simon valued more than the leadership opportunity was the experience of working side by side with Rebekka. He appreciated the constant exchange of ideas, mutual challenges and the invaluable support that were at the core of their shared leadership journey.

 

How do you delegate work & responsibilities?

“We decided to not set-up strict rules and guidelines, about who of us would do what in the team. Instead, people could come with all their requests to both of us, and we would then allocate accordingly between us Co-leads.“

In Rebekka’s view, this approach minimized the need for complex rules or detailed background knowledge to approach them – proving very effective and garnering positive feedback. Generally, due to their respective backgrounds, they handle solution-specific tasks in Customer Advisory. While they work on operational tasks individually, they collaboratively brainstorm, discuss and decide strategic medium or long-term business matters.

“We have divided the team but only in the HR system. This split was loosely based on the solution areas.” Simon added that they’ve strived to form the perfect team by dividing the team based on the members’ solution backgrounds or profiles. For strategic HR topics (e.g. SAP Talk) they both align and discuss together and run the team meetings together to emphasize the One Team approach. Operational and functional topics are distributed based on solution areas, but it isn’t set in stone as it changes based on availability and capacity – considering that Rebekka works part-time while Simon is full time. Rather than separating themselves into professional and leadership roles, they both took on the ‘full stack’ of leadership duties.

 

How did you navigate the process of determining and dividing your responsibilities as Co-Leaders?

According to Rebekka, the idea of adopting Co-Leadership began taking shape during her maternity leave. She was keen on retaining her managerial role in BTP Customer Advisory while only working part-time. Following a collaborative brainstorm with her manager, they came up with the Co-Leadership concept, which was also given the green light by the COO in SAP Switzerland. Rebekka proudly said: “This is something I appreciated very much from SAP as a great employer to support these “New Work” concepts.” Key to the successful Co-Leadership model was finding a suitable partner for her, so she participated actively in the recruitment process.

In Simon, they found the perfect match, who shared similar values, business ideology, and even a comparable work style – pragmatic and efficient. Hence, Rebekka had confidence that they would create a formidable team, capable of making effective decisions without unnecessary discussions.

Simon shared with us that they reached a shared vision on team management quite quickly. Gaining insights into different leadership styles — professional vs. personal leadership, and possible team formations — split teams vs. a single leader in the HR system, enriched their understanding. Their exchanges with other Co-Leadership tandems were also crucial in shaping their approach and developing their strategy.

 

The Impact of Co-Leadership

Rebekka highlighted the transformative changes the Co-Leadership model introduced within their team. By challenging traditional techniques, they reshaped team meeting structures and customer workshops. For example, they initiated a “Hike and Meet” team meeting to foster creative thinking the nature and introduced new hackathon formats with customers. The shared leadership approach also encouraged more diverse activities, e.g. for demand generation in the team. Rebekka noted that Simon’s structured approach compliments her creative mindset, allowing them to bring the best of both worlds to their roles. Furthermore, this model ensured that a manager is always accessible to the team members, guaranteeing support and open communication channels, despite Rebekka working part-time.

“It is a great working mode which works well, if you find the right matching counterpart!” (Rebekka Hoferer)

Simon noted that their Co-leadership model cultivates innovation and inspiration. The two managers regularly challenge each other, delving deeper into critical issues and uncovering new perspectives. The team appreciates having diverse perspectives on personal and professional matters. Moreover, Simon pointed out that their shared leadership model sends a powerful message that career advancement is possible, regardless of personal family plans.

 

How did you overcome challenges within your Co-Leadership?

Both leaders agree on their team’s strategy and values, an essential factor when initially establishing their Co-Leadership  duo. With this always in mind, they rarely have challenging arguments or disagreements. “If challenges might occur, we are both very responsive and very open – so that when a possible conflict might occur we would simply address this directly.”

Their conversations are always focused on the objective, and they’ve always managed to either reach compromises or convince the other about their viewpoint. Equality is a key attribute of their leadership style – neither seeks to overshadow the other. Instead, they share the stage as equal partners, each contributing their unique abilities to the team’s success.

Always make time to convene and have open discussions. Simon adds: “As long as you have a common goal the smaller decision on that path are not that important. Always be transparent, honest and ready for compromises.”

 

We greatly appreciate Rebekka and Simon for sharing their valuable time and insights. Stay connected for next week’s session with Elena Anthoni and Jens Wittkamp, the dynamic leaders of the Solution Advisory team for SAP SuccessFactors HCM in Germany. We are eager to share their unique experiences and the lessons they’ve learned. Stay tuned! 🌟

 

In the following weeks our blog post series will give insights to different scenarios for Co-Leadership at SAP, the benefits associated for the leaders and the organization as well as some practical guidance that might encourage other people to consider Co-Leadership.

1. Blog post: What is Co-Leadership? Co-Leadership as a Pathway to New Work?
2. Blog post:First Co-Leadership Duo – Melanie & Mathias