Two heads, one vision: Since November 2025, Dagna and Katja have been leading the People & Operations department at meinestadt.de as a tandem. By embracing “Shared Leadership,” we are moving beyond traditional hierarchies toward a future-oriented model of collaboration.
We sat down with the duo to discuss their journey so far, their unique leadership philosophy, and their perspective on how this model defines the future of our way of working.
1. What does it mean for you to hold this role as a tandem?
For us, the tandem is a strategic sparring mode in real-time. It means constantly mirroring your own perspective through a second, competent viewpoint. This is a huge advantage for the company: you basically always receive “Version 1.1” immediately – solutions are simply of better quality thanks to the double-check.
Of course, this requires the maturity to put one’s ego aside and fully support the other person’s decisions, even if there was internal discussion. We see ourselves as a unit that functions through trust and delegation. But let’s be clear: it is more demanding. You need extremely good alignment. It’s a mode we had to find our way into as a tandem first, and it’s something that needs to be adjusted every now and then.
2. What do you particularly value about working with each other?
The mutual expansion of competencies is especially valuable. We use our strengths in a complementary way: what one brings to the table, the other catches or rethinks. Beyond the professional level, we enormously value the emotional side of this collaboration. My tandem partner is a very experienced coach who perfectly complements my blind spots. She often asks exactly the questions that I wouldn’t have thought of or wouldn’t have had on my radar.
Especially in situations where things get restless or stressful, we have each other’s backs. There is a deep understanding for the other person, which enables a quality of People work that would be nearly impossible to achieve as an individual.
3. What is particularly important to you in your role within the People Team?
Trust and psychological safety are absolutely central – both within the tandem and the entire team. We don’t want ego-centered leadership, but a culture of tolerance combined with a clear standpoint. Furthermore, we value excellence in execution and maximum clarity in structure:
- Leadership Responsibility: The responsibility for individual direct reports is clearly divided, so there is no uncertainty about who is responsible for whom in the team.
- Project Leads: In projects, one of us takes the lead while the other supports. The team might have had to get used to this at first, but we always make it clear: “You may have spoken with X, but I am fundamentally in the loop.”
We want to speak with one voice on fundamental issues, while simultaneously designing effective processes that make a real difference.
4. Which topic are you currently pushing forward the most?
Our absolute focus is on Performance Culture. Our centerpiece here is the “Team Impact Journey” – a systemic approach to specifically leverage triggers for potential development. Parallel to this, we are driving two essential pillars:
- Organizational & Leadership Development: We are creating structures that allow for sustainable growth and empower our leaders to actively support this growth.
- The Office as a Cultural Hub: We are establishing our new office as the heartbeat of our culture. In a hybrid working world, the office is far more than just a workplace for us; it is a physical anchor point for identity and belonging. We want to create a space that promotes spontaneous exchange, enables creative cooperation, and strengthens the “social glue” that holds us together as a community. It’s about making culture tangible – through real encounters that go beyond the digital screen.
5. What does working at meinestadt.de mean to you personally?
It is a privilege to work here because the impact is extremely high. You can implement new ideas quickly and pragmatically and get immediate feedback from the company. The openness, the helpfulness, and the strong sense of community make it easy to really drive things forward.
6. What challenges have you faced (or are you facing) with the tandem model?
Interestingly, the biggest challenges do not lie in the tandem model itself. The real challenge is the enormous breadth of topics. Finding the right prioritization and creating a healthy boundary is a constant task. Whether you are alone or in a pair: the complexity of People topics requires constant vigilance so that you don’t get lost in the abundance.