Leadership is more of a responsibility than a designation. It involves inspiring others and and building trust between team members. Leaders also have toto strategize the work culture management and associate with organization as a symbol of perseverance. Dr. Marcus Schmalbach (MBA / PhD), a renowned professor of business management and Founder and CEO of RYSKEX GmbH is one such leader who is exemplifying strategic leadership with some impressive business management traits.
Marcus has a long-standing experience in risk and captive management in various industries. Prior to RYSKEX, he was Head of German of MBA program located in Bielefeld, Germany. He is still working as a visiting professor on Innovation and Risk Management matters with universities in Germany and USA.
Serving Top Players
RYSKEX’s customers are the risk and insurance management departments of blue-chip companies that are both very smart and at the same time very traditional thinker. The company uses the possibilities of modern technologies like AI and Blockchain to support its highly innovative solutions. However, the company focuses on value addition, customer needs, and creating a symbiosis of future-oriented technology with trustworthy cooperation. Especially in the B2B sector, customer confidence -even in the age of digital transformation is the elementary component for success.
Leaders are Risk Takers
Marcus advocates the opinion that leaders are born and one can’t train these skills. It’s also hard for him to name the real characteristics of a leader. Many people believe that a leader has to be a positive guy with a high empathy, but Marcus has some different opinion to it. He opines,A leader must have a higher goal in mind and radiate the faith and charisma that people follow him whether he is punctual, attaches importance to diversity in the company or possesses a lot of empathy is irrelevant to me.” According to him, integrity, charisma, goal orientation and the backbone to be able to make unpopular decisions are some of the most important attributes that every leader should possess.
Every Day is a New Challenge
Marcus considers that in a start-up with a disruptive business model, every day is a challenge and a test. A daily struggle and a departure from decisions where cooperating with traditional market participants, yes or no, which venture capital company is the right one?, Which form of financing is the right one in the medium or long term?, What do we focus on, which markets, which technical solutions must be included in the MVP, and which can be implemented later? These are the frequent questions one has to deal with several times a day and which can decide whether victory or defeat, especially at the beginning of the business cycle. He thinks founders are the people who look around for that thrill. If they are equally equipped with a “leader gene”, they can create a game change.
An Extraordinary Approach
Marcus in his early thirties had already completed an academic career, and was extremely young for a study program director. Building houses, getting married and having children seemed to be the next logical steps to him. But he was never like that and was constantly looking for a new challenge. Convinced with this thought that his life’s work would be something else he put together an extraordinarily talented team, he left university and founded RYSKEX. And with all the challenges or precisely because of the daily challenges, this became best decision of his life.
Steady with the Course
The progress of RYSKEX shows that its model can certainly determine the future of the industry and the goal is to create exception. However, this is still a long way off and the future will show whether the company will still be on the market in next years’ time or whether traditional companies such as Lloyd´s of London have overtaken it. The team at RYSKEX is confident enough to say that the company cooperates with very reputable and economically well-off companies that believe in it. Marcus has a positive look at the globe and say that in just two to three year RYSKEX has established itself in the market. As a CEO one takes the lead by taking responsibility on the journey and has to present himself as a leader. Successes from the past are the basis to look positively into the future.
Perseverance and Self Confidence is the Key
Marcus admires two men of world history and their testimonies to shape his mindset. One is Mahatma Gandhi and the following quote from him: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” The other quote comes from Steve Jobs: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do, we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” Real game changing business models are often difficult to identify or are torpedoed by the “old economy”. According to Marcus, perseverance must be shown and at the same time capable employees must be united in the company whom one trusts, and with a lot of luck, one win in the end.
