Denkwerkstatt für Manager

Geschwill & Nieswandt

Measuring potential for peak performance

Peter Drucker, one of the pioneers of modern management theory, coined the phrase: "What cannot be measured cannot be managed." This statement emphasizes the importance of being able to measure performance in order to manage it effectively. But what about measuring the performance of managers? Is this even possible? And do we dare to take this step? There is often great uncertainty in dealing with this topic, although managers are always measured by their results.

This question does not arise in competitive sport, where success is inextricably linked to top performance. For top athletes, it goes without saying that their performance is continuously analyzed. In contrast, performance measurement in top management is - to put it mildly - regarded as a "sensitive" issue.

These differences made us curious: Why is this the case? Is it even possible to measure the performance of managers? What is the point of such a measurement? Don't we need a "desire to perform" at all management levels? Don't you automatically perform better when the environment and the team are right?

In many companies, there is a desire to evaluate leaders who are able to achieve successful results together with their team. Various proven analysis tools are used to identify potential, promote undiscovered skills or uncover areas for development in leadership behavior. However, many of these test instruments are based on leadership concepts that have often not been updated for 50 years and are therefore no longer up to date.

It is becoming increasingly clear that top managers could learn a lot from elite sport: Making decisions under stress, the secret of a motivational cabin speech, unerring talent scouting and recognizing potential are skills that are of great importance in both sport and management.

This idea gave rise to our product: the PEAK-A. The PEAK-A is an innovative combination of proven test instruments based on motivation scales from elite sport, a modern understanding of leadership and personality traits, combined with an AI-supported analysis of language effectiveness.

The PEAK-A is a contemporary adaptation for a working world that is characterized by mobility, transformation and complexity. The comparison between top-class sport and top-class management shows that both worlds have a lot in common. So why not use the best of both worlds? With the PEAK-A test battery, this is now possible for the first time.

With its many years of scientific expertise, Denkwerkstatt for Managers has made a significant contribution to the development of the PEAK-A and scientifically evaluated it in practice. Today, Denkwerkstatt for Managers acts as a think tank and preferred partner for the PEAK-A. The disruptive act of data protection-compliant digitalization and market launch was deliberately transferred to Unfreeze People GmbH, a traditional spin-off of Denkwerkstatt for Managers.

Would you like to find out more?

Success Stories Management diagnostics

A company uses the PEAK-A for feedback, self-reflection and team development of top management

Succession arrangements for a managing director

The Peak-A as an alternative to the classic assessment center

"Those who always do what they already know how to do will always remain what they already are."
Henry Ford