When two themes that have long stood side by side suddenly interlock, a new perspective on one’s own work emerges. That happened to me recently: my business Leadership in Balance with Life and my course Business Ethics and Sustainability belong together far more closely than I had previously expressed.
It is a form of double materiality: personal and societal.
This insight was sparked by a public discussion hosted by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on May 4 in Frankfurt. Moderated by Lucia Schmidt, in conversation with Alena Buyx, the evening revolved around a question we prefer to avoid: “How do we want to be cared for one day?”
Two numbers struck me in particular: 86% of all care is provided at home. Only 3% of healthcare spending goes into prevention.
This imbalance shows how strongly we rely on repair instead of foresight.
At the same time, the message of the evening was encouraging: we can do a great deal ourselves. The seven foundations of a healthy life, as there are nutrition, movement, sleep, no smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, relationships (yes, that is work!), and purpose, are scientifically proven and effective. And they work at any age:
- Starting at 20 adds 20 healthy years.
- Starting at 60 still adds 6 years.
- Even at 80, you can gain 3 years.
The audience felt visibly relieved. It is never too late.
This is about more than individual health. Our demographic development, the “barrel” instead of the former pyramid, shows that we must act today if we want our system to remain viable tomorrow.
The evening made it clear to me: prevention, care, and social cohesion are deeply interconnected.
And this is where the circle closes with my work on Leadership in Balance. Self‑leadership is prevention. Those who take good care of themselves also relieve their families, their environment, and, in the long run, our healthcare system. That is lived responsibility and therefore highly relevant from a business ethics perspective.
So now I am curious: What does it take for prevention to stop being a private matter and become part of our shared responsibility?
—————-
I am Bernd Scharbert, and under the motto Leadership in Balance, I support leaders as a consultant and mentor in the areas of diversity & inclusion, intercultural leadership, and sustainable, effective work. I also teach Business Ethics and Sustainability at the Faculty of Business Science and Management at Albstadt-Sigmaringen University
————- Long Version ——————
Leadership in Balance and the Double Materiality: What Prevention Has to Do With Business Ethics
There are moments when two themes you’ve long treated as separate suddenly click together like puzzle pieces that were always meant to touch. My business, Leadership in Balance with Life, and my university course, Business Ethics and Sustainability, belong together more closely than I had articulated before. They are two sides of the same question: How do we want to live, and how do we want to take responsibility?
This insight crystallized during a public discussion hosted by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on May 4 in Frankfurt. Moderated by Lucia Schmidt, in conversation with Alena Buyx, the evening revolved around a question that concerns all of us, sooner or later: “How do we want to be cared for one day?”
It’s a question we prefer to push far away. And yet it cuts straight into the heart of our social reality.
Two numbers stayed with me:
- 86% of all care is provided at home.
- Only 3% of healthcare spending goes into prevention and health protection.
This imbalance is a mirror of our priorities. We invest in repair, not in foresight. We react instead of shaping the future.
And yet the message of the evening was surprisingly encouraging: Everyone can do something. As an expression of self-responsibility and solidarity.
Alena Buyx spoke about the seven foundations of a healthy life. Things we all know, but don’t always value: nutrition, movement, sleep, no smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, relationships and the work they require, and purpose as the reason we get up in the morning.
These seven elements are a checklist for personal health. And they are a societal prevention program, low-threshold, effective, and scientifically grounded.
They also follow a principle I know well from leadership: 80/20 is enough. Perfection isn’t required. Consistency is.
The numbers behind this are remarkable:
- Starting at age 20 adds 20 healthy years.
- Starting at 60 still adds 6 healthy years.
- Even at 80, you can gain 3 healthy years.
The audience felt visibly relieved. It is never too late. And it is never pointless.
Another image stayed with me: the classic age pyramid no longer exists. Today, our demographic curve looks like a barrel, wider in the middle, narrow at the base.
This means: We are getting older. We are becoming more numerous. We are becoming more care-dependent. And we have fewer people to provide that care.
Prevention is therefore not just a personal choice. It is a societal necessity.
And this is where the circle closes with Leadership in Balance. My work is about how people lead and how they stay in balance while doing so. As a foundation for good decisions, responsibility, and humanity.
Leadership in Balance is prevention. For one’s own life. For one’s own future. For the people we are responsible for, professionally and privately.
And at the same time, it is a contribution to a sustainable society. Because those who lead themselves well relieve systems, strengthen relationships, make more conscious decisions, and live healthier lives.
This is where my business directly touches the themes of my course Business Ethics and Sustainability. Both ask:
How do we shape the future responsibly, proactively, and humanely?
This is the double materiality I have discovered for myself:
- Individually: How do I lead myself in balance?
- Societally: How do we contribute to making an aging society livable?
I am grateful for the clarity and humanity with which Alena Buyx illuminated the connections between prevention, care, and social cohesion and for the calm, precise moderation of Lucia Schmidt, who opened the space for a conversation that concerns us all.
It was an evening that reminded me: Leadership begins in our own lives and it does not end there. It is always also a contribution to the society we want to live in.
And now I’m curious about your perspective: How can we make decisions today that make tomorrow easier for ourselves, for our families, and for a society that is growing older?
