The story behind the name

Why would anyone want to be coached by a wolf?

That was my marketing advisor's question when I chose the name. My first reaction: he is absolutely right.

My first name is Wolfgang and I live in Berlin, so The Wolf of Berlin was the natural choice. I picked it without much thought. It took his question to make me look closer at the animal behind the name, and what I found is the reason I kept it.

Read the story
The name came first

The meaning came later.

Wolves have a reputation. They are the villain of fairy tales, most people are a little afraid of them, and in business "the wolf of" usually conjures up a ruthless dealmaker who treats people as prey. None of that is what I stand for.

So I looked closer. In shamanic traditions the wolf is a power animal: a guardian that walks beside a person, a keeper of old wisdom, a symbol of leadership and strength. There is something wild about it too, something that refuses to be fully tamed. I like that. Good leaders need both: the discipline to protect their people and the freedom to follow their own path.

The more I learned, the more the wolf looked like the kind of leader I want to help people become.

A myth worth dropping
The ruthless "alpha wolf" comes from studies of wolves kept in captivity. In the wild, a pack is a family, led by the experienced ones who protect it, teach it and hold it together.
What the wolf teaches

Three things every leader can learn from a wolf.

  1. 01

    The pack

    Wolves live, travel and hunt together, and they are remarkably loyal to one another. Leadership is never a solo act. It is belonging, responsibility and the trust that holds a team together when things get hard.

  2. 02

    Leaving the pack

    At times a wolf leaves the pack to find new territory and a new experience. That takes courage. Every leader meets that moment: when staying comfortable costs more than moving on, even with fear in the room.

    40 kma wolf can travel in a single day
  3. 03

    The call

    Wolves don't howl at the moon. That is a Hollywood myth. They howl to call their pack and hold their ground, and the moon is simply there because they are most active at dusk and at night. The question I ask every client is the one the wolf asks: what is your call, and are you listening to it?

    10 kmthe distance a wolf's howl can carry
When the wolf looks at you with his steady gaze, he is asking you to listen to your calling. That is what coaching is all about.

Wolfgang Kroj, The Wolf of Berlin

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