• Boots

    Your detours write history

    Every good storyline evolves around a person who needs to overcome challenges – a big loss, an unfortunate turn in life, a challenge too big to overcome alone. We get intrigued by those kind of stories and suffer with the main cast until the (happy) end. Yet, in our own lives, we are quite upset once even a single little step doesn’t work – the delayed promotion, the reduced bonus, the unfair feedback. In movies, we can acknowledge how obstacles strengthen the hero of the story. In our own lives, we cannot even accept a little hurdle. We feel that the missed chance to get to the one great university…

  • Highheels

    What should I do next?

    „What should I do next?“, the applicant asks. „What does my CV need?“ Although I highly value that people want to get good degrees and the entry ticket into certain jobs, I am wondering whether these are the wise questions to ask!? Because ‚your CV‘ is a reflection of your life and the time you spent in certain tasks (job, univeristy, family). And I am wondering whether ‚someone‘ should tell you how to spend your life. And even if it might be smart to ask good mentors for advice, the question must be asked when you will stop asking ‚what does my CV need‘? What isn’t transparent to students and…

  • Highheels

    Career (un)planned!?

    Talking to business people, you realize quickly that most people have started their careers with some sort of plan. You can see it in their CVs, too: elite university, year abroad, the right internships But are these colleagues the most inspiring ones? When I recall the happiest and most inspiring leaders and colleagues, they all had one thing in common: some sort of unpredictability crossed their life that led them to their current position. They took their chances when they had the option: the musician who went into consulting; the consultant who took a sabbatical and biked through african countries; the doctor who started a career in business coaching. They…

  • Boots,  Highheels

    Attention: trap ahead!

    “I have sooooooo much to do.” I would love to get a dollar each time I hear this sentence of people in leadership roles. Of course I get it: asside from people really having a lot to do, this sentence is a certain way of communicating a level of importance . But as a coach, I’m a bit concerned that a leader is telling this story to himself/herself. Because let’s face it: you are paid for having ‘so much to do’. This is not even your leadership role. Here is what concerns me: If you are telling people around you that you are already packed with topics, you won’t get…

  • Boots,  Highheels

    What to do when a team member quits

    “I need to leave the team”, she sighs. After training her the past year in different roles, I have offered her a leadership position in the team. And while she was thinking about it, she realized that she needed to focus on another role in her life. And that role is not in my team. I have mixed feelings: I am more than proud that she thought deeply and made a decision (these are the type of people I want in my team!) all while I am sad because I will not work with her in the future anymore. Did people quit in your team, too? It is very easy…

  • Highheels

    How to survive the journey of becoming a cool boss

    ‘Every boss is an asshole’, she claims loudly. Having several managers at the table, the rebuke comes instantly. A discussion unfolds whether bosses have the capacity to be nice or if a certain career molds people inevitably into assholes. All agree that at least some sort of toughness can be seen in every leader they know and that there is the risk of bad behavior. As I have heard similar statements quite often, I am wondering whether there is a piece of explanation why especially women do not thrive for leadership positions. Might they fear to loose their integrity? And on the scale of ‘being an asshole-type of boss’, I…

  • Highheels

    Why the next promotion is not a goal

    I am chatting with a friend about goals. “My next goal is the promotion in a year from now”, she says. I am nodding. Sounds reasonable. There are these job profiles which make goal-setting easy – there is always an upcoming promotion. A system that mimics the trained sequence of school and university deletes the necessity of finding a ‘why’ for continuing the job. You don’t have to think for yourself. You can just follow the beaten path. I am wondering if this is one of the reasons why you find so many uninspired and uninspiring people in hierarchical companies with clear career paths. I am wondering if this missing…

  • Highheels

    RoL – return on love

    „Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.“‭‭‬ ‭ The Bible, Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11:1 The picture of shipping grain across the sea implies uncertainty. Back in the days, you couldn’t know whether your ship will reach it’s destination. You didn’t know whether the grain was still good when reaching the harbor; or if the goods were valuable at the market. After many weeks, your sailors would return and you would find out what you get in return – Spices? Salt? Fine linen? … or just some average payback? Despite the risk of not getting a return, people continued sending grain over the sea, trusting that…

  • Highheels

    Consider LOVE in business

    That client with all his problems … the colleague who always speaks negative about his job … the back talk about you that kills your mood … the hustle of being successful (somehow) and getting to the next level … that deal that really requires your weekend to work on … – the list is endless. And you know every shade of it. Memes parodying the extremes of doing a career while every party is filled with the ‘heroic’ stories of self-exploitation. And still, people stay in their careers not really knowing why. Unfortunately, these people become the visionless leaders that every juniors knows and fears. But how can a…

  • Boots,  Highheels

    How to handle a missed promotion

    Promotion time! And everyone has been promoted except for you! At least, it feels that way. How can you handle such a moment in your career? First of all, stay silent about your disappointment in business – especially if the emotional rollercoaster is still ongoing. In the heat of your emotions you might make statements which you regret once you have thought about it for a while. Therefore, take some time, walk through your emotions with friends and family and let the high peak pass through. Once you feel, you can think clearly again, evaluate your situation. Here are some questions to consider: Why did you miss the promotion? To…