Hannah Hartenstein: In Tune with a Culture of Empowerment

Although Hannah Hartenstein was born in Backnang, her family moved to Esslingen—located southeast of Stuttgart—when she was just one year old. Since her parents run their own healthcare practice together, daily life at the practice has always been an integral part of the family’s routine. “For a while, I even toyed with the idea of studying medicine myself. Even though my parents gave me complete freedom and left all options open for me to find and pursue my own path,” notes Hartenstein. And that’s exactly what she did. Running her own medical practice brought another aspect to light. “I was particularly fascinated by the economic aspects of self-employment,” explains Hartenstein, who further developed her interest in economics in high school: by participating in the “School as a State” project and, as a result, co-founding a company; by taking economics as an advanced course in high school.

But her decision about what to do after graduating from high school was far from set in stone. “On top of that came the COVID-19 pandemic, which completely upended plans that had been made earlier and felt right, leaving one not only feeling uncertain but sometimes even frightened,” Hartenstein recalls. But she was only briefly intimidated and deterred by this; her choice of next step turned out to be more than courageous: She completed a voluntary social year (FSJ) in the central emergency room of a hospital in Nürtingen. “I deliberately chose the central emergency room because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone,” notes Hartenstein, who primarily handled patient transport and nursing duties and kept a cool head even in challenging situations—such as when she had to manage difficult medical emergencies alongside what were sometimes severe COVID-19 cases. “During that time, I learned a lot about how to deal with stress. It’s indescribable what people accomplish day in and day out in nursing,” Hartenstein emphasizes. After half a year in this fast-paced environment, she completed the FSJ, which was scheduled for that period, followed by another half year in hospitals in Konstanz and Stuttgart, where she shadowed staff in various departments.

After her time in the healthcare sector, Hannah Hartenstein initially decided to study communication sciences at the University of Hohenheim before changing universities after two semesters. “That academic year was still instructive. It showed me what’s important to me in a degree program: that theory and practice are in balance. I also missed business, which had never really left my mind,” explains Hartenstein. She discovered this combination of communication and management in the CME bachelor’s program at ZU. “And after an information day, one phrase really stuck with me: ‘culture of empowerment’—in the sense of, ‘If you want to do something, find the right people and do it,’” says Hartenstein.

From the very beginning, Hannah Hartenstein was particularly impressed by the unique atmosphere at the student café “Beton & Bohne”—the bustling activity and lively interactions. “Even though I didn’t have a clue how to operate a portafilter machine, I applied for a job as a barista,” Hartenstein says. After spending her first few months behind the counter—serving up various coffees and cakes, among other things—the time drew near when the management duo was nearing the end of their studies and looking for a successor. “Of course, I was thrilled that I was asked and that they trusted me to take over,” Hartenstein notes.

Things are usually hectic at the start of a semester when the ten-person student team has to be partially restructured. Together with her respective co-manager, Hannah Hartenstein was responsible for the entire process: from posting job openings to selecting new team members through interviews and training them. Only once the team is in place do we move on to ordering food and beverages, before finally assigning shifts. “During the semester, we also post on social media to share our hours of operation, upcoming events like bar nights, or new additions to our menu,” adds Hartenstein, who, in addition to the café, also led the baking team, which regularly bakes the well-known and infamous banana bread.

With the exception of a semester abroad in Copenhagen, Hannah Hartenstein served as manager of the student café from her third through eighth semesters. “The main reason I stayed on for so long is that the work never got boring, and I never shied away from taking on responsibility or working in ever-changing teams,” explains Hartenstein, who, together with her team, constantly worked to organize bar nights or handle catering orders.

Hannah Hartenstein made a conscious effort to take advantage of the interdisciplinary course selection that the CME program offers starting in a certain semester. “While many of my classmates settled on a minor, the variety of courses allowed me to explore a wider range of topics. The main thing is that the practical component—whether field trips or concrete case studies—was never neglected,” Hartenstein reports. As her studies progressed, she took more and more management courses—including during her semester abroad at Copenhagen Business School. “The strength of the CME bachelor’s program lies precisely in training us to become responsible and creative leaders. My goal is now clear: In the future, I want to work in a management position myself,” Hartenstein reveals.

Hannah Hartenstein was particularly impressed by the course “Management of Innovation and Transformation” taught by Professor Dr. Matthias Weiss, which explores how to sustainably strengthen the potential for innovation in digital transformation within companies. “Even while taking the course, I knew I wanted to write my bachelor’s thesis on this topic; I just hadn’t settled on a specific subject yet,” Hartenstein explains.