ABSTRACT
The author describes what happens in a small family-owned etching and laser technology company as they discover and adopt the Solution Focus (SF) approach. Steffen Herz, the owner, is the typical Swabian entrepreneur and engineer. He invents solutions for technical problems. In the past, every topic and decision had to pass his desk; his employees just executed his rules. Looking back today, he says that he was the bottleneck in the company, constantly busy. When his wife Manuela Herz, the company HR manager, becomes acquainted with SF practitioner Julia Kalenberg, Manuela is fascinated by the SF approach and the mind shift it can lead to. Manuela is able to convince her husband to give Julia and her SF approach a go. He agrees to a workshop to improve teamwork in the management team and to a few individual coaching sessions for himself at the same time. Steffen helps to create a noticeable SF ripple effect in the company by letting go and learning to trust in the potential of his managers. The managers grow and are able to show and develop their potential.
