From rescuer to leader: leadership development at HLR
The nonprofit HLR Herzogtum Lauenburg Rettungsdienstgesellschaft mbH (HLR) has been building a communal emergency medical service for the Herzogtum Lauenburg district since 2022. Many staff members come from nonprofit contexts with strong operational expertise but limited leadership experience. Through ID37, HLR has established a sustainable leadership culture in a remarkably short time.
"I experienced the ID37 personality profile as both a mirror and a valuable source of feedback. It enabled deep self-reflection and improved my ability to direct myself. It is highly effective in one-on-one settings and within the team."
Martin von Holten, Emergency Medical Service Manager, HLR
Challenge
Building a leadership culture in a young municipal organization
Managing Director Kai F. Steffens and Emergency Medical Service Manager Martin von Holten recognized early on that a professional public service requires not only skilled first responders but also capable leaders. They brought ID37 Master and instructor Sabine Happe on board. The challenge was significant: staff who had been making quick, pragmatic decisions in the field were unfamiliar with structured meetings and showed little initial interest in the concept of leadership.
Solution
A step-by-step approach to professional leadership development
The development process followed a clear principle: identify needs, act, and stabilize. Leadership training and workshops served as the entry point for employees who had not previously viewed holistic leadership as part of their role.
As that foundation solidified, the work became more targeted: individual coaching based on ID37 personality profiles, one-on-one leadership coaching with follow-up sessions and goal-image development, and a talent program built around ID37 as its core instrument.
In parallel, roles were clarified and a shared understanding of leadership was cultivated - an essential step for an organization whose staff come from a variety of emergency service backgrounds. The result is a leadership culture that is authentically HLR's own.
Results
Successful leadership development in the municipal sector
All watch-station leadership teams are now equipped and confident in their leadership roles. Working with ID37 has sharpened role clarity, fostered a shared leadership philosophy, and established a clear organizational vision for HLR. Leaders are exercising their roles with confidence after a short time - even those who started from scratch.
The build-up phase is complete. HLR is now entering a phase of systematic leadership development with ID37 as its core instrument, supported by clear program structures, defined career paths, and focused succession planning:
32 have been profiled and coached with ID37, including top management, the Emergency Medical Service Manager, and leadership teams across all watch areas.
Additional leaders will follow, including team lead practice instructors.
All incoming leaders receive coaching with ID37 from the start.
Mutual understanding and acceptance have always been central to HLR's mission. The ID37 life motives framework has created a shared language and deepened that understanding across the organization.
HLR demonstrates convincingly that this level of leadership development is achievable in a municipal context. Public and nonprofit organizations face distinct challenges: tight budgets, deeply ingrained structures, and a culture oriented around mission rather than management. HLR has proven it can be done - with the right approach, the right tool, and the commitment to change.
FAQs
Questions and Answers
Who is the ID37 personality assessment suitable for?
ID37 is suitable for anyone who wants to better understand themselves and others. Individuals use the test for self-reflection and personal development. Teams analyze their collaboration and resolve conflicts. Leaders learn to guide employees individually. Coaches and consultants use ID37 as part of their professional work. Using the tool, they can conduct a precise assessment of their clients' current situation and develop targeted measures and interventions. Companies integrate the method into their HR development. It supports throughout the entire employee life cycle.
In short: ID37 helps everywhere people live and work together.
The ID37 team analysis makes the motive profiles of all team members visible and comparable. It shows where the team's potential lies and where tensions may arise. Teams recognize how certain team members tick – and how to leverage these differences rather than fight them. This fosters understanding, improves communication and boosts team performance. The ID37 team analysis is particularly valuable during conflicts, when teams are newly formed or new members are integrated. The ID37 AI coach supports teamwork, as it works on the basis of individual motive profiles and can recognize and predict team dynamics.
Leaders learn with ID37 to better understand themselves and their team members. They learn to understand their own personality and impact, to direct themselves and deploy their potential optimally. And they recognize what drives individual team members – enabling differentiated leadership. Instead of one-size-fits-all solutions, they rely on individual approaches. This increases motivation and performance. Conflicts can also be better resolved with knowledge of different motives. ID37 turns good leaders into better ones because they truly understand people. The ID37 AI coach is valuable support for leaders when recognizing development potential, understanding conflict causes or properly interpreting their own motive profile.
Companies use the ID37 personality assessment for HR development, team building and leadership development. The analysis identifies individual potential, supports creating effective development plans and improves collaboration. In recruiting, ID37 helps verify cultural fit. Employees understand themselves better and are more satisfied. This reduces turnover and increases productivity. ID37 offers customized programs and approaches for organizations of all sizes. The ID37 AI coach also offers diverse possibilities to scale coaching, HR development and individual soft skill training.
How does ID37 help with career decisions or career planning?
The ID37 personality assessment serves as a well-founded coordinate system that reveals what truly matters to a person in their (professional) life through the identification of the 16 life motives. In career planning, the profile helps choose professional roles and work environments that match one's own drive structure – which is the prerequisite for lasting performance and satisfaction. Additionally, discrepancies between personal goals and role requirements can be specifically identified and tailored development strategies derived. The self-knowledge gained enables making decisions aligned with one's own identity, thus securing long-term personal success.
In short: For career decisions, ID37 helps avoid wrong decisions.
How can the ID37 profile be used in organizational development?
ID37 makes corporate culture measurable. Based on the motive structures of employees, leaders and teams, companies can recognize which values are actually lived. In change processes, it can be determined why resistance arises. With ID37, drivers and blockers can be identified. Based on the 16 life motives, motive constellations, communication and work preferences become transparent, which can be specifically considered in change processes, culture development and people & culture measures. The ID37 AI coach is valuable: It supports employees in individually mastering change processes – as a valuable complement, not a replacement for human consulting.
ID37 supports organizations in unlocking potential, securing motivation long-term and establishing a fair, diversity-conscious corporate culture.
What does the ID37 profile reveal about leadership suitability?
ID37 does not measure leadership suitability directly. It shows how a person can lead effectively. ID37 measures 16 life motives and makes visible what truly drives, stresses or repels a leader. There is no ideal profile for leadership – effective leaders can have very different motive constellations. What matters is the ability for self-awareness and self-direction: Those who know their motives can consciously align their leadership style, purposefully use their potential and reflect on risks. The ID37 profile is a foundation for modern, reflective and context-appropriate leadership – without categorizing boxes, but based on psychometric data.
What experiences exist with the ID37 personality test?
Companies, coaches and individuals report that the ID37 personality assessment is particularly precise, understandable and practical for everyday use. The IT company MaibornWolff, for example, successfully uses ID37 for self-organization. VR Bank Nord successfully uses ID37 for leadership development. Coaches and consultants use the method in individual coaching and team building.
Users describe it as a valuable tool for increasing self-awareness and self-direction that helps better understand and shape personal intrinsic motivations, behavioral patterns and team dynamics. They appreciate the deep yet easily understandable analysis of the 16 life motives, which provides a foundation for development processes, better communication and conflict resolution.
Particularly highlighted are the scientific foundation (development with the University of Luxembourg), the clarity of motive evaluations, the high practical relevance in analysis sessions with ID37 Masters and the innovative support through AI coach Jay.
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