“At some point in the Industrial Revolution, it made sense that we create humans that conform and just produce. In our day and age we need to go back to what makes us human, especially with AI taking over all those manual processes. We need to relearn to be the children now. To be creative, to be human, to have human connections… Whatever happens, deal with it with love… You can’t lead anybody until you love yourself. And you can’t lead anybody that you don’t love.”
S03E11 of the Rethink Culture podcast shines the spotlight on Natacha Neumann, the founder and manager of Erdbär, a company dedicated to creating healthy snacks for kids under the brand Freche Freunde. With a multicultural background and a passion for impact, Natacha transitioned from corporate life to entrepreneurship. The influence of her parents’ personalities, combined with her experiences as a mother, shaped her into a leader who values empathy, autonomy, and the transformative power of workplace culture. Under her leadership, Erdbär grew rapidly, becoming a pioneer in self-managed organizational structures inspired by Holacracy.
In this episode, Natacha delves into the practicalities of implementing self-management, including the initial chaos and eventual clarity that came with adopting Holacracy. She emphasizes the importance of balancing male and female energies in leadership and that the true magic lies in helping employees move from being passive followers to active leaders. Natacha also discusses the critical role of love and belonging in the workplace, arguing that leaders must create environments where people feel safe to express themselves, take risks, and innovate. Her insights challenge traditional notions of leadership, urging leaders to let go of control, trust their teams, and focus on fostering a culture of autonomy, purpose, and human connection.
The podcast is produced by Rethink Culture (rethinkculture.co). Our Culture Health Score provides an X-ray of your organisational culture, allowing you to measure and manage it.
Production, video, and audio editing by Evangelia Alexaki of Musicove Productions.
Listen to this episode to discover:
• How Natacha transitioned from a corporate mindset to self-management and Holacracy.
• Why balancing male and female energies creates empathetic, effective leadership.
• The role of psychological safety and trust in empowering employees.
• The challenges and rewards of transitioning to self-managed teams.
• How personal transformation fuels successful self-management.
• Why love and belonging are essential for innovation and growth in the workplace.
Further resources:
• Natacha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natacha-neumann-333b19/
• Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness, by Frederic Laloux: https://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Organizations-Creating-Inspired-Consciousness-ebook/dp/B0D8WKRFMB
• The Art of Loving, by Erich Fromm: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Loving-Erich-Fromm-ebook/dp/B00BBPWAJC
