Why stories matter

First of all, apologies for being so late with my blog posts, I have actually already read 3 books in the past months but somehow my time management has gotten the better of me. Not a great story to tell but, Justin Lee has actually this covered: how you are actually supposed to tell stories […]
How uncertainty hits decisionmaking

The last few months have been a mix of uncertainty while we all have been adapting to a new normal. What this pandemic has made clear at least for me is the new unfamiliar territory of decisionmaking where even small decisions carry tremendous potential for uncertain outcomes. Most of us are no fans of uncertainty, […]
How to make great thoughts into a daily practice

The way we choose to see, act and be is what our world becomes. This is the underlying truth of Stoicism that seem to be popping up across newspaper outlets, an ancient philosophy and practice that great many leaders of our time and of the past have practiced. If you think it sounds too soft or […]
Want to learn to lead during coronavirus lockdown? Develop emotional intelligence

By now, most of us have heard of the actual skills that are required to succeed in today’s work place: the “soft” skills like listening, detecting moods, reading power relationships, collaborating and influencing. For a long time, many of these skills were not recognised as core competencies because they exist under the surface and have […]
Leadership as Empathy in the era of coronavirus

I have been on Twitter on minute-by-minute basis this last week, trying to understand the unfolding trends of coronavirus and what lessons are already emerging in how countries and leaders are handling the situation. Many of us are scared, trying to understand what is happening in other countries, which measures seem effective (washing hands, social […]
How to rehumanize leadership in the era of increased complexity

This week’s read is Rehumanizing Leadership: Putting Purpose Back into Business by Sudhanshu Palsule and Michael Chavez from Duke Corporate Education. The book builds on three key insights that must be understood by anyone in a leadership position: 1) that our world is constantly changing at a speed never experienced before; 2) only those with […]
How to use decision points in real time

This week globally we have had a new challenge with the Coronavirus and a lot of decisions have been made, are being made, and will be made regarding for example whether to organise conferences or other gatherings with overseas attendance. Most of us are erring on the side of precaution, while also thinking ahead both […]
How to get your team from “good-enough” to “awesome”

Keeping with David Marquet’s book Leadership is Language still, I’ve thought more and more about how we can create learning environments where we shift successfully between redwork (doing actual work e.g. analysis) and bluework (reflection and planning). He outlines several key questions and issues that are key in understanding how we can move from what […]
How to lead through language

The new book of the week is David Marquet’s Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don’t and I was extremely happy to find this book at the airport after just having listened to his podcast episode in Coaching for Leaders. There are so many insights in this book […]
How to prioritise through directed commitment

The famous Jim Collins quote says that the most important thing is to first to get the right people in the bus, otherwise you’ll spend most of your time arguing where you should be heading and how to get there. This is highly applicable also to how you prioritise your activities and goals: if you […]