by Sven Sommerlatte
OTIUM is a Latin word that means using leisure time for Reflection and Introspection.
Use this time to learn more about Personal Development, improve your Career Strategy or become a better Leader.
Constantly deepening our self-awareness is critical to grow as a person and as a leader. But to achieve this there are many barriers we need to overcome. We have been told not to be self-centred and to combat our weaknesses, which leads to a certain denial of who we are. Instead, we need to learn to be vulnerable and to observe ourselves with a lot more clemency and… narcissism!
Interview with Prof. Dr. Tom Sommerlatte. For Tom, being a painter and leading a corporation hang together. That balance between ART and WORK is essential for him as a leader. He has brought artistic freedom and creativity into the workplace. According to Tom, the artistic spirit helps improve problem solving. To take people along Tom had to encourage his teams to break out of their routines. Artists have the courage to start from a white page. They want to accomplish something new. They are fully engaged. Tom believes that this is what Art can bring to Leadership!
A career has typically two distinct phases: In the first phase you broaden your experience base. You will reach a turning point as soon as you have gained the necessary experience to reach your aspired career target. This is where the second phase starts and where you need to take a focused approach in view of your career ambition. In this video I outline two important aspects related to these two phase: communication and time management. Getting this right will help you optimize your career development.
Companies are changing their organization structures to become more agile and to allow teams to be self-organized. That requires very different leadership. Most leaders are aware of this but find it difficult to adjust their leadership style. Why? This video shows that we need to reduce the power of leaders in order to allow leaders to change their behavior and be fit for the future.
International experience is an important success factor for your career, because our world has become global. It is advisable to gain this international exposure early on in your career. This video outlines how to prepare for this and how to find the right job abroad.
Leaders often have a heavy schedule. Travel and jet-lag may add fatigue. They have to resolve stressful situations and have to manage public exposure inside or outside of their organizations. Physical and mental well-being are essential conditions to efficiently cope with these challenges. Just like top performers in sports, leaders have to look after their fitness in order to become true corporate athletes.
The choices to take a new job, to change company or to give a new orientation to our career are highly strategic personal and professional decisions. It is very important to have a robust decision process to avoid regrets and second thoughts. This article outlines a simple tool that will make better career decisions.
Studies show that the stress level among leaders is increasing all the time, because the pace of change is accelerating. Leaders have to provide a lot of energy to respond to this, but that is expected to be done in a calm and determined way. This can be perceived as a paradox: How to stay perfectly calm in a storm? In this article we will use examples from the philosopher Heraclites to illustrate how to combine high energy and great serenity in order to mater stress.
Many companies have difficulties establishing a strong feedback culture. This article outlines what barriers exist and outlines 3 simple tips how to overcome them.
Choosing the right employer for your career start is a key decision. You will find here tips on how to select companies to target and how to be best prepared to apply for your dream job. This will help you putting all the chances on your side for a great career start!