For an egalitarian present and future !

In September 2019, I was entrusted with the management of the Celenus Klinik an der Salza clinic and its associated health center Salza Vita.

A great challenge for me in terms of time and organizational management: taking over a new location, getting to know the structures, processes and employees, identifying and dealing with problem situations, while continuing to manage Celenus Algos Fachklinik well. After a short period of time, things fell into place, which of course I also owe to my great teams.

What support did you receive from Celenus to build your career?

Thanks to the different places where I have worked, I have been able to build up a wide repertoire of experience and know-how that I cannot appreciate enough for my current and future activities. In addition, the company’s head office has always been there to support me. When I was assistant to the director of the Blankenburg clinic, the head of our business unit for Central Germany practically took over my mentoring. Even today, we have a very good working relationship that I can also benefit from in the other clinics.

The Group also organizes annual management conferences where you can exchange ideas with your peers and benefit from all the information and news you need to work better.

Have you encountered any difficulties during your career with the Group and what are the challenges you are currently facing?

My greatest ambition, and at the same time my greatest goal, is to be a good leader. Every new experience brings me closer to my goal and I focus intensely on what good leadership means to me. From my point of view, this includes management skills, taking on responsibility, but above all the best possible integration of employees: their motivation, your team’s aspiration for change and innovation and the promotion of participation are complex issues that are not always easy to achieve. It often requires a lot of creativity and perseverance.

At the present time, the Corona crisis in particular represents an enormous challenge for all of us. The treatment of patients under pandemic conditions, compliance with political regulations, short-time working, constant adaptation of hygiene rules and compliance checks, epidemics in the clinic, have sometimes forced us to reorganize measures in the daily routine of the clinic in order to do the best possible with regard to the well-being of patients and the health and safety of patients and employees. This required a completely new way of working, flexibility, team spirit and trust.

Equal rights between men and women have become an increasingly important public issue in recent years. Nevertheless, women still often face a glass ceiling.

How does it feel to be a woman in a male-dominated position? What advantages or disadvantages have you encountered, or are there any?

For me, it’s not a problem. But I’m not very gender-sensitive in this regard either. It is important for me to be accepted and appreciated as a person and that my performance is also recognized.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I have had advantages or disadvantages because I am a woman. I think it depends on your personality and how you meet others. Of course, I’ve met people who have made me feel that I was labeled as a young blonde woman, but that motivated me even more to be convincing professionally!

Are you committed to helping women who want to follow a path similar to yours?

For me, the person is at the forefront, not the gender. That’s what I wanted for my internship, and that’s what I experienced most of the time.

I give interns and undergraduate students whose projects or practical phases I supervise a complete overview of what’s going on in the clinic. It is important to me to make structures and processes transparent and to accompany potential future managers on their way, to broaden their skills, to implement projects under their own responsibility, to guide them and, if possible, to comply with the requests of the projects.

What advice do you have for (young) women who want to follow the same path as you?

For me, it is really important to be very flexible. As an intern, you can get a complete and varied overview of potential future areas of responsibility. You can take on project responsibilities, exchange ideas and receive constructive feedback in a “protected space”. Since Celenus operates clinics throughout Germany, trainees receive varying assignments. It is precisely this diversity that offers the opportunity to gain a great deal of experience.

In my opinion, it is particularly important to be authentic. There is no single solution. I have always valued empathy, appreciation and sensitivity, also in terms of interpersonal relationships, as well as the pursuit of clear goals. This has proven to be a good approach on my path so far.

How do you see the evolution of society with regard to women’s rights?

Equal rights between men and women have become an increasingly important public issue in recent years. The Law on Transparency of Wages and the Law on Equal Participation of Women and Men in Leadership Positions contribute to this. Nevertheless, women still often face a glass ceiling.