What we can learn from Greta Thunberg

Greta - five letters, two syllables, one first name are enough and millions of people know who and what is meant. And in the next moment you have probably already developed an emotion towards the young woman with the two pigtails and the serious look. The only thing left for the most professional advertising agencies to do is to envy her.

A testimonial that is neither cast nor highly paid or boasts an existing "celebrity bonus" of a bleached-out past life. 16 years old, marked by an illness, rhetorically average, and even still without a significant network of relationships that could provide a key to almost any door.

Reason enough to think about the communicative effect of Greta Thunberg as a person. At this point, it is neither about an analysis of the content or an appreciation of her work nor about a consideration of her ideas, but about the question of what we can learn from her.

Fact is: There are many opinions about Greta and some of them have probably already reached your level of consciousness. From some you can hear: "That's a heroine, finally someone who shakes things up" and "I absolutely agree with her". Other voices are raised with the view that "she would go to school more cleverly". In addition to these statements, which are usually somewhat ideologically tinged and aligned with one's own value system, there are then the incorrigible reality fetishists who say, "She may be right, but she can't really do anything for the better climate yet." No, she really can't. Greta does not sit at the levers of power.

About arguments in general 
The situation is quite similar to toothache: if you have one, you can't fix it yourself. For that, you need the dentist, who is clearly in a better position to mend cavities, moreover, he also has the knowledge and the appropriate equipment within reach. But you do need to tell him that you have a toothache. It is best to explain to him exactly where it hurts and for how long. And in the end, at best, you will come to the conclusion that you should eat less chocolate in the future to avoid further such devastating consequences, including pain.

The climate may also have a toothache. But not everyone can (or wants to?) understand the language of nature - at least not those who are actually the political specialists including handling. This requires a voice.

Conclusion 1: Greta gives a voice to a problem
Whether at Friday for Future demonstrations or on election ballots, whether at conferences and congresses or simply during a discussion with a neighbor: Greta Thunberg is present, in the minds of many and in the hearts of others. She is a young personality who, perceptibly, has definitely moved the world a bit within a few months.

It's not as if the climate movement is new. But it has lacked a face. And without faces, it is hardly possible to convey a story, a vision, an idea these days. Greta Thunberg serves the media dynamic and everything that has "Greta" in the title is clicked and liked. Even if the comments diverge in terms of content: Greta serves the influencer principle and appeals to large circles of people.

Conclusion 2: Greta gives a movement a face
Basically, the contradiction could not be more glaring: Greta Thunberg suffers from Asperger's syndrome. This is associated with limitations in social interaction and communication. What does she do? She goes among the supposedly important people and communicates, talks, articulates herself unflinchingly. She does exactly what any reasonably professional coach or career counselor would advise against. We all know that:

Basketball players are tall, ski jumpers are light, and orators are eloquent. And yet history teaches us that things can be different. Just like Greta. She shows us what it takes: irrepressible will, inner drive, a true mission and the fact of being inspired by an idea. She radiates incredible stamina.

She would have 1000 and more reasons not to do what she is doing or to cancel it. The smorgasbord of physical limitations, hostility and internal squabbles would give enough to find a suitable excuse. But instead, she is persistent and focused on her goals.

Conclusion 3: Greta has stamina
It's an open secret: not everything in the media productions is based on Greta's own ideas. She has advisors and listens to those who know better than she does about some things. Many bosses boast that they don't listen to consultants because they know well enough themselves. They should be advised: If you have a toothache (see above), go to the dentist, because he is the specialist.
Good consultants are good conversational partners and a source of inspiration. The majority of experts bring a helicopter view without blinkers. It's the selection that makes the difference, and the trick is to keep out less reputable consultants, know-it-alls, and all those who have no idea about the practice, and to involve the real specialists.

People in a wide variety of professions also know how to work with good consultants or coaches, to listen carefully, and to take on board what information or implement what changes make sense.

Conclusion 4: Greta lets herself be helped
People close to Greta agree that the student is intrinsically motivated. In other words, she acts out of a strong, inner drive. The 16-year-old Greta Thunberg can be an incentive to reflect on one's own motivation, for example with regard to one's job or private life.

Conclusion 5: Greta acts out of intrinsic motivation
Nevertheless, it is also worth delimiting some things. Greta cannot and should not be copied or elevated to the status of a saint. She is a true role model in many respects. But there are also topics that encourage us to be rather cautious.

These days, the clear cultural differences between Europe and the USA are once again apparent. In this country, Greta polarizes, but is noticed and triggers debates on all possible sides. Anyone who says Greta means something about climate change. In America, on the other hand, things are different. An acquaintance from the United States recently told me that Greta Thunberg hardly makes it into the headlines there.

The situation is quite different, for example, with a former presidential aide who joins the illustrious crowd of Donald Trump's ex-employees. She told a journalist a few things about the adult and allegedly ill-bred Trump children. Welcome to the media, such a thing is present and has a corresponding scope. Who asks in the USA "Do you know Greta Thunberg?" receives the answer "No - who is this?"

Anyone who then adds something like "she's fighting for the climate" may be met with a counter-question like "Ah, so she also drives Tesla?

In the context of a communication analysis, the issue is always that communication should be appropriate for the recipient. At the moment, I am unsure whether what Greta Thunberg does in Europe also works in America. Once completely value-free spoken: Environmental and climate protection is more ideological on the old continent, closer to one's own value system and personal behavior. In the world across the pond, discussions very quickly end up in a technical debate - which is neither better nor worse. After all, catalytic converters were once mandatory in the U.S. a few years before they were in Europe.

Conclusion 6: Greta works - the question is only where and how
Whether Greta's sailing trip across the Atlantic, for example, was a smart move is questionable. An originally well-intentioned campaign literally got out of hand at times thanks to media exploitation. The discussion started with legitimate questions about where their companions were coming from and whether they were arriving and departing by plane. The media suddenly speculated about whether there was even a toilet on the yacht - with the unpleasant side effect that the actual reason for the trip receded into the background.

And every now and then, some journalist makes the calculation that what she is doing right now may require more CO2 than if she had not done it. Under these circumstances, it would have been more clever to get on a commercial airplane with her father, not to make a big fuss, and to concentrate on the appearance and the messages at the UN General Assembly.

Anyone who sees how often Greta Thunberg is the cover girl on magazines today must realize: Not infrequently, the titles and media have nothing at all to do with their targets. The original idea, namely to give the story a face, has ended up through media exaggeration where it is only about the face and no longer about the matter. How often is it about pure staging and no longer about the actual facts or the mission? Does someone want to shine mainly in the light of the spotlights? Do the often noble intentions fade into the background as a result? That can happen, but then it is anything but purposeful.

If it's all about pure marketing, the goal loses out. That's the same with a public figure as it is in a company. Especially in larger companies, there are often enough managers who have only one goal: to land one step higher up the ladder at the next reorganization, when the cards are redistributed. That has nothing to do with commitment to the good of the company, it's commerce for its own sake. And that's not good for Greta - or for any boss.

Conclusion 7: Greta should be careful not to lose the measure
Away from the critical gaze: Anyone who wants to can learn something from anyone - and from Greta Thunberg even a little more. To conclude the positive learning on the basis of her person, after the above-mentioned aspects, there is another decisive one: She does! From know-how to do-how! She does not only talk cleverly, but actually takes a lot of inconvenience upon herself. She shows up, gives speeches, is on site, stirs up conflicts and tries to solve them again.

There is much to say about their activities - and in all of this, their actions remain the most important. One thing should be clear to us: Greta Thunberg will not save the climate. But she shows that it is feasible to stay consistent on one's own topic. That's something everyone should remember when they find themselves in the "should-do" loop.

By the way, take another close look at the name, the individual letters G-R-E-T-A leave plenty of room for interpretation. Not for nothing can the word GREAT be created by a small rearrangement - and that's what America is longing for right now...

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