How managers can shape the energy transition and their own jobs positively: The push must come from within

It is obvious that the global political and economic situation has recently deteriorated rapidly. This also affects the energy sector. According to a global and cross-sector executive survey conducted by Bain, 44 percent of participants worldwide believe that the goal of net-zero emissions will not be reached until 2070 or later, despite the high investments in clean energy last year. In the previous year's study, only 13 percent of respondents expected the target to be reached so late. According to the "Energy & Natural Resources Executive Survey 2025," limited budgets, hesitant investors, and a cautious customer base are among the other challenges, along with politics and the economy. The energy transition remains a twofold challenge: on the one hand, global energy demand will continue to rise, and on the other hand, its decarbonization must be further advanced. This not only requires significant investment but also puts pressure on companies and their employees. The consequences of this will be evident in the Gallup Engagement Index Germany, published at the beginning of 2025. For the first time in its 25-year history, the proportion of employees with high emotional commitment is down to single digits. Compared to the previous year, it has fallen by a third – from 14 to just 9 percent. This means that never before have so many employees gone to work with low emotional commitment.

Avoiding stress

The often-criticized managers aren't the problem at all. This is the conclusion of a recently published study by the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the University of Ulm. The researchers investigated why people quit their jobs. The oft-quoted saying that employees quit their boss, not their job, turned out to be a modern myth. While problems with superiors are a relevant reason for quitting, the far more common reason is to avoid stress at work and to seek better career opportunities through a change of job. However, management and middle-level executives don't have to sit idly by and watch all of these challenges and problems unfold. Recall the well-known speech by German President Roman Herzog, who called for a shake-up in Germany as early as 1997. This is still true today, but it is not politics and business, but individual people who can move things forward and change things. This begins at the management level in companies with a positive attitude towards employees and acting as role models. Employees notice very quickly whether they are kept in a good mood with platitudes in times of crisis or whether a department head listens to them, recognizes and understands their problems, gives them creative freedom and supports them in stressful situations.

What's needed now, more than ever, is the courage to address problems openly and honestly, to seek solutions together, and to make decisions despite uncertainty and accept their consequences. The stresses and strains have shortened the fuse for internal conflict for many. This makes it all the more important for managers to be close to their teams, to identify and resolve conflicts in a timely manner. This not only restores security and calm to the team, but also the justified confidence that every crisis will eventually come to an end. Ultimately, there's no getting around renewable energies.