Von Good to Great: KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski on Humility, Discipline and the Mental Stumbling Blocks on the Path to the Next Level of Development
- Apr 13
- 5 min read
What distinguishes companies that function well from those that make the leap from "good to great"? For KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski, the answer lies in a rare combination: humility paired with clear, ambitious goals. Disciplined strategy rather than impulsive actionism. Trust rather than control. And leadership understood not as a formal role, but as lived responsibility at every level of the organisation.
As part of our interview series with experienced leaders and industry experts, we discuss the topics currently shaping organisations, from leadership and strategy execution to psychological safety and sustainable development. In our conversation with KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski, we explore the patterns of outstanding organisational cultures, the concrete routines of effective leadership, good decision-making under pressure, the mental stumbling blocks on the path to the next level of development, and the greatest lever for personal growth.
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From Good to Great: The Patterns of Outstanding Organisational Cultures
What patterns do you recognise in organisational cultures that already function well and are making the step from "good to great"?
KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski: Successful organisations have clear values and a strong purpose that is consistently reflected in decisions and behaviour. They pursue their strategies in a disciplined, long-term manner rather than constantly changing direction. This approach makes them less vulnerable to market volatility as well as systemic internal and external challenges.
An open feedback and learning culture with psychological safety and implemented corporate health systems enables continuous improvement while maintaining high performance standards.
Leadership is understood not merely as a formal role, but as lived responsibility at every level of the organisation. Employees actively take ownership of their tasks and results, while close cross-functional collaboration is encouraged. Companies invest specifically in the development of leadership competencies to ensure sustainable effectiveness and direction.
Outstanding organisational cultures are defined by a balance: they combine a mindset of humility with clearly formulated, ambitious goals. Rather than impulsively jumping on every new initiative, they rely on consistent prioritisation and strategic focus to deploy their resources effectively and achieve lasting positive outcomes.
Trust, Clarity, Consistency: What High-Performing Teams Need
What inner attitudes and concrete routines do leaders need to build high-performing teams and stabilise them sustainably?
KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski: Leaders develop high-performing teams through a mindset of trust, genuine people orientation and a self-understanding as enablers rather than controllers, combined with clear expectations. Continuous self-reflection and consistent behaviour are essential to building trust and enabling sustainable development.
Clear goals, transparent expectations and structured formats such as regular one-on-one conversations, concise documentation of objectives and transparent knowledge and development data storage create orientation and foster individual growth.
Established learning and feedback routines such as retrospectives and open dialogue spaces strengthen continuous improvement and psychological safety. Sustainable high performance emerges from the combination of trust, clarity and consistent development. Embedding these elements in everyday leadership behaviour is essential.
Good Decisions Under Pressure, Without Losing Trust
How can leaders make good decisions amid increasing complexity, internal and external expectations and margin pressure, without eroding trust?
KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski: Good decisions in complex environments are based on clear processes and transparency, not on complete information. This is what keeps mutual trust intact even in the face of uncertainty. Leaders visibly separate facts, assumptions and hypotheses and actively encourage different perspectives to raise the quality of decisions made by those they lead and by the organisation as a whole.
Clear decision-making logic and defined responsibilities create orientation and prevent frustration and loss of trust. Rather than increasing control, effective leaders rely on conscious delegation within clearly defined guardrails to strengthen the ownership and trust of those they lead. Open communication about decisions and uncertainties, as well as short learning and feedback cycles, secure trust and enable continuous adaptation.
Mental Stumbling Blocks: From the Need for Control to a Development Opportunity
What typical mental stumbling blocks do you observe in leaders on the path to their next level of development, and how can they be turned into productive opportunities?
KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski: The need for control among leaders and within organisational structures often blocks the next step in development. When this need is reflected upon together, however, it can help to consciously delegate more responsibility and enable growth within the team. Strong identification with a role or area of expertise leads to uncertainty during times of change, but can be used as an opportunity for further development and a redefinition of one's own leadership role.
Perfectionism slows down decisions and encourages micromanagement, but becomes productive when replaced by a pragmatic orientation towards learning and progress.
Overextension reveals limits and becomes a development opportunity when leaders learn to pay attention to their own resources and practise sustainable self-leadership.
The Greatest Lever for Personal Growth
In your view, what is the greatest lever for personal growth in leaders, and how can it be consistently cultivated in everyday life?
KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski: The greatest lever for personal growth lies in the conscious development of one's own leadership behaviour through the combination of feedback, new perspectives and concrete application in everyday situations.
Leaders who understand learning as a continuous process and actively expose themselves to new challenges create the foundation for sustainable development. Actively seeking feedback, exchanging ideas with sparring partners and learning from real leadership situations make development practical and effective.
Concrete routines such as regular reviews, dialogue formats or consciously set learning goals help to anchor growth in a structured way in everyday life. What matters most is consistent implementation: continuous, small adjustments in leadership behaviour lead in the long term to greater clarity, effectiveness and stability.
Conclusion
The conversation with KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski makes one thing clear: the step from "good to great" does not come from grand gestures, but from the consistent connection of humility and ambition, trust and clarity, discipline and openness. Outstanding organisational cultures prioritise rather than react, and outstanding leaders understand themselves as enablers rather than controllers.
Those who want to make good decisions in complex environments do not need complete information, but clear processes and transparency. And those who want to grow personally recognise their own mental stumbling blocks not as a weakness, but as a development resource. Because sustainable effectiveness does not come from single grand moves, but from the consistent, continuous work on one's own leadership behaviour.
Über KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski
KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski is CEO and Founder of JB Private Mental Health in Zurich and Deputy Head of the Centre for Acute Mental Illness at the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich (currently on a research sabbatical). As a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy, he has broad expertise and an international network of renowned specialists in psychiatry, psychotherapy, coaching, advisory, and longevity.
KD Dr. med. Janis Brakowski has been associated with the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich for over 17 years, initially as a Resident and Senior Physician and since 2016 in a senior capacity. Since May 2025 he has been an Advisory Board Member of Jester Advisory AG as well as a member of further advisory boards, including at AYUN and Schön! Switzerland Magazine.
His academic background includes a medical degree from the Charité Berlin with doctoral thesis, studies in philosophy, history, and psychology at Humboldt University Berlin, a research fellowship in neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, as well as studies in philosophy at the University of Cambridge and the University of London.
