Who is
Olaf Hauer?
- 6Countries of experience
- 16,5Years with BMW
- 40Years in People Development
From Team Development to Personal Maturity
- Uncovering Hidden ThemesYou will discover areas for growth and untapped potential that you may not even be aware of. We will also identify "interference"—internal blockers, such as irrational beliefs, that are holding you back.
- Mastering the "How"You will understand how to apply, develop, and maximize your capabilities, turning those internal blockers into a constructive force.
- Behavioral TrainingYou will practice new behaviors until they become ingrained skills—a natural part of your behavioral repertoire. Through this process, your mindset and emotional responses will profoundly transform.
- Agility and MaturityYou will learn how to adapt your behavioral patterns based on the situation, your goals, and the people you are communicating with. As a result, you will become more self-aware, authentic, and psychologically mature.
5 Countries, 4 Eras, 1 Philosophy
From 1981 to 1986, I studied at the Faculty of Psychology at Leningrad State University. My experience of living in Leningrad was almost the exact opposite of my expectations: empty store shelves, gloomy faces on the streets, modest furniture, and dark green walls in the dormitory.
Turning Point: By the end of my third year, I made peace with the circumstances and accepted them as they were. From that moment on, life became easier, and my progress in learning the Russian language accelerated significantly.
In November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, bringing an end to the socialist era and marking the beginning of capitalism. In 1991, my son was born. A pressing question emerged: what should I do next in this new reality once my university contract expired?
The twist of fate that changed everything: My East German Wartburg car started breaking down frequently. A local auto repair shop owner, who was a huge BMW fan, offered to sell me a used BMW on an installment plan. This unexpected event directed my attention toward a path that hadn't even crossed my mind!
The key insight from this period: the power of a brand opens doors, but it is the maturity of the leader and the systematic nature of the processes that convince the client to stay for the long haul. I started "in the trenches," teaching salespeople how to overcome the fear of rejection, and ended up creating self-developing systems and managing cross-cultural transformations on a national scale.
This major chapter of my life is divided into four logical steps, each of which added a crucial new element to my methodology:
Sales Training
1992-1995I conducted comprehensive sales training programs consisting of three parts, including a two-day field training entirely focused on cold calling.
Over these years, I made about 600 cold calls alongside the salespeople I was training. Their biggest fear was being "shamefully" kicked out as uninvited guests. However, this only happened once, and even then, in a very mild manner.
A polite approach, backed by a well-known brand that evokes positive associations, opens almost any door. This is especially true when a person identifies with that brand and absorbs its power.
During this time, I realized that BMW paid a great deal of attention to expanding its customer base through cold calls, while systematic follow-ups with existing and potential customers were virtually non-existent.
By 1995, I had grown bored with sales training—the tangible results were disproportionately small. At the same time, I clearly saw a way out of this situation. I decided to develop a medium-term program focused on implementing systematic customer base management and its expansion.
Custom Program for Customer Base Expansion
1995-2000I developed and directed a 7-month program aimed at implementing systematic customer base management and achieving targeted, cost-effective expansion. I ran this program for 5 years.
In the first year of implementation, I worked with 6 relatively small dealerships. I proved that, collectively, they sold 107 more cars than they would have without applying my program.
Each of the centers exceeded its annual target set by BMW by 15-20%! The tools I developed allowed for accurate sales forecasting and a deep analysis of the territory's potential for which the dealership was responsible.
After the third year of running my own program, I increasingly felt stuck in a routine that gradually turned into boredom and even rejection. I had proven everything: the number of cars sold increased, customer brand loyalty grew, I had trained my colleagues, and peers from BMW sought my advice. And then what??? I wanted something else!
I wanted to join a team that, since 1997, had been running a long-term, comprehensive dealership development project called "QMA". However, all my attempts to get there led nowhere. I decided to leave BMW by the end of 2000 and pursue an MBA in Barcelona starting in 2001.
In the summer of 2000, I went to Malta, combining a 3-week vacation with an English course. Exactly two days before my departure, I received a call from BMW offering me a role in the very project I had been trying to join for a year and a half...
QMA Project: Comprehensive Dealership Development
2001-2005I became a coach for the QMA (Quality Management in Auto Dealership) program. Over 4 years, I led comprehensive projects on the systemic development of dealerships, lasting from 15 months (Phase 1) to 3 years (Phases 1 and 2).
The work touched every department. We mapped out all repetitive workflows using flowcharts—there were about 115 of them! We established a systematic approach to client relations to boost loyalty, and we improved the focus of internal staff management.
We tackled management and leadership issues, starting with strategic goals, vision, and mission, filtering through BMW brand values and their impact on the behavior of all managers and employees, right down to setting specific annual goals tailored for each department.
We utilized a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the efficiency of our project work and the overall performance of each department and dealership. Internal auditors underwent specialized training at the BMW Training Center in Munich.
We developed and established an internal audit system to verify the effectiveness of the implemented processes. In each dealership, we formed a team of internal auditors—loyal, rational, and objective employees. The core idea was to transform the dealerships into self-developing systems.
International BMW Master Coach in China: The Biggest Challenge
2005-2009From February 2005 to January 2009, I ran similar projects in China, where the program was known as RSM (Retail Startup Management). I was one of two International BMW Master Coaches.
Beyond executing the projects in dealerships across China, I was responsible for training my Chinese colleagues to run such complex, long-term initiatives—a task that turned out to be much harder than I had anticipated.
By mid-2007, we had accumulated a critical mass of experience. Under my guidance, my Chinese colleagues and I completely adapted the entire RSM program (700 A4 pages!). We restructured the sequence of content delivery and the implementation approach, reducing project timelines from 24 to 18 months. We also developed tools and metrics to measure the progress and outcomes of RSM projects.
Additionally, colleagues from various BBA (BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd.) departments frequently invited me to facilitate cross-departmental meetings on critical issues, such as the rollout of new software systems.
As a farewell gift to BBA, I designed an Assessment Center to select the most suitable Chinese candidates for the RSM-Coach position. This was based on a comprehensive list of competencies required for success in the role. I created a full competency profile for an RSM-Coach along with a template for an individual development plan.
During my 4 years of living and working in China, I was constantly confronted with my own internal stereotypes—about other cultures, nations, and what is deemed "right", "good", or "acceptable". Intellectually, I could understand the attitudes, actions, and decisions of my Chinese colleagues, but I deeply struggled to accept them with my heart.
My time in China was arguably the greatest test of my willingness and ability to truly embrace the "different"—different values, priorities, behaviors, tastes, manners, and an entirely different attitude toward concepts like "truth" and "love".
"In China, there is no love, no friendship, only family," a highly respected German colleague told me in 2006. This sentiment was later echoed by several of my Chinese acquaintances...
I considered three options: staying in China, returning to Germany, or starting from scratch in Russia. I crossed out China—the culture still didn't resonate with me. I put Germany aside—I had been away for too long, and I didn't appreciate Merkel's tenure as Chancellor.
Choosing Russia: I knew the language, and the culture felt familiar. In October 2010, I founded the iNTG team alongside Lyudmila Murgulets and Paul Bourne. iNTG stands for "irresistible Nuts To Go"—nuts that are simply impossible to resist.
Over the course of nearly a year and a half, we implemented 2 of Rosatom's 6 core values: "Responsibility for Results" and "One Team." The goal was to change the day-to-day behavior of managers and employees, and through this, increase the efficiency of workflows.
Result: 530 managers and employees (out of ~3,700) were engaged in the project. I specifically designed an algorithm of recurring events and working sessions across 4 phases, each lasting 2 months. The project's goals were successfully achieved.
We refined the algorithm developed during the Rosatom project, which evolved into the LOCI methodology (Loops Of Change Implementation). It is designed to purposefully develop teams and their members to achieve specific business goals. We also created the iNTG101 online tracker to improve workflow transparency.
The Book as a Release: In early 2024, we published the book "EPIC Communication. Your Key to Constructive Interaction and Personal Development." I needed to "offload" the knowledge and experience I had accumulated over 40 years across different countries. Writing it genuinely made my life easier!
In 2017, my son finished his studies—he was 26 and fully capable of standing on his own two feet. That same year, I no longer felt comfortable in Germany, especially in Berlin, as the country's landscape had begun to change since 2015 due to Merkel's "open border" policy.
Putting Down Roots: Considering all these factors, I made the decision to move to Russia and lay down roots here. In 2020, I received my temporary residence permit, and in 2023, my permanent residence. Soon, I will be applying for Russian citizenship.
