Frequently Asked Questions

The Munich Leadership Group (MLG) is an international leadership consultancy, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Munich. We build the cognitive and emotional operating system of leadership: leadership development, coaching & sparring, audits & assessments, and cultural transformation. More than 50 experts from 10+ countries have so far delivered tailor-made programs to 182,000+ participants at 80+ ambitious clients, from large corporations to midsize companies, start-ups and scale-ups.

Three things: our work is evidence-based and deeply rooted in science (psychology and neuroscience), it is fully customized (we offer no off-the-shelf products), and it works in practice, since we co-develop every activity together with our clients. We are not the polished slide-deck consultancy: clients tell us we are human, flexible, no-nonsense, straight to the point, and that we go the extra mile. And we don’t sell man-days. We do exactly what is needed, step back, and return when you need us — our goal is to enable you to solve problems yourself.

Every design decision follows how people actually learn and change: habit formation instead of one-off knowledge dumps, psychological safety so real issues surface, and curiosity as the door-opener for new behavior. We ground our work in current psychology and neuroscience research, exchange with institutions such as the Max-Planck-Institute, Berkeley, Harvard, Hult Ashridge and Oxford Saïd Business School, and we are independent, bound by no dogma: we do what works.

Our Managing Partner Dr. Hans W. Hagemann co-authored "The Leading Brain", the internationally acclaimed best-selling book that translates neuroscience into practical leadership strategies — focus, emotion regulation, decision-making, and peak performance. Those same principles shape our programs: we design for psychological safety, cognitive peak performance, and habit change, and we use creative tools that trigger curiosity, because a curious brain is an open brain.

A hand-selected core team in Munich, led by Managing Partners Dr. Hans W. Hagemann and Michael Knieling, with partners and senior executives, plus associate partners across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific: 50+ experts, 10+ nationalities, 12+ languages. Our coaches are ICF-certified by institutions such as Erickson Coaching International and CTI, and they also work as facilitators and consultants on MLG projects — giving them a true 360° view of leadership reality. You can meet the whole team on our website.

All industries, all sizes. Recent and long-term clients include BMW, Bayer, Microsoft, ZEISS, EY, Montblanc, TÜV Rheinland, Hannover Re, Rohde & Schwarz, Swiss Steel, Körber, Weidmüller, Isar Aerospace, DVAG, Golding Capital, Vivawest, Aqseptence, and Bilfinger — large corporations as well as ambitious Mittelstand companies, start-ups and scale-ups.

Globally. Our experts live in more than 10 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific and deliver in 12+ languages. Headquarters are in Munich; programs run wherever our clients are or where they need the programs.

These are working collaborations, not logos. We cooperate with Prof. Ken Singer, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at UC Berkeley; we align with Harvard Business School Executive Development when delivering programs together or in parallel; we are one of Oxford Saïd Business School’s preferred partners for high-end leadership programs and are co-running Europe-wide programs with them; with HULT Ashridge we deliver a joint international Learning Journey across two continents; and we are in continuous exchange with Prof. Dietmar Harhoff, Director at the Max-Planck-Institute for Innovation and Competition.

Four families, all fully customized: Leadership Development (learning journeys, team development, talent management, and the open-enrolment MLG Campus), Coaching & Sparring (performance, development, and transition coaching plus executive sparring), Audits & Assessments (including diagnostic tools and psychometrics), and Cultural Transformation.

Leadership Development builds capability at scale: programs and journeys for cohorts of leaders. Coaching & Sparring is individual work, one-on-one with an MLG expert. Team Development focuses on one working team — diagnostics, workshops, and deep dives that get the best out of everyone. In practice, the strongest results often combine all three.

A Learning Journey is a series of designed development activities and formats over time, not an event. It blends face-to-face modules, virtual deep-dives, psychometric tools, curated company visits, learning partnerships, coaching, networking, and a digital learning platform. Typical journeys run from several months to over a year, sized anywhere from 25 top executives to 300 senior leaders. The reason: knowledge is not the real bottleneck — application is, and turning learning into behavior requires practice with feedback loops over time.

Coaching is a structured development process with an ICF-certified coach, built around your goals. Executive Sparring is a reflection partnership on eye-level for top executives: concrete critical situations, discussed with an expert who understands both your business and your "human system" — delivered in sessions of different lengths, flexible, discreet, with a personal hotline on top.

Performance Coaching when the current role demands everything: energy management, effectiveness, unleashing hidden potential. Development Coaching when your scope is growing and the next step brings new challenges: value conflicts, power dynamics, delegation, networking. Transition Coaching when you enter a new role or environment and want to perform from day one — including the first 100 days.

Looking into the future. Understanding the scenario and the overall target. Translating it into an inspiring vision. Getting everyone engaged. Finding and particularly supporting those who are (or will be) in key roles to develop them into true role models. Every transformation we run is a well-curated set of cultural goals, strong commitment from the top, personal habit changes, role-model behavior, and what we call "guerrilla activities" that spark curiosity and movement. The magic lies in combining neuroscience with creative tools. We have done this for entire corporations, Mittelstand companies, and single departments, typically when radical new behaviors, restructurings, disruptions or a new strategic direction that needs full company leadership alignment are on the agenda.

For us it is not about judging people: it is about precisely recognizing strengths and development opportunities, checking cultural fit, and then developing talents in the best possible way. We combine modern diagnostics, insights from psychology and neuroscience, and years of hands-on experience: talent identification, high-potential programs, structured talent reviews, (reverse) mentoring, and Development Centers. Because the best talents don’t want to be managed — they want to be seen, and want to grow.

They are not "tests" and not keep-or-fire instruments. They give individuals sound feedback on their unique strengths and development potentials, and give you confident talent decisions, reduced hiring risk, and stronger succession pipelines. After diligent preparation we co-develop the process with you, combining diagnostic expertise, latest psychometric tools, customized case studies, and stand-up challenges. We work openly with every candidate, with candid feedback and strict confidentiality — never with hidden agendas or messaging behind anyone’s back. Our Development Centers serve development, not selection.

We are licensed in many psychometric instruments and have focused on four that passed our quality standards: CliftonStrengths®, NeuroColor™, Zortify®, and Hogan®. We stay in close touch with the researchers behind these tools, continuously screening new developments (AI is accelerating the field rapidly), and matching the right instrument to your specific purpose.

With a conversation. We listen to understand your intention, context, and ambition; we ask questions and challenge assumptions; then we co-create a proposal that is right-sized for you, from a single intervention to a multi-year journey. Reach us via the website contact form, info@munichleadership.com, or +49 89 413 1910; you’ll get a personal reply the next business day.

Full customization is our USP: your company is unique, and so are your leaders, your market situation, your ambition, and your strategy. We speak with you, challenge you, discuss successful examples, and co-create options together. And we keep adapting during delivery: clients regularly tell us the flexibility to respond to what actually happens in the room — rather than clinging to the agenda — is what sets us apart.

We define success upfront, in business terms, and design for observable behavior change; habit change is the explicit goal of our journeys. We use evaluations and feedback loops (our programs consistently receive top ratings, at clients like Microsoft, ZEISS, EY, Hannover Re and for more than ten years at Rohde & Schwarz). We use psychometrics where useful, and client reviews. MLG is a winner of the international Brandon Hall Excellence Award for the best advance in performance management, but the measure we care most about is that clients keep coming back.

Yes — all of the above. Whether it’s a single training session, a keynote, a workshop, or a comprehensive multi-year learning journey: everything is tailor-made, and starting small is a perfectly good way to test us.

All three. Learning journeys typically blend face-to-face modules with virtual deep-dives and a digital learning platform; coaching and sparring come in whatever format fits your needs.

Our team speaks 12+ languages. German and English are standard; for global programs we staff facilitators to match your regions and audiences.

Strictly. What is said in coaching stays in coaching. We never report session content to superiors, and we never accept hidden agendas. That is a non-negotiable rule for us, not a courtesy. The contracting at the start defines exactly what (if anything) is shared, and anything that is shared comes from the coachee themselves.

Use the contact form on munichleadership.com (it guides you through your challenge in four short steps), write to info@munichleadership.com, or call +49 89 413 1910. An MLG expert reads every message personally. Expect a reply the next business day.

Yes. The BPTI (Best Performance Team Inventory) is our free tool for a sound first impression of your team’s performance status. The tool helps you determine the situation at six drivers for performance: giving orientation, reducing complexity, making decisions, developing oneself, empowering others, and operational excellence.

Yes: "The Leading Brain" by Friederike Fabritius and Dr. Hans W. Hagemann, first published by Penguin Random House, a bestseller, translated into seven languages and awarded as Best Business Book in the U.S. by strategy+business. It is written in an entertaining style and packed with surprising facts, applicable tools, and practical hacks. It is available as an English audiobook, and in German as the audiobook "Neurohacks".

Our place for open programs. MLG is known for exclusive, fully customized client programs, but leaders from companies without enough participants for a dedicated program asked for access to the same methods used at organizations like BMW, Bayer, TÜV Rheinland, and Microsoft. MLG Campus offers open courses, training and workshops on leadership, influence, and performance, and the chance to connect with peers across industries.

Headquarters: Theresienhöhe 13A, 80339 Munich, Germany. Outposts in the U.S. and China. Our experts live and work across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, so delivery is wherever you need us.

A fair question — much of the industry has earned that skepticism. Knowledge transfer alone changes nothing, which is why we design for application: real situations, psychological safety so the true issues surface (instead of "organizational theater"), and habit change over time. The evidence that it works when done right: clients who stay for more than ten years, repeat mandates across industries, and participant evaluations that stay consistently high long after the novelty is gone.

We define success in business terms before we start — better decisions, stronger execution, retention of key people, and we build a transparent cost-benefit case with you on request. Clients describe the effect as structure, alignment, and momentum exactly when it matters most. And because we don’t sell man-days but results, you never pay for effort that isn’t needed: scope is what the outcome requires, nothing more.

Our methods draw on published psychology and neuroscience research; we continuously screen the current literature, stay in personal contact with the researchers behind our diagnostic tools, and exchange with the Max-Planck-Institute, Berkeley, Hult Ashridge, Harvard, and Oxford Saïd Business School. Our founder wrote a book on the relevance of neuroscience in leadership that was praised precisely for its rigor. And where the evidence is thin, we say so openly. We are not bound by dogma, including our own.

We notice early, because we contract clear goals and review progress honestly, and then we adapt. The flexibility to get better mid-process, instead of defending the original plan, is one of the compliments clients give us most often. We only take on projects we believe in, and we never knowingly deliver mediocre quality; where it fits, we are also open to discussing outcome-linked fee components.

By designing for the day after: journeys over time instead of events, deliberate practice between modules, learning partnerships, follow-ups, and a digital platform. We involve the leaders’ real environment, top-management commitment and role-model behavior, because habits don’t survive in a system that punishes them. Getting people out of their comfort zone is where learning happens; keeping them supported afterwards is where it sticks.

Content is free everywhere — impactful application is the bottleneck. What you pay for is customization to your exact situation, senior facilitators who create psychological safety fast enough that the real issues surface, and designs that turn insight into behavior. An off-the-shelf training is cheaper on the invoice and more expensive in wasted leadership time.

AI is genuinely useful for leadership: preparing decisions, structuring information, even rehearsing a difficult conversation. What it does not do is change behavior. Knowing what good leadership looks like was never the bottleneck; doing it under pressure is. Behavior change needs practice, honest feedback from people whose judgment you trust, and an environment safe enough to try and fail. Those are social conditions, not information problems. Leadership is also a deeply human undertaking. People are social beings: they sense whether you mean it, they follow those they trust, and team performance rests on relationships, psychological safety and shared purpose. An AI can suggest what to say. It cannot create the trust that makes a team believe it, and it cannot carry a room through a hard conversation. So we use AI where it helps and work with people where it counts. The more AI absorbs the analytical work, the more the human part of leadership becomes the real competitive advantage.

We complement your team and collaborate with it; we don’t replace it. What we add: external candor (we can say what insiders can’t), credibility with top executives, a bench of 50+ specialists across topics, languages, and regions, cutting-edge diagnostics, and pattern recognition from thousands of programs across industries. Your HR and L&D leaders keep ownership. We complement their experience with our outside perspective and make the mutual project most effective.

The difference is degree: we have no standard product to protect, so nothing pushes us toward templates. Every engagement starts with a diligent preparation phase, is co-created with you, and keeps adapting during delivery. The most frequent compliment we hear from clients is precisely that: "you fully understood our situation and adapted all measures to us." And we are candid — if we see complacency, we’ll confront it, in your organization and in ourselves.

Talent varies, but leadership behavior is learnable, and the neuroscience is clear that adult brains build new habits throughout life. We don’t press everyone into the same mold: we build on individual strengths and start with self-awareness, because it is the foundation every other leadership skill rests on.

You actually work with them. It depends on the topics and the scope of the program we run together. Right now, with HULT Ashridge, we deliver a joint Learning Journey across three modules on two continents; we align with Harvard Business School Executive Development at shared clients; at Berkeley we cooperate with Prof. Ken Singer; and Prof. Dietmar Harhoff of the Max-Planck-Institute describes the exchange with us as relevant to his own research; his words, on our website. Ask us which partner fits your program, and we’ll tell you exactly what they would contribute.

Most disappointments have the same anatomy: generic content, no psychological safety, too little involvement of internal role models, no transfer. We start by understanding exactly why the last attempt failed, then design against it: your real situations instead of textbook cases, an atmosphere where people address the true problems within hours, using internal role models for credibility, and habit-level follow-through. We’re happy to show you concrete designs and connect you with references who were skeptical too.

We design for full calendars: focused modules, virtual deep-dives, coaching that fits between meetings, and we make exactly the effort that is needed, never man-day padding. But let’s be honest about the alternative: business as usual under growing pressure doesn’t save time, it compounds the problem. The hours invested come back as better decisions and faster execution.

We enjoy them — skepticism usually means experience with bad programs. We meet senior leaders at eye level, with vulnerability instead of a "we know everything" attitude, and we win them through curiosity: a surprising claim, a piece of science, a case that mirrors their reality. Top executives are our core audience, and converted skeptics are our best references.

We have worked across virtually every industry since 2008, thousands of programs, 182,000+ participants, and we still never pretend to know your world better than you do. That’s exactly why our process starts with diligent preparation and co-creation: your specifics shape the design. Clients across sectors tell us we "fully understand our culture and the business we are in", because we made understanding it the first step.

Confidential. Full stop. We never report individual coaching content to leadership: using participants’ trust to brief their superiors is on our list of things we will not do at any price. The coaching contract defines the few formal touchpoints (e.g., jointly agreed development goals), and whatever is shared there comes from the coachee, not from us.

Custom scope means custom pricing; the drivers are the number of participants and cohorts, the format mix (modules, coaching, diagnostics, company visits), languages and regions, and the seniority of the experts involved. We are a premium partner and honest about it, but you don’t buy man-days from us, you buy outcomes with exactly the effort they require. We always put a transparent cost-benefit view on the table.

No lock-ins. Start with a workshop, a keynote, a coaching engagement, or a pilot module, and extend only if it proves itself. Our client relationships of ten years and more exist because clients keep choosing us, not because a contract forces them to.

A single focused workshop or coaching engagement can already shift real behavior; a strong keynote can open a leadership team’s thinking. For organization-level impact, the classic entry is a pilot journey with one leadership cohort, small enough to be low-risk, real enough to be judged by results.

We are a German company operating under GDPR. Assessment and coaching data are strictly confidential; psychometric results belong to the individual and are shared only as contracted. We never accept hidden agendas or backdoor reporting. Details are in our privacy policy, and your data protection officer is welcome to talk to us directly.

A lot of it is, the "lizard brain" posters deserve the eye-roll. That is precisely why we stay close to actual research: continuous screening of the literature, personal exchange with the researchers behind our tools, and an awarded, best-selling book that was recognized for translating neuroscience without betraying it. Where findings are not more than good guesses, we say so. No dogma — including neuro-dogma.

Because it is harder than buying a standard program. It demands commitment from the top, honest self-awareness, and the patience for real habit change, and many organizations still optimize for checklist training that protects everyone from blame. That gap is exactly the opportunity: the companies that do commit turn leadership into their competitive advantage, especially now that AI is leveling so many others.

An honest list: if you want a rubber stamp for decisions already made, a project that is a farce, mass sheep-dip training, secret reports on what your people say in coaching, or simply the cheapest daily rate, then we are the wrong partner, and we’ll tell you so early. We only engage in projects we believe in. If that isn’t aligned, we part as friends and you save your money.