Is this a harsh truth or just an exaggeration?   Many supervisors fool themselves when they send their employees to trainings and believe that is enough. They think that simply selecting a course completes their leadership duty.   Moreover, I have met many employees who are convinced that attending around two external trainings per year is—or should be—the standard. Regardless of the actual need: two trainings. And if Colleague X got two, I should also have the right to enjoy

"People usually judge you based on where you are at currently, not what you could become eventually. Don’t let one comment stop you from trying. File it away or use it as fuel. Focus on getting better. Someone else’s analysis of your current position doesn’t tell you anything about your current potential." I love this quote by James Clear (taken from his inspirational newsletter). It is so relevant for leadership or when hiring someone. We often get fooled by looking at the c

With the new year underway, many people are taking time to set objectives. Others are reflecting on whether their personal vision is still accurate and helps them steer in the right direction.   I invite you to step back and pause for a moment.   Let’s focus on what will be important and meaningful for you when 2026 is over.   Which of your objectives will have helped you choose the right path?   You don’t know? Me neither. Neither for you, nor for me.   So, how can we make t

For 2026, I wish for you to be content.   Have the trust to listen to yourself. Everything you need to know is already within you.   In an age of AI and daily information overload, I wish for you to recognize and value your intuition.   It takes patience to trust that life will bring the right information to you at the right time.   It takes courage to not fill your mind with every available detail, but to select only what serves you in the present moment.   It takes reflecti

In a time of high pressure, tight schedules, and bad weather, I notice how people become more irritated. Myself included. It’s the right time to remind myself that I don’t have to act on my emotions. When the feeling of being overwhelmed starts to creep in, I take a deep breath and try to distance myself. I distance myself from what’s going on and from any negative emotions arising. I remind myself that not all emotions need an immediate reaction—that I have the power to paus

I’m currently in many sessions discussing individual employees and their performance in 2025.   Some of the people managers—some of them new to their leadership roles—don’t really know what to say, how to assess, or how to start difficult conversations. That’s normal. It takes some reflection and practice to give meaningful feedback.   Today, I would like to share some thoughts on the purpose of giving feedback.   We are all adults. We are responsible for our own lives.   Yet

Don’t mistake talking about problems for solving them. The world is full of problems: health issues, financial difficulties, relationship challenges, demanding education, high job expectations—not to forget the weather. And they pile up constantly. Isn’t there always several things that don’t go right? Well, yes, you are absolutely right. That is your current focus, the current way you look at your world. It is the mindset you learned and practiced over many years and decades

You have a business problem and cannot solve it over a longer period of time?   Let me tell you a secret:   Most of the time, it is not about the problem itself.  You think it is about the problem, but it is not.    Most problems don’t get solved or very slowly solved because it is a relationship problem.    There is some form of mistrust or underlying conflict or opposing interests. And that leads to destructive behavior, instead of getting to a solution quickly.    Most peo

Everything in life has a cost.   Everything.   Once you realize that, you will be able to make smarter choices. You will be able to make choices which better suit your personal needs.   Cost is not limited to money. It can also be about your time or your energy.   Money is actually the cheapest cost, because money can be replaced. Your time and energy are limited.   Watch out for hidden price tags.    A pretty luxury car might cost you $200k. That’s an obvious price tag and y

Communication hack of the day: Instead of telling someone “Don’t forget to XYZ!”, try this instead: “I know that you’re already focused on XYZ … I just wanted to let you know that it is such an important part of that presentation/meeting/negotiation.” What might seem like just a different wording can be a game changer. Why? You don’t sound like a parent reminding their child. Instead you communicate on eye level and reduce the sense of hierarchy. You communicate with trust an

“I trust that you do your best.” This is a mindset and it includes an important message: YOUR best. Not my best. Or someone else’s best, that is their expectation. It includes another - equally important - baseline to start with: I trust myself. I know that I will do my best. And from this understanding, I realize that your best might be very different from mine. I will be there to support you and try to create an environment where you are capable of growing into your best ve

Some days ago, I first heard about the term "microscopic truth". Microscopic truth means telling the truth in a very specific situation,...

Sometimes I have the answer in my head. I can answer immediately.  Yet, it can be better to take the question or the topic with me and...

How much money do we need? How much money do we really need?   It is quite a challenge.    If you have enough money to sleep well at...

In a coaching session last week, the coachee was unhappy with his own feelings and behavior. Commenting on it, he told me, “But what can...

I‘m a big fan of communication. Oftentimes, I rather notice to little communication than too much of it.    And I don’t mean that...

Why not? How to assume ownership.    Have you ever been in a situation where there was something to decide and you thought or said, "But...

I love how the English language differentiates between the two words “responsibility” and “ownership”.    We are all responsible for...

It is easy to be against something or someone. I watch people use their energy to fight a system they don’t approve of. Some are unhappy...

Like everyone, I'm still a work in progress. Justin Welsh We are never done. We are complete as a human being, but never finished in our...