The Practice Of Mindfulness & Its Role For Leaders And Executives

In today’s fast-paced and constantly changing world, leaders and executives are facing increasing levels of stress, pressure, and complexity. In order to navigate these challenges effectively, it is essential for leaders and executives to develop a practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with non-judgmental awareness. It has been shown to have numerous benefits for individuals, including reducing stress and anxiety, improving focus and concentration, and enhancing emotional regulation. In the context of leadership and executive roles, mindfulness can help leaders cultivate the skills and qualities necessary for effective leadership, such as self-awareness, empathy, and strategic thinking.

Ability to enhance self-awareness 

One of the key benefits of mindfulness for leaders and executives is its ability to enhance self-awareness. That means the ability to understand one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, as well as their impact on others. By practicing mindfulness, leaders can become more attuned to their own thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. This can help them identify patterns of behavior that may be counterproductive or harmful to themselves and others. With increased self-awareness, leaders can develop more effective strategies for managing their personal emotions and communication with others.

Ability to enhance empathy

Another important benefit of mindfulness for leaders is its ability to enhance empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. By practicing mindfulness, leaders can become more attuned to the experiences and emotions of their employees, customers, and stakeholders. This can help them build stronger relationships and foster a more collaborative and supportive workplace culture. Leaders who practice empathy are better equipped to motivate and inspire their teams, and create a sense of shared purpose and mission.

Ability to enhance strategic thinking and decision-making

Mindfulness can also enhance strategic thinking and decision-making abilities. Strategic thinking involves the ability to see the big picture and identify opportunities and challenges in the long term. By practicing mindfulness, leaders can develop a more expansive perspective, allowing them to see beyond immediate concerns and consider the broader implications of their decisions. Mindfulness can also help leaders stay focused and attentive to the present moment, enabling them to make more thoughtful and considered decisions in high-pressure situations.

Ability to enhance stress-coping mechanism

In addition to these benefits, mindfulness can also help leaders and executives manage stress and avoid burnout. Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that results from chronic stress. By practicing mindfulness, leaders can develop greater resilience and coping skills, helping them to manage stress and avoid burnout. This, in turn, can help them to be more effective in their leadership roles, as well as promoting their health and well-being.

Conclusion

In conclusion, mindfulness is a valuable practice for both leaders and executives. It can help them develop the self-awareness, empathy, strategic thinking, and stress management skills necessary for effective leadership. By practicing mindfulness, leaders can create a more positive and supportive workplace culture, and build stronger relationships with their employees, customers, and stakeholders. In an increasingly complex and challenging world, the practice of mindfulness can help leaders navigate uncertainty and change with greater clarity, purpose, and compassion.

Feeling Overwhelmed as a Leader? 10 Easy Steps Out

As a leader, it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed from time to time. After all, you’re juggling a lot of different responsibilities and tasks. But don’t worry – there is hope. By following these 10 professional executive coaching steps, you can get your bearings and regain control of the situation. So what are you waiting for? Start fresh today!

 

 

 

Step #01: Take a deep breath.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, the first thing you need to do, even as a leader or executive, is take a deep breath and calm down. This may sound cliché, but it’s true – taking a few minutes to relax can help clear your mind and make it easier to focus on what needs to be done.

From a medical perspective, deep breathing is incredibly important for healthy high performers. It helps improve blood circulation, oxygenates the body, and releases stress hormones. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, deep breathing can help you regain control of the situation and make it easier to think straight. So don’t hesitate to take a few minutes to yourself to breathe deeply and relax.

Step #02: Assess the situation.

Once you’ve calmed down, take some time to assess the situation and figure out what’s causing you stress in your leadership situation. Once you know what the problem is, it’ll be easier to come up with a solution.

There are a number of different tools that you can use as a leader to assess a problem. One popular tool is the 5 Whys technique. This involves asking yourself “why” five times in order to get to the root of the problem.

Let’s say you’re feeling overwhelmed because you have a lot of work to do. The first step is to ask yourself “why” you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Why am I feeling overwhelmed?

Because I have a lot of work to do.

Why do I have a lot of work to do?

Because I’m behind on my deadlines.

Why am I behind on my deadlines?

Because I didn’t start working on it sooner.

Why didn’t I start working on it sooner?

Because I was procrastinating.

Another helpful tool many executives and leaders use for assessing a situation is the Problem Solving Triangle. This triangle consists of three steps: identify the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, and select the best solution. By using this triangle, you can systematically go through each step and come up with a workable solution.

One common situation where a leader might feel overwhelmed is when they’re dealing with a difficult employee. Let’s say you have an employee who is constantly arguing with you and causing conflict in the workplace. The first step is to identify the problem – in this case, it’s the difficult employee. The second step is to brainstorm possible solutions. Some possible solutions include firing the employee, transferring them to a different department, or giving them a warning. The third step is to select the best solution. In this case, the best solution might be to fire the employee. By using the problem solving triangle, you can systematically go through each step and come up with a workable solution.

Step #03: Delegate tasks where possible.

If there are tasks that can be delegated, don’t hesitate to do so. Delegating can help leaders in any organization take some of the pressure off and free up your time to focus on more important things.

One popular approach to delegation is the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule. This principle states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort. In other words, most of the work is done by a small minority of the employees. This makes delegating a task a more efficient use of time.

When delegating a task, it’s important to make sure that you’re delegating it to the right person in your team. In your leadership role, you need to find someone who has the skills and knowledge to complete the task, and who is also willing to do it. It’s also important to delegate tasks in a way that doesn’t overwhelm the employee. You don’t want to give them a task that’s too big and beyond their capabilities.

Step #04: Set priorities.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s easy to feel like everything is a priority. But that’s not realistic – and it’ll only lead to stress and frustration. Instead, set priorities and focus on the most important tasks first.

One common approach to setting priorities is the ABCDE approach. This approach involves ranking tasks in order of importance, with A being the most important and E being the least important.

Another popular approach is the 1-2-3 rule. This approach involves ranking tasks in order of urgency, with 1 being the most urgent and 3 being the least urgent.

Step #05: Take breaks when needed.

Don’t be afraid – not even in a leadership position or senior executive position – to take breaks when needed. When you’re working hard, it’s natural to want to push yourself as far as you can go. But if you don’t give your mind and body a break, you’ll end up burned out very quickly, not getting closer to healthy high performance. 

Short breaks can also have a positive effect on your health. When you’re constantly working, your body is under stress. This can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity. By taking short breaks, you can reduce the amount of stress your body is under. This can help improve your health and reduce your risk of developing health problems.

Step #06: Set deadlines.

One way to reduce stress  and increase productivity is to set deadlines for yourself as a leader. This will help you stay on track and make sure that you’re not trying to do too much at once.

One way to set realistic deadlines is to use the SMART approach. This approach involves setting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Another way to set realistic deadlines is to break down a task into smaller parts. This makes the task seem less daunting and makes it easier to track your progress.

Step #07: Take care of yourself.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s easy to forget about yourself. But it’s important to take care of yourself both physically and mentally and demonstrate true self-leadership. This means making sure that you’re getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercise.

It’s also important to take some time for yourself. This can be anything from taking a relaxing bath to reading your favorite book. By taking some time for yourself, you can reduce the amount of stress you’re under.

Step #08: Simplify your life.

One way to reduce stress is to simplify your life. This means getting rid of the things that are causing you stress and decluttering your life. 

One way to declutter your life as a leader is to get rid of unnecessary possessions. This can be done by evaluating each item and asking yourself these questions:

– Do I use this item?

– Does this item bring me joy?

– Is this item worth the space it’s taking up in my home?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you should consider getting rid of the item.

Another way to simplify your life is to reduce the number of commitments you have. This can be done by saying no to new commitments and cancelling existing ones. It’s one of the most important skills for successful leaders to learn to say “no” in order to increase productivity and become a real healthy high performer. 

Step #09: Ask for help when needed.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed – it’s not a sign of weakness for leaders in any position but a sign of strength! When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s often difficult to do everything on your own. By asking for help, you can lighten the load and make things a little bit easier.

There are many different ways to ask for help, including:

– Asking friends and family for help

– Asking coworkers for help

– Hiring a professional organizer

– Hiring a personal assistant

– Reflecting with your Executive Coach

 

Step #10: Practice stress management techniques.

Finally, one of the best ways to deal with stress is to practice stress management techniques. This includes things such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga – all of them practiced by some of the most successful executives and healthy high performers.

By practicing these techniques regularly, you can learn how to manage your stress in a healthy way. And that can lead to a more relaxed and less stressful life.

One of the easiest stress reduction techniques is deep breathing exercises. This involves taking a few deep breaths and focusing on your breath. This can help calm your mind and body. Another easy stress reduction technique is meditation. This involves sitting in silence and focusing on your breath or a mantra. Finally, yoga is another easy way to reduce stress. This involves stretching and breathing exercises.

One of the more sophisticated stress reduction techniques is mindfulness meditation. This involves sitting in silence and focusing on your breath or a mantra. By focusing on your breath, you can learn to let go of your thoughts and feelings. This can help reduce the amount of stress you’re under.

 

Follow these tips and you’ll be able to overcome feeling overwhelmed as a leader or executive team member. Just remember to take things one step at a time and don’t be afraid to ask for support from a trusted executive sparring partner or leadership coach!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 7 C’s for Leading In Times Of Uncertainty

Executives from various industries are racing to claim a title in these VUCA times: C-levels from the energy and chemicals industries claim to be in the biggest transformation phase and face the biggest uncertainty for themselves, their people, their operating model — basically everything. At the same time, top-level leaders from banking, retail, manufacturing and many other industries are convinced that they find themselves at the peak of the unknown, incomparable to other industries. It’s hard to judge which industry as of today, given the global economic and health challenges, deserves the trophy of “Most Uncertainty.”

They all face the same troubles — but not all have the right leaders to solve them. The beauty of volatile, uncertain times is sometimes hard to find, especially for leaders since industrial age mindsets and leadership approaches work only partially, if at all. Therefore, a leadership transition is also necessary in these transformative times.

Seven Tips To Help Navigate Uncertainty

Based on discussions and joint projects with hundreds of my clients across the globe from startups to corporate executives, there is always a combination of the same seven things that make a difference in navigating uncertainty successfully.

1. Core Values

If the future is unclear and unpredictable based on old planning models, the only thing leaders can rely on is their history and their experience, as well as the core values that are their foundation and that serve as the glue for their organization as well. Core values and a succinct purpose provide guidance and direction when even well-defined plans don’t help much anymore.

2. Communication

It’s no surprise that talking to people is more essential in difficult times. Going with Watzlawick’s famous quote of “you cannot not communicate,” leaders need to sharpen their awareness on what they communicate and which channel they use for which target audience. For example, sometimes taking time for one-on-one conversation turns out to be the most rewarding and success-inspiring measure a leader can do. Keep in mind what message you as a leader may send when you say nothing at all.

3. Cluelessness

Leaders need to be able to say a short but very important sentence: “I don’t know.” Without this awareness, leaders remain in solution mode. Why? Because they’ve been rewarded and promoted over the last decades for finding solutions based on their experience, sometimes pretending to know even if they didn’t. The nature of holding leadership is to go first and define the route due to their own knowledge and experience. But in times of uncertainty, telling doesn’t get you or the organization very far. Thus, learning to say “I don’t know,” can shift a leader’s mindset from delegating to listening to find a solution.

4. Captain

To cut through the chaos and focus themselves as well as their team members on the true priorities, leaders should try to zoom out and paint a big picture that everybody understands and can relate to. Sometimes getting too “in the weeds” can make it difficult to broaden your perspective, so taking a moment to back away from the nitty-gritty issues could make all the difference.

5. Complexity

Handling complex problems is different than handling complicated ones. Most leaders solve complicated problems with a “more” mentality: resources, money, time, production capacity or some combination of these. But complex business challenges have constantly changing variables, making it even harder to pin down and evaluate. The first step to leading through complexity is awareness of whether the challenge is indeed complex. Once a leader can answer that, it’s important to switch to an “I can manage this” mindset. Making room for open minds and common sense will get you closer to solving a complex problem than the “more” mentality.

6. Crawl

When everything feels like it’s accelerating, it’s important to slow down and take a breath. It might sound counterintuitive to take the time to reflect — for leaders, their direct reports and individual team members — while the calendars and meeting schedules are piling up to unseen heights. But reflecting brings back clarity and allows everyone to recharge and address the problem with fresh minds.

7. Company

Last but not least, there is one thing that leaders should never, especially in uncertain times, forget to remember: Good company gets you further. Especially in volatile times, leaders shouldn’t play superhero and try to solve everything by themselves. Lean on your peers and find a good verbal sparring partner you can bounce ideas off of and count on in darker days. Remember, when things work out well despite uncertainty, it’s the exact same company that will help you celebrate success.

Has leadership been an easier task in the past? Probably not. Will leadership be easier in the future? Also unlikely. The only thing that remains constant is that the human skills in our leaders are being called on more and more, and we need to acknowledge this and then act accordingly — as leaders for our own healthy, high performance but also as servant leaders, caring for all the people we feel responsible for.

(published on FORBES.com / Nov 2021 / https://bit.ly/3H0BqJ7)

How To Get Motivated For The Digital Game Ahead

The motivation rules of the industrial game in the last decades can be summarized as a “carrot-and-stick approach.” This worked well for routine, unchallenging, and highly controlled tasks. The process is straightforward and lateral thinking is not necessary, thus benefits and incentives can provide a small motivational boost without side effects. But the environment has changed dramatically, as have jobs in the digital industry. They are more complex, more interesting, and more self-directed…and this is where the carrot- and-stick approach does not work anymore. So what are the new rules of the game? What works and makes us achieve the best performance in these challenging days of the digital transformation?

Climbing the Mount Everest in a Bikini

Thanks to different disciplines from brain research to behavioral sciences, from sociology to psychology, from medicine to organizational development, we possess today more knowledge and scientifically proven evidence on how to achieve the best performance than ever before. We understand today what we do, why we do things, what makes us do things better, and what we can do to increase and decrease our performance in any aspect of life. If we only applied what we knew. That’s the real pity of today: there are all the answers on managing our performance in the best possible way, but in terms of what we apply, what we teach our students, what we incorporate into our organizations, and what we implement in our daily life, it is like climbing Mount Everest in a bikini. No wonder we experience so much trouble with frequently falling down and being hurt, getting off track, not making it to full speed, and never experiencing the greatness of reaching the top.

Ante portas awareness

Thanks to the new values and success criteria embraced by visionary leaders, there is finally a chance now at the digital entrance to the twenty-first century to implement what scientists have been trying to tell us for decades:

  • Motivation: People have a strong intrinsic motivation to perform a task, especially where there is a great degree of autonomy.
  • Community: A good community will solve any problem, especially complex ones, faster than individual firefighters.
  • Purpose: Humans are much more interested in serving a purpose than doing tasks for monetary rewards only.

True motivation comes from within

To understand what is needed for the best performance, one has to analyze what drives us, what motivates us to perform at the top level, to reach our best. Psychologists and management practitioners came up with different theories about and approaches to human motivation: Maslow approached it from a psychological realm, with motivation revolving around human needs and motives. Management scholars like Herzberg focused their theories around incentives and inducement frameworks. And Gestalt psychologists focus on perception being the only determinant of behavior. It is not only the intensity of the motivation that counts but also the quality or type of motivation an individual experiences. Qualitative or controlled motivation occurs when external forces affect an individual’s behavior, whereas the much more appreciated autonomous or intrinsic motivation occurs when individuals feel that the reason for their motivation comes from within, making them act autonomously, according to their will, as they have internalized the reason for acting.

In the flow is the place to be

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi can be described as one of the pioneers and founding fathers of analyzing and understanding top performance and happiness. He observed high performers in different disciplines—sports, science, economics—and realized that they are capable of achieving excellent performance over a long period of time without getting exhausted. He called this state flow—a state of concentration on the activity at hand and the situation, in which nothing else matters. This flow state is an optimal state of intrinsic motivation, in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing. In order to make a flowlike state and “full happiness” possible, three main parameters must be met:

  • Autonomy: I can decide for myself which task I perform when, how, and with whom.
  • Competence: I have (or have access to) the necessary skills, resources, and environment needed to perform a task.
  • Relatedness: I understand why I am doing this task, what this task means for the bigger cause, and I experience a feeling of security and belonging.

To make the best performance possible in the digital economyy, we need to make sure that these three key parameters for allowing flow to happen are understood by each individual leader and the organization as such. Even more importantly, we change the organizational setting in a way that allows individuals to act autonomously, easily acquire and access the needed competencies, and understand the purpose of the work they do.

For some organizations this sounds like a difficult, tedious task, whereas others consider this the basics of a good leadership practice. Wherever you and your team are on this scale, make sure you are NOW actively having these discussions within your leadership team AND subsequently an implementation of good measures in your organization… because wasting time on these mission-critical pieces is not an option you want to go for!

A Recipe For Changing Your Organization’s Mindset

You might have heard of the board-level talk or maybe were even part of it: Top leaders agree that it is time to change the mindset of the organization. If you listen to all the good reasons why, it sounds so easy. Yet it’s one of the most challenging but also most pressing tasks if you are aiming high with your organization in the future.

The tricky thing with that task is this: It requires just slightly more time than many other tasks on your monthly objectives. You can’t delegate it to anyone and can only act as a model with your own behavior. Finally, you have to treat almost every employee individually. Maybe with the help of this recipe, you can find a good path to change the mindset of your organization in order to lay the foundation for the real transformation that can only be built on this new mindset.

1. Mindset is individual and collective at once.

Let’s first get clarity on the definition of mindset: Looking up the term in the dictionary, it refers to a person’s way of thinking and their opinions. Changing the mindset of the organization is a very individual task in the end because you need to change the habits and perspectives of every single person. It’s the sum of all the individuals and their mindsets that makes up your organization’s mindset! To change in this context means to replace the old way of looking at things, the old patterns of doing things, the old principles and values with new ones. For example, if it’s common in your organization to say “I have to do what I am told to,” then this might have to change to “I am empowered to take decisions within my team.” Despite these being two simple sentences, it’s like decades of leadership practices are between those two different approaches!

2. Mindset drives action and vice versa.

Organizations developing toward more agile structures aim for self-leadership and individual responsibility on the individual and team level. As much as you can shift values in your hallways or in your shiny company presentations, there is not much impact if you don’t let the behavior reflect the new values as well. Changing the mindset is only visible when it causes a change in the behavior of each individual — top to bottom and vice versa. So let’s say you aim to make fewer decisions as a boss of a team (the old pattern) and want your team to become more self-driven and have them make their own decisions (the new pattern). In order to achieve this, you have to reduce the number of times you apply the old pattern and replace it daily with the new pattern — in this case, encouraging your team to come up with their decision and take responsibility.

3. Mindset asks for embarking on a fragile journey.

Critical voices often claim that it is not good to change the mindset of people. Some say it is even forbidden to do so. It’s said to be woo-woo and bad practice if you are trying to change how people think and behave. These are all valid points if you don’t care for the critical three: transparency in what you do, how you do it and why you do it. Always accompany any kind of mindset shift with loads of communication. There is no such thing as over-communicating, and in this context, it is essential to spend more than just a fair amount of time on doing the talking, getting everybody on the same page.

And even if you’ve done more than enough of explaining why, how and what, it is still every individual’s right to decide whether they want to join you on this mindset-shift journey. They say yes and embark on this rocket ship? Make sure you acknowledge their commitment and don’t let them stand in the uncomfortable dark, in this fragile in-between-two-worlds. Offer them high-quality support along the way with professional coaching and executive sparring. Top-level leaders especially are so used to knowing how to do things, it’s the most daunting task for them to say “I don’t know.” Explore with them how the new way of doing could unfold, even without having a clear plan of who does what and when. Give them a professional partner who nudges them toward the right structures and habits that are then in line with the new mindset they are trying to adopt and put into practice.

4. Mindset sticks with positive reinforcement.

It’s the oldest learning mechanism: Do something right and get a nice treat; do something wrong and get punished. When it comes to implementing a new mindset in your organization, the same logic applies: Make sure you incentivize individuals in a smart way for demonstrating behavior that is in line with the new mindset. For example, if you continue to treat them with promotions for doing what the boss says (the old pattern), you will hinder the mindset shift that you are trying to implement. Encourage them to make decisions themselves (the new pattern) and don’t punish them if things don’t work out perfectly well; you then reinforce the new behavior that reflects the new mindset.

5. Mindset of the organization starts with your mindset.

There is nothing more powerful than to model the change you’d love to see in others. So instead of wasting more time in board-level discussions about the importance of changing the mindset of your organization, get over it, define what’s needed and start implementing and driving your own behavior in a way that is more and more in line with the new mindset. Be authentic in how you do it. Allow for throwbacks and troubles. Communicate why you do what you do and how important it is for others to join. By doing so, you will kick off a transformation that is much more than “simply” changing the mindset of your organization but preparing your teams for the real transformation that’s still ahead of 99% of all organizations. Well done!

How To Get 10 Out Of 10 On Your Next Employee Experience Survey

There are constantly articles in the news that rank the employee experience at one company over another. Years back it was cool to have casual Fridays, frequent team events and a budget to spend on personal development. Those goodies have become more of the norm and don’t make a good differentiator anymore. So, what’s next? What should you do as head of talent development, as a recruiter for young talent or even as the CEO of any growing company that is in need of high performers? Sometimes the solution can’t be found through reviewing hard facts or looking to the outside world. Often, it has to come from the inside. The solution lies with you as the decision-maker of an organization! What a company has to offer is important in today’s workforce, but what will set you apart is your organization’s ability to showcase agility. That’s what I believe will attract the next generation of talent.

A company that provides an agile way of working makes for happier, more engaged employees and less turnover. If you want to improve the employee experience your company offers, you need to know what today’s workers want, and you need to make sure that your leadership team is aware of how big of a role they play in gaining and retaining high-performing talent. Let’s take a look at some of the more common “wants” shared by this new workforce.

Wanted: Agile leaders … but please make it authentic and real!

An agile leader is someone who wants to include every member of their organization so that they can work together and strive for the company’s highest goals while remaining flexible to what people need. Leaders like this are inclusive. They want more feedback and ideas from every person they surround themselves with. The goal is to take knowledge from everyone and create the greatest possible employee experience because that translates into the greatest possible experience for everyone involved. That boosts how clients feel and get treated, which makes the company better as a whole.

Wanted: Transparency … but please make it go both ways!

Many people in supervisory or leadership roles want to know what their employees are up to every moment of the workday. However, they are not willing to provide the same transparency in return. Employees want to know that they are part of a bigger goal. They want to become part of the organization’s culture and be able to respect the leaders of the company. An agile leader will be transparent. They will respond when people ask what projects are being worked on. That way, the employee can see how his or her project relates and feel as though they truly are part of the bigger picture.

Wanted: A coach … but please make it a good one!

In order to create the best work environment possible, agile leaders look at themselves in a more unique perspective. The goal of an agile leader is not just to lead, or even to instruct others, but to coach others on how to grow. When leaders begin seeing themselves as coaches, role models and guides, they approach their employees differently and see higher performance, more passion and happier employees in return.

Wanted: The chance to learn … but please let me make mistakes first!

There is an old saying along the lines of, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying.” This is true when it comes to employee experience as well. True leaders want their employees to reach out, try new things and learn from the experiments they conduct along the way. Some of the things they try will produce amazing results. However, there will also be things that fail and this is a good result. This teaches the employees and the leaders what to avoid in the future while allowing for team building as the experiment goes along.

Wanted: Good old feedback … but please make it open!

When an outstanding employee experience is the goal, thoughtful feedback is a must. People want the chance to talk about what is imperfect about a company so that it can be fixed. In my experience, if there is a constant circle of feedback and you’re able to fix what’s not working, your people’s jobs become their passion and their individual performance will rise even higher — so will your company’s overall performance! It goes from a way of earning a paycheck to a dream career. Agile leaders strive for more feedback at every turn. They use the feedback given to help iron out any bumps in the organization’s culture and create a happy, healthy environment full of inspiration.

I believe the digital transformation is less about technology and more about people and their ability to thrive and perform at their best. Make sure that someone in your leadership team has a hard-coded goal to create an agile organization where young leadership talents have space to thrive and find their passion. Teach your existing and more seasoned leaders how to become more agile, more inclusive and resilient in today’s business world and nudge them into more and more self-reflection. The question should be, “What can I do personally to be the leader my company needs, so I can have some of the happiest, healthiest employees around?” The time to show an agile way of working is now. Not yesterday, not tomorrow — now!