"We are VIER!" Today: Rainer Holler, VIER CEO
Hello Rainer, since when have you been part of VIER?
In fact, I have been with VIER for four years now - that fits, doesn't it? Before that, I worked for a DAX company for five years, then worked as a consultant for VIER and moved into the management in 2018. For me, the job is a dream come true!
You are VIER CEO/Managing Director - what do you take care of?
We are currently experiencing many changes in the company, which is what a merger entails. One of my tasks is therefore to translate the visions for the future of VIER into a strategy and to bring them into the company in small, digestible bites. Leadership is important here: I support VIER-o-nauts where necessary, for example as a source of inspiration, as a sparring partner for ideas or projects, or simply as a listener. At the end of the day, it's about putting all the pieces of the puzzle together to form a big VIER picture - i.e. sales, technology, operations, development, marketing, finance, human potential, consulting and certainly more.
What do you particularly like about your job?
The cooperation with our VIER-o-nauts, our customers and partners. The statement "People make the difference" goes well with this! I like working with people - inside and outside the company. By working together, we can leave our footprint on the company, solve our customers' problems and find individual, new solutions together with our partners. For me, it's more than just work. We spend so much time with each other and with our tasks - if that's not fun, it's problematic. That's why it's just nice that we laugh a lot together and have enough fun besides all the stress!
What experience or skills from previous jobs help you in your work?
I was lucky enough to learn something about the topic of "leadership" in Switzerland. Because Switzerland has a completely different culture in this respect and has been dealing with the topic of "meaning-oriented work" for a long time. This of course includes "meaning-oriented leadership". Here, the "what for" is in the foreground. It is elementary when it comes to taking people along and getting them enthusiastic about something. The question is always: "What's in for me?". Often it is about much more than salary. It is much more about finding meaning in one's own activity. I was able to combine this insight well with my technical, but also business knowledge and my own experience. This has made me a somewhat different managing director than the very classic type. I think that shows.
Is there something you've been dreaming of for a long time, but haven't dared to do yet?
To be honest, I've been thinking about walking the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela for years. Just with my dog Ari and without any technical fuss. The big challenge is to cope with myself and my "twelve million" simultaneous thoughts and ideas without a full agenda successfully distracting me. I'm afraid it's going to be quite demanding and that's probably why I've been putting it off for a long time, but always claiming it didn't fit into work and family agendas. I would say: typical case of procrastination! ;-)
