No Innovation without Creativity
This beautiful picture was drawn for me by my big niece (8) Leaders, Welcome! How would you rate the importance of creativity for your company’s success? Instead of pondering about how we can apply creativity in a helpful way, we often limit ourselves to identifying what could hinder our creativity or block our team’s or company’s creative potential. How familiar do these causes sound to you? Could it be that you or your staff are or feel... anxious to be judged by others or to fail strictly target-oriented and following conventional solution methods a sense of perfectionism or the need to be acknowledged time or performance pressure that encourages you to take old paths or routines weak connections with those whom you want to be creative with thinking barriers through limiting beliefs, interpretations or assumptions negatively biased or think you are not creative a lack of autonomy [...]
Pull back the curtain – You can’t fake authenticity!
Leaders, © Otmar Brettschneider Authenticity is not another personal brand value. Authentic leaders lead with their hearts, not just their minds. They show their emotions genuinely, and connect with staff. They communicate in a direct manner with empathy. Authentic leaders lead from their core. Here are five fast facts about authentic leadership worth knowing: Leadership is about behavior, not position; it’s about giving direction, creating alignment and gaining commitment. No study has ever produced a clear profile of a leader or a universal leadership characteristic leading to success; individuality is key. Leadership evolves from life stories. Authenticity is your greatest asset, however, it is not innate and you can only indirectly influence it. Others ascribe it to you. One way of enhancing the likelihood of being seen as authentic is by following your intentions and keeping your promises. Authenticity is closely connected with sincerity, honesty, or speaking [...]
Change your Story. Change your World.
Leaders, Baum der Hoffung © Otmar Brettschneider This article is right for you if you can whole-heartedly agree that communication to convince and give direction to your teams and other stakeholders is far more than the typical company speak via bullet points in a presentation, dry memos or hyperbolic missives. Persuasion and influence is needed to connect with customers, to motivate yourself and others to reach goals, and to facilitate change. Stories are the key to the hearts and minds of your customers and your workforce. Stories express how and why life changes, patterns of living and very personal and emotional experiences. Stories can change the way we think, act, and feel. They can form the foundation of an entire corporate culture, and they have the power to break down barriers and turn bad situations around. Stories can illustrate our ideas and capture our imagination. Human beings [...]
Strengths-Spotting: Enjoy Your ‘Popeye’ Moments
Leaders, What comes to your mind first, when you think of strengths? Well, for me it is “Popeye” – one of my favorite cartoon characters. He would do anything to overcome obstacles to first and foremost please Olive Oyl. His love of spinach which he eats in large quantities to boost his strength is legendary (though we know now that the exceptionally high iron content in spinach is a misconception). “Popeye” said that he was strong to the finish, ‘cause he eats his spinach. What makes you strong? What are the strengths in your team? How often do you do strengths-spotting? Is strengths-spotting already an integral part of your daily leadership activities? Have a “Popeye” Moment and find out more about your individual key strengths by investing 5 minutes to complete this free online assessment: http://inspiredexecutives.pro.viasurvey.org Let me share some important background information on strengths-spotting with you. Martin Seligman, the [...]
Believing in Change
Leaders, Aristotle taught us that „without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.“ Yet, astonishingly enough, it has become so much harder to make genuine human connections and establish trust – crucial prerequisites for successful change. Let me give you an example: My little niece finally started school last Fall. She had been excited about it all summer; kindergarten had become boring, and she felt a strong craving for something new that would give her a chance to learn and be like her big sister. Her first test was fantastic. She is a smart, bright, and creative girl who is able to articulate herself very clearly. She does know what she wants. To our big surprise – her second test was a disaster. Her parents needed to sign a notification that had to be returned to her teacher. Yikes. When I asked her “What was [...]
When did you last flirt and celebrate with the world?
Leaders, Nothing great has been and nothing great can be accomplished without Passion. G.W.F. Hegel (1770 – 1831), German philosopher Passion is a key topic with all my coaching clients at some point in our process. Professionals require passion to be able to inspire and motivate themselves and their teams. And by doing so, they create engagement, commitment, and direction. What is passion? For me, passion is a very strong feeling about a person or a thing, an idea, hope, dream, or possibility that your mind naturally gravitates to. It’s positive affinity towards something or someone that creates enthusiasm or unusual excitement. In the workplace, passion can provide you with a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment.Over-emphasizing your passions, e.g. by becoming a workaholic, can lead to obsessive behaviors and painfully impact your relationships. Not enough passion can lead to a state of indifference and a lack of sense of purpose [...]