"Krone" Leadership Day

Brilliant premiere with Ragnick, Berger & Co.

Brilliant premiere for the "Krone" Leadership Day 2024: Under the motto "Business meets Sports", managers from sport and business gathered in the Vienna Ballonhalle on Thursday, where krone.at Head of Sport Michael Fally guided the 400 or so guests through a day packed with numerous highlights.

Top-class speakers such as Gerhard Berger, Ralf Rangnick and Peter Stöger shared their insights on leadership and transformation, while tipp3, technogym, the City of Vienna, Servus TV, CANAL+ and the Austrian Armed Forces as premium partners ensured a successful day full of inspiration, dialog and networking that opened up new perspectives.

In his welcome address at the Vienna Balloon Hall, "Krone" Managing Director Gerhard Valeskini emphasized the core values of the "Kronen Zeitung": proximity to people and the creation of a connection between the renowned media brand and leading personalities from various sectors. "One of the most important claims of the 'Krone' is to be close to the people and to connect," he expressed his gratitude and praised the commitment of the employees as well as the participants and sponsors who made the event possible in the first place. The "Krone" Managing Director also emphasized the successful dialog between the brand and its readers as "a sign of solidarity".

Valeskini also emphasized the importance of independent media for democracy. "Economically autonomous media, defensive and, above all, independent journalists" are crucial in order to be able to express opinions freely and address important issues. The "Krone" managing director appealed to the audience to recognize the importance of these freedoms and to take the impulses of the day with them: "Because you are all leaders, I ask you to be sensitive to these things as well".

Exciting leadership insights
From 10.10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., the Leadership Day offered the managers in the audience a varied program with in-depth discussions, talks and interviews on effective leadership, the role of managers in challenging times and the transformation of business models. For example, ÖFB coach Ralf Rangnick and top soccer coach and management expert Peter Stöger provided insights into their leadership philosophies.

At the perfect start to the super sports year 2024, Rangnick talked about special team-building measures: "After visiting five DIY stores, we had the 70 snap hooks together. In addition to the players' names, the start and end dates of the EURO in Germany are engraved on them - perfect key rings, so everyone can keep an eye on our big goal every day." When asked about Austria as European champions, the 65-year-old answered skillfully: "I don't think it's particularly likely, but not impossible!" Although the German is starting to get sensitive after the injuries to Alaba and Kalajdzic: "When Marcel Sabitzer came off at the last Dortmund game, I had two minutes of gasping for breath."

Stöger, Austria's mastermind and on the bench at Cologne and Dortmund in Germany, explained why managers need a democratic basis but have to make authoritarian decisions: "If a player gets injured in the 54th minute, I can't start a poll on who I should bring on." He has a realistic approach to the coaching job: "It's never a question of whether you'll be punched, only when"

While Lizz Görgl explained how discipline from sport helps in business, NBA pioneer Jakob Pöltl talked about the pressure in the billion-dollar league - and Formula 1 legend Gerhard Berger revealed how stars should be managed: "Mostly not at all!" As he explained using the example of Ayrton Senna: "He told team boss Ron Dennis that he would cost one million dollars per race and that he would be on the beach until the right offer was made, but that he could be reached. It was only at the last second that everything was fixed with McLaren - on Senna's terms, of course."

Complex aspects of leadership and transformation
The "Krone" Leadership Day 2024 highlighted complex aspects of leadership and transformation. In the topic block "Leadership in challenging times", strategies for managing change were discussed, from the UEFA Euro 2024 broadcast on ServusTV to the transformation of business models. Stefan Verra offered a "power boost" for effective communication with his focus on body language. The second block focused on "Transformation as a key factor for successful business", where the market entry of Canal+ was highlighted as an example of strategic change management. The final block focused on innovation and sustainability, including a look at Vienna's new sports facilities and the importance of a visionary mindset for managers.

Also among the satisfied guests at the glamorous premiere: goalkeeping legend Otto Konrad, former Bundesliga boss Georg Pangl, Heinz Palme, ex-boxer Marcos Nader and handball face Conny Wilczynski.

A day that inspired action
Conclusion: The talks and interviews with the numerous top-class speakers underlined the transferability of sporting principles to the business world in an impressive way. The event concluded with an appeal to the leaders present to integrate the impulses of the day into their management work and to always bear in mind the importance of attitude and responsibility. A day that not only inspired, but also encouraged action.