High-Stakes Environments: How We Think, Make Decisions and Lead Under Pressure – And Use That to Build Something That Stands the Test of Time
The cockpit just before landing. The operating theatre in the midst of a complication. A start-up running out of funding. The courtroom awaiting the verdict. There are environments where decisions must be made in a matter of moments, where mistakes cannot be undone, and where the pressure never quite lets up. It is fascinating from the outside, but gruelling from the inside. Those who work in such environments bear a responsibility that goes far beyond the ordinary.
A particularly tangible example is the healthcare sector: a central pillar of society under enormous pressure – increased workload, staff shortages, economic constraints, rising expectations. Yet medicine is just one example of a wider phenomenon. High-stakes environments can be found in almost any field one might later pursue: a political crisis team that must make a decision with society-wide implications within a matter of hours. Negotiations during a hostage crisis, where words determine who lives and who dies. A headline or a video statement that must be published at short notice…
As diverse as these fields may be, the questions are strikingly similar: How do you make good decisions when time and information are scarce? How do you communicate and lead when mistakes come at a high cost? How do you remain resilient and human when the pressure never ceases?
A key area of tension that the course openly addresses: high-stakes work demands hard work and perseverance – with sweat, not just attitude. At the same time, younger generations rightly have higher expectations regarding quality of life, meaning and work-life balance than previous generations often did. This is not a contradiction, but a key question of deliberation: how can systems remain productive without burning people out? This question runs through the entire course.
From analysis to solution: The course does not stop at analysis, but explores a concrete solution: building your own brand and community. Using the example of a real-life, ongoing charitable project – a non-profit initiative for people in the healthcare sector that addresses precisely these issues and counters them with evidence, real-life stories and practical everyday tools – students explore and test how to turn a challenge into an effective, community-building response.
Prof. Dr. Kai Hensel
Ich bin Kinder- und Jugendarzt, Chefarzt und selbst UW/H-Alumnus. In meinem klinischen Alltag treffe ich regelmäßig Entscheidungen unter Zeitdruck und Unsicherheit, bei denen Fehler mitunter keine zweite Chance zulassen. Neben der Klinik baue ich gerade #YEAHmedics auf, eine gemeinnützige Initiative für Menschen im Gesundheitswesen, die Erfahrungen aus dem Hochdruck-Alltag in echte Geschichten und konkrete Impulse übersetzt. In meinen StuFu Kurs bringe ich beide Seiten ein: die klinische Erfahrung im High-Stakes-Umfeld und den praktischen Aufbau einer Marke, die daraus etwas Sichtbares macht. Ich freue mich auf einen Kurs, der genauso konkret und spannend wird wie die Situationen, aus denen er entstanden ist.
Objectives & Competences
The focus is on four areas of expertise:
• Decision-making under pressure – making sound decisions when time is short, in the face of uncertainty or with incomplete information; setting priorities and taking effective action
• Teamwork and communication in critical situations – working together when mistakes have serious consequences
• Humanity and self-efficacy – maintaining one’s composure and personal motivation even under pressure; finding one’s own ‘thing’ rather than getting lost in the system
• Resilience, performance and quality of life – remaining resilient without becoming cynical or burnt out
The central question running through the course is: How can all of this be turned into something that stands the test of time? Students apply what they have learnt to building their own ‘brand’ – which can be conceived on a wide range of scales: their own person and reputation, a department or a team, their own start-up or an entire community. The key lies in the exercise itself: building something visible and sustainable from attitude, competence and real-life stories.