What is your elevator pitch?, is a question coaches love to ask in leadership/development seminars and trainings. And then you see people busy preparing statements, very long so not even the ground to top journey at Burj Khalifa would be sufficient, so complicated and boring, that any receiver would voluntarily take the stairs after a few […]
Fable of Aesop A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: “You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?” So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their […]
About “Overthinking” When was the last time you went from thought to thought, and before you realised it a few hours past and you ended up thinking your life is dreadful? For me two forms of overthinking exist. First, thinking through and evaluating important, life changing decision (sometimes even simple ones) to a point the thinking […]
What would James Bond do? In my last boss office was a framed card with red letters on a white ground asking: WHAT WOULD JAMES BOND DO? In most monthly leadership team meetings I sat facing the framed card and often when we were discussing some issues, I thought to myself, what would HE do, […]
Serenity Prayer God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. (Reinhold Niebuhr) You probably all know this prayer as its printed on cards, towels, cups, pictures etc., and yet we often struggle already with the first line, “to […]
“The difference” (Part 2) Last week I wrote about how “the number” https://www.michaelschmeja.com/blog/the-number/ determines the thinking. How, in my example, the whole year had been dominated by the announcement on one particular day. While “the number” has been a good example for the financial industry, it could be easily exchanged for any goal in one’s life. So, […]
Last week I watched the RedBull TV documentary on Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer an ultra trail runner breaking the Appalachian Trail speed record, finishing 2200 miles/3500km in 45 days 22 hours and 38 minutes. Most people, while seeing the achievement, consider this stupid, pointless, mad. Why go through the physical and mental pain, why waste your […]
Sunday Afternoon Blues For years I couldn’t wait for Monday to go to work. In fact, I checked rates Sunday late night to see the Foreign Exchange opening in Asia and calculated what it meant for my clients. At that time, The Blues was more Friday at 10pm when NY markets closed. I had been […]
Do you work in sales? When was the last time your client said No to your proposal? If you don’t hear a No almost daily you have either a unique product, or you aren't doing your job as a sales person and have a conversation. If you have a bad product you can only improve […]
5 hopes for the future of banking After the financial crisis in 2008 we had a great chance to change a system that turns out to be rotten in various areas and beneficial to a few who understand how to run the system mainly for themselves. Banks survive on governmental bail out and the taxpayer […]