In the course of our tightly scheduled work and private life, we rarely find the time to really contemplate. To contemplate means to become aware, to use all our faculties, and to reflect. It means being able to distinguish what is truly important from what is not quite so important, and to explore new directions.…
… is what herbologist Philipp Heinrich Ast recommended to his impatient patients in the middle of the 19th century. Lacking today’s highly effective medicines this can be assumed to have been the best suggestion in order to strengthen the body’s self-healing power and give it time to recover. Ever since then this piece of advice…
The bigger the better? Not necessarily: The true power and effectiveness of teams only become evident in the conscious limitation of their size and the skilled use of synergies. This most certainly applies to the project teams formed using our Power-Facilitation approach. They are never the sum of all the expertise and responsibilities required for…
… is not necessarily an asset that is much appreciated in companies. However, only 35% of innovation in the market is driven by experts – the much larger percentage by outsiders or career changers who rely less on facts and expert knowledge and more on instinct and intuition (see “The return of Innovation”, Berth R.,…
Hunters and gatherers don’t go the beaten path because they know they won’t find anything new or exciting this way. For the same reason Power-Facilitators often decide to lead their teams a detour, and flexibly react to the promises off the beaten track. The reward are unexpected insights, new perspectives, and a rich prey of…
Even the most motivated project team members have to flee the conference room from time to time, with a presentiment that getting out and seeing something different might be beneficial and inspire new thoughts. And they are not mistaken. We recommend, therefore, to leave regular meeting patterns whenever a project might profit – an element…
Many companies trust in Current Best Approaches (CBAs) to manage their business challenges. CBAs, however, bear the risk of delivering just standard solutions, and the risk increases the more often a CBA is used. Doing the same thing again and again cannot lead to new, different or better results. Only by uncovering and using the…
… said Jimi Hendrix, legendary guitarist. This is not a new idea. Maria von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830 – 1916) is recorded to have said that “as long as you yourself talk, you won’t learn anything”. This very up-to-date principle is one of the pillars of successful communication and collaboration, both private and business, as potentials can…
… is the common opening when people meet in the hallway, at the coffee machine or on their way to the staff restaurant. Away from the desk, relationships are built and strengthened. Topics are addressed that are truly important for the staff. There is an exchange of information. You can let off steam or have…
This has probably happened to all of us at some stage: We witness somebody who steps out of line and tackles a challenge in a whole new fashion, violating all the guidelines and rules. And then that person is incredibly successful. In order to achieve the extraordinary, we must not let circumstances rule us. It’s…
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