RESPONSIBILITY – What distinguishes winners from losers

The difference between winners and losers, i.e., between people who develop new skills in crises and those who break down, can be summed up in three words: personal responsibility instead of blame.

Resilience means not only mental toughness, but also the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. People who know only a few behavioral patterns repeatedly resort to the same methods when under pressure—even if they no longer work. This keynote address therefore focuses on responsibility under pressure: How can it be recognized—and how can it be learned?

Responsibility comes to the fore when things get uncomfortable: when performance and values diverge. The keynote combines scientific insights with questions that entrepreneurs and executives face every day: What do you do with top performers who deliver outstanding results but simultaneously undermine the company culture? Fire them? Keep them? Consciously addressing such ambivalences is not a sign of weakness, but a mark of maturity and leadership. That is why values are not a “soft topic,” but a steering system—especially in times when KPI logic takes precedence over values.

It is not the sheer number of tasks that wears people out, but rather a loss of direction. Three questions can help you get back on track:

1. Do I work out of passion?
2. Do I strive for excellence or am I satisfied with mediocrity?
3. Does what I do make sense—for me, for my organization, for the world?

A myth is debunked: Confucius never said the supposed quote, "Find a job you enjoy, and you'll never have to work again." It is precisely such pseudo-truths that create false expectations. Work must always be enjoyable. They mix three different levels: job, career, and vocation.

A job answers the question: How do I provide for myself?
A career answers the question: What do I get in return?
A calling answers a different question: Why am I here?

The key question, especially in very challenging times, is not: Do I always enjoy my work? But rather: What am I willing to put up with, even on difficult days? What conditions are necessary for employees to be willing to go above and beyond what is required of them? 

Motivation depends on the fulfillment of three basic psychological needs:

1. perceived capacity to act, i.e., the necessary resources and skills

1. Autonomy: Influence over one's own work or complete dependence on others
2. social integration into the team and identification with the company's mission

"The keynote speech 'Winners and Losers' by Andreas Salcher is both moving and refreshing. The lecture is a source of inspiration for how many successful people master their lives and what is important in life. I enjoyed this lecture and have already implemented some of the ideas in my own life."

Dr. Elham Pedram, Business Unit Director, Gilead Sciences