“Who is behind the trainings?” – A Conversation with Sandra Karner
ElbValley:
Sandra, what brought you into leadership and team development?
Sandra:
In the corporate world, I experienced how much energy gets lost when people are highly competent professionally, but do not communicate clearly with one another. Good collaboration does not happen automatically just because people appear in the same organizational chart. It requires clarity, trust, the ability to handle conflict, and good routines.
At some point, it became clear to me: this is exactly where I want to work. Not on the surface, but on the patterns that truly shape teams.
ElbValley:
What makes your trainings different from traditional seminars?
Sandra:
My trainings are not one-way lectures. They are professionally facilitated working spaces. We look at concrete situations, typical tensions, and real leadership questions. Participants actively engage, reflect, practice, test, and translate what they have learned directly into their everyday work.
And yes: there is room for laughter. Especially with demanding topics, lightness helps — not as a way of avoiding things, but as a door opener for honest conversations.
ElbValley:
Who are your trainings particularly suitable for?
Sandra:
For leaders, HR professionals, and teams who do not want to leave collaboration to chance. For people who realize that their challenges are not only structural, but also communicative, cultural, and human.
The work becomes especially effective with participants who are willing not only to talk about “the others,” but also to look at their own role within the system.
ElbValley:
And who are they less suitable for?
Sandra:
For people who are only looking for a certificate, a quick motivational boost, or three ready-made formulas. My work is practical, but not arbitrary. Anyone who wants real impact has to be willing to take a closer look.
ElbValley:
What connects your topics of leadership, feedback, conflict, resilience, and New Work?
Sandra:
In the end, it is always about the ability to work effectively. Can people say what they need? Is there clarity about roles, responsibility, and expectations? Are conflicts used constructively or avoided? Can teams remain capable of action even under pressure?
For me, New Work is not about beanbags. It is about how work can be designed so that people are able — and willing — to take responsibility.
ElbValley:
Where can we find you when you are not training?
Sandra:
Most likely on the tennis court. For me, tennis is the perfect metaphor for leadership: you need strategy, timing, mental strength, and the ability to be fully present again immediately after a bad point.
Or in Berlin, having a good conversation, attending a 12min.me event, or working on a new idea for making complex topics simpler and more effective.