Leadership XXL

This podcast episode of Leadership XXL lists 11 interview principles in order to be successful at your next job interview and to get the job. Some of them you know. Some of them you might have forgotten about. And others, you might not have considered yet. Enjoy!

Companies like Amazon, 3M, Google, DreamWorks and Facebook have in common that they've embraced the idea of allowing their employees to become inside-entrepreneurs, so-called intrapreneurs, and capitalized on new business ideas. These intrapreneurs take new initiatives without being asked to do so. Hence, they focus on innovation and creativity, and transform an idea into a profitable venture, while operating within the organizational environment. Find out in this podcast episode of Leadership XXL about the required breeding ground to attract and develop existing and potential intrapreneurs. Learn also about the key characteristics of a successful intrapreneur. Enjoy!

In the past two decades I´ve worked for and with some of the most creative and innovative companies in the world. What I´ve learned and practiced there in respect of increasing creativity levels - i.e. my favorite creativity techniques - I´d like to share with you in this podcast of Leadership XXL. Enjoy!

Masters of creativity are masters of creativity because they know "how“ to think and not necessarily "what“ to think. If you really want to become more creative, you can become (significantly) more creative both in your personal and professional life by adopting a specific mindset and applying particular strategies and techniques. Learn in this podcast of Leadership XXL how you will become (much) more creative than someone who does not know contents and methods described here. Enjoy!

There is a strong agreement that in most organizations – and although people spend a substantial part of their lives working - a vast majority of teams and employees are not engaged at all. And as a result such organizations do not perform at their best. Listen to today´s podcast episode of Leadership XXL to find out how to transform employees into engaged and motivated ones

Yep, there still is the legendary sign saying, "Caution: Low Flying Fish“ at a world famous boot at the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, Washington. The fish guys inspired what has become the renowned FiSH! Philosophy. Although developed already 15 years ago by John Christensen, it is more relevant than ever. It´s centered around the following four ideas: choosing one’s attitude, playing at work, make someone’s day, and being present. It is commonly used to improve what is referred to as the "culture" of an organization. Find out all you need to know about FiSH in this highly engaging podcast of Leadership XXL.

In 2014 Germany won against Argentina in a tight match the football World Cup for the fourth time. It was a match that made history. One might ask what made the Germans become a winning team after all those years? What can football teams and even business learn from the German victories and the underlying patterns at that World Cup? In this podcast episode I´ve listed the most important lessons that can be learned from the German football team. Enjoy!

For what type of people do top companies really look? Countless tales and legends surround this question. If you have also wondered about how to join a great company and how to become and stay successful there, then listen to this podcast episode of Leadership XXL and learn all about "HPCDA" people.

Whenever speaking with executives and managers about their main business topics and major challenges, they would very quickly mention that talent-related issues were among their most pressing concerns. One which keeps them even awake at night. During day-time, however, when those executives are absorbed by meetings, by chasing month-end and quarter-end figures, and by trying to please an army of internal and external stakeholders they often tend to forget what´s at the very heart of lasting business success: Identifying exceptionally talented people, developing them, and retaining them. In one sentence: Talent management matters more than ever! Find out in this podcast episode what you really need to know about it!

Workaholism is not a Virtue Our culture celebrates the idea of the workaholic. It´s considered a badge of honor to kill yourself over a project. Not only is workaholism unnecessary, it´s stupid. Find out more in this podcast episode of Leadership XXL by Andreas von der Heydt

Are you a "Gold“ thinker? Ever heard of navy thinking, copper thinking, jade thinking? And, why should you bother anyway? Just listen to this podcast episode to find out more about it and why it matters so much. I promise that your curiosity will get triggered. What a great start into a beautiful day!

Our everyday intuitive abilities are no less marvelous than the striking insights of an experienced firefighter or physician – only more common. The psychology of accurate intuition involves no magic. Perhaps the best short statement of it is by the great Herbert Simon, who studied chess masters and showed that after a thousands of hours of practice they come to see the pieces on the board differently from the rest of us. You can feel Simon´s impatience with the mythologizing of expert intuition when he writes: "The situation has provided a cue; this cue has given the expert access to information stored in memory, and the information provides the answer. Intuition is nothing more and nothing less than recognition." Find out all you need to know about intuition in this exciting new podcast episode of Leadership XXL.

How not just to quit, but how to resign gracefully and with class? Indeed, being courteous and smart about your resignation and departure guarantees that you've given yourself the best possible shot at future success. Fortunately, there exist some key principles you can follow. We´ll talk about them in this podcast episode of Leadership XXL.

There is this one question. This one ultimate question. One question we all ask ourselves. Some of us on a more frequent basis. Others only from time to time. Some of us acknowledge doing so. Others pretend they do not care. Still, we all ask it: Which is THE fundamental building block of success? Find out more in this highly energizing and insightful podcast episode by Andreas von der Heydt.

How aware and how self-aware are you as a person and as a leader? Find out in this podcast what we can learn from the latest findings of the exciting field of neurosciences in order to grow, to evolve, and to even re-invent ourselves. To truly re-invent ourselves!

I'd like to share with you the 10 most important principles of NLP. These can be also considered as generally valid recommendations for successful management, leadership and personal growth, regardless of whether you identify yourself with the original philosophy and concept of NLP or not. Over the years I have found them to be extremely useful.

At one time or another, wanting to change and better yourself is a great thing. Just think about how many people set a new year resolution at the beginning of a new year. Unfortunately, it turns out that most of our good change intentions fail and that they are not being successfully implemented. Listen and learn in this podcast episode how you can change for good. Enjoy!

Managing Up is as important as managing down or cooperating with peers. It´s part of a holistic and participatory management approach. Based on mutual trust and respect it takes the perspectives of all stakeholders into consideration and truly empowers and challenges employees to proactively take part in organizational decision making and learning. Find out all about it in this podcast. Enjoy!

Are you often stressed out? Do you have the feeling that your life is sometimes out of control, that you're running from one task to another, and that you do not know how to reconcile your multiple responsibilities? Do you have enough downtime? Are you able to balance your professional and private lives? Are you making a difference between the two of them at all? Learn in this episode of Leadership XXL how best to tackle stress and lead both a successful and joyful life.

Today there is a need that leadership coaching (the coaching of current and future leaders) becomes a given component in organizations to assist executives, managers, and employees in their personal and professional development. This podcast episode aims at assisting managers and leaders to apply a so-called “coach approach“ adapted to various settings by focusing more on their people skills, their emotional and personal intelligence, and as such more on the holistic development of their teams.

The most important task of any manager in very stressful, high pressure and extremely demanding situations is to keep calm and to keep one's shirt on. It's not about finding quick solutions in the first place. It's about avoiding chaos, about stabilizing the situation, and re-injecting self-confidence into the organization. And only afterwards looking for adequate solutions. To get around the risk of facing stressed leadership I'd like to present you in this podcast episode of Leadership XXL two formulae which help me to stay even-tempered and focused during critical times and crisis. They are straightforward in concept and with will and repetitive practice also in execution. Enjoy!

We all know the common idiom about the glass being considered as either half-full or half-empty. And the related assessment if in consequence someone has an optimistic or a pessimistic outlook on life. Personally, I favor a third way which I call Being A Realistic Optimist. Meaning that in general and for most situations I am a (very) positive, i.e. an optimistic thinker. However, in particularly challenging situations (e.g. before and during very complicated negotiations with many unknown and unfavorable variables) from time to time I might apply a more conservative style. As you´ll hear in this podcast episode, this has certain advantages. Enjoy!

This podcast episode discusses in depth the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). It was created and developed by the American psychotherapist and psychologist Albert Ellis. REBT is a practical, action-oriented approach to coping with problems and enhancing personal growth. It places a good deal of its focus on the present: on currently-held attitudes, painful emotions and maladaptive behaviors that can sabotage a fuller experience of life. One of the fundamental premises of REBT is that humans, in most cases, do not merely get upset by unfortunate adversities, but also by how they construct their views of reality through their language, evaluative beliefs, meanings and philosophies about the world, themselves and others. Enjoy this very engaging podcast episode!

Trust is a core ingredient to build successful relationships. Both personal and professional ones. It is a major leadership characteristic. However, you can´t take it for granted. You need to work hard to earn trust and to keep it. In this podcast episode I´d like to share with you my thoughts and what I consider being the most important principles to build, regain, and sustain trust. Enjoy!

The way I´d like to define happiness has nothing to do with daydreaming, trying to escape reality, or seeing life through rose-colored glasses. In fact, I consider happiness and the well-being of people as a fundamental human right. The pursuit of happiness is a beautiful goal to strive for. And it should become one of our main objectives in life. Well aligned with, and not hiding behind, economic growth and social responsibility. Find out more by listening to this podcast episode of Leadership XXL.

Let me tell you today the true and amazing story of an incredible woman, a marvelous ballet dancer, an ultimate fighter, and a hard-working pursuer of her dreams who has become a role model for many people. Someone who believed to deserve better. Someone who has never given up. Someone of true talent and relentless determination. Someone who chose her own path, who set her own standards, and who shaped her own destiny by not allowing others defining her.

Today many struggle in finding the good balance between work and life; and in investing enough time for non-work-related activities. Mostly, because they´re not infusing enough time and efforts in building lasting relationships from which they would receive backing, encouragement and relief. There is neither a magic formula nor a silver bullet to resolve this dilemma; especially for people in demanding positions. However, what I can offer is a different perspective, i.e. providing proven principles to better navigate one´s life and to concentrate more on establishing sustainable and precious relationships to guarantee success without personal regrets

Thanks to content marketing, today many companies and small businesses are in a position to attract and acquire new customers without having to spend big bucks. It´s no longer about paying tons of money on traditional marketing and ads. Instead it´s about open-mindedness, creativity, an understanding of technology, a passion for new media, and the will to take risks and to keep testing. Listen to this podcast episode and get to know 20 impactful and proven content marketing principles that you can implement to successfully differentiate yourself and your products. Enjoy!

Everything is becoming faster, more hectic. People have less time to enjoy life, nature and the wonderful things around them. Fortunately for some time this seems to have started to be reversed: Instead of doing everything at high speed, some people prefer taking time for the good things in life, even in the professional world. This is clearly noticeable. “Slowness as a way to accelerate productivity” appears to gain a foothold in the business world. At least in some more progressive companies. Tune in and find out more about it in this podcast episode.

Today´s podcast episode is about making a difference. Make a Difference: Do you want to build just another me-too product or do you want to shake things up? Don´t forget: What you do is your legacy! Make something You want to use: The easiest, most straightforward way to create a great product or concept is to make something "You" want to use.

Two main thoughts in today´s podcast episode: Start making something: Ideas are cheap and plentiful. However, the most important thing is to begin. And then how well you execute. No time is no excuse: The most common excuse people give: “There´s not enough time.“ Face it: It´s entirely your responsibility to make your dreams come true... and to take the time for doing so.

Let´s move on with the next episode of our mini series of “Rethink for Success.“ We´ll hear about the key points of a stimulating business book which I have found for you. For the time being I will not reveal however the book´s title. It´s not to annoy you. It´s to focus on its words and messages. Without being distracted by its title and the names of its authors. And the best thing is that you can join us and our discussion at any time. Even without having read my previous articles. Not a prob at all!

Two key thoughts in this podcast episode of Leadership XXL: (1) Ignore the details early on. Focusing on details too early means not seeing the whole picture any longer. (2)Commit to make decisions. Don´t wait for the perfect solution. There is none. Tune in and find out more!

Here we go with the much awaited next episode of our very successful "Rethink for Success“ series. No necessity at all that you have heard any of the previous episodes. Each of them treats an independent and very relevant topic. The series is based on a very stimulating business book which names has not been revealed yet. Stay tuned!

There are not many really unique and inspirational business books around anymore. I not mean the ones which just give you the same old advice: draft a situation analysis, set up a business plan, ask investors for money. You know, with all the typical strategy, action plan yadda yadda… Now, guess what? I was lucky enough coming across another outstanding piece of business literature. A book about how to succeed in business, not written in a superficial way. Instead written with wit, pragmatism, clarity and – yes – “INSPIRATION.” Tune in and find out more!

Highly respected management guru Warren Bennis once stated that as a successful leader you need to be effective and efficient at the same time. Effective being defined as "Doing the right things." Efficient meaning "Doing things the right way." In summary, a successful leader would do the right things in the right way. It's so simple. At least in theory. Why not in reality? Let's apply in this podcast episode some common sense by addressing the following question: How valuable are your objectives and your strategy – even if they were developed by the brightest people in the most sophisticated way – if you just can't realize them? If you do not have a leader who can make people achieve the defined goals and plans? Tune in and find out more!

W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, the authors and inventors of the famous Blue Ocean Strategy (which I like a lot), wrote an article about a concept they´ve coined Blue Ocean Leadership. When I read the title of the article for the first time momentarily two thoughts popped up: First, in the spirit of a classic line expansion approach it seems comprehensible trying to stretch a very successful idea and name via a new product into the popular and profitable leadership and training segment. Second, I wondered if Blue Ocean Leadership is old wine in new skins. Or a true, new value-adding leadership concept which would help developing better leaders? So, before making our call let´s listen to their main ideas and recommendations which are based on hundreds of interviews over the past 10 years. Exciting stuff!

Yes, it´s time again for some insightful marketing predictions for 2016. With my related articles for both 2015 and 2014 I was (fortunately...) pretty close to what has happened in many areas at the end. In summary, I believe that in 2016 we will move more than ever from a “Mad Men creativity-driven marketing era“ to an age of "Predictive analytics and holistic software platforms.“ This will enable to create compelling new content being engineered by data and focusing on building huge distribution in a scalable manner. With many opportunities coming from big data, VR, AI, video streaming, etc. we must be careful not to over-complicate marketing and not to neglect who really matters: Our customers and audience. Let´s listen to the marketing future to ensure that you and your brands will take advantage of the relevant trends in order to build and keep strong brands!

What is in your opinion more important in order to become and to stay a successful leader: To acquire and to possess the "right“ leadership characteristics, or to follow and to live by clear leadership principles? Find out more in this engaging podcast episode.

Robin Williams, who on August 11 was found dead at his home in Northern California was a remarkable actor, genius, and man whose movies have inspired my whole life (and I think I saw most of them). For this privilege I´m deeply grateful. The one film of Robin Williams which went under my skin like none before is Dead Poets Society. It is one of those films which have the power to change your life. Caused by their plot, their messages, their emotions, and their actors.

Muhammad Ali, one of the best boxers in the world and gentle giant died at the age of 74 Friday, June 3. A true superstar, charming bigmouth, audacious maverick, motivational entertainer, humanitarian, cultural figure, and loving family man. There is a lot we can learn from him.

Whether your leadership style is more focused on business objectives and getting things done (leading with your head), or more on people engagement, motivation, and relationships (leading with your heart), your approach likely has several benefits and pitfalls. People tend to be stronger in one or two of those areas and weaker in the others. I argue that in today’s business environment – which is characterized by constant change and multiple and highly complex challenges - neither approach is sufficient in itself. Rather, both are needed to make real headway in increasing employee engagement.

Steering change initiatives and helping organizations finding the good way through these turbulent times might become the ultimate test for many of us in the next months and years to come. Especially for those who call themselves "Leaders." Are you prepared? Are we prepared? Have we prepared our teams and will they follow us?

Over the last 20 years of having worked with many exceptional managers and leaders of some of the finest companies in the world, I have tried summarizing key leadership traits which I have observed and experienced. In my opinion it boils down to the following 17 qualities and views which successful leaders have in common. Tune in and listen to find out more about them!

So, what is it that quite frequently causes experienced and successful business leaders to arrive at utterly wrong conclusions? Ignorance? Arrogance? Lack of vision and imagination? All of them? In my opinion they lack comprehension of how to live by two of today's most relevant business and leadership principles : First, they are not VUCA leaders. Second, they have not been able (yet) to grasp the concept of DyBoPe leadership.

Mandela has become a yardstick for many leaders with his warm, humble, charismatic, humorous, down-to-earth style. Never afraid of admitting his own shortfalls and areas of weaknesses. He would be able to do it even with a flashy, honest, and respectful smile. Something most leaders usually would not dare to do. In this podcast episode I'd like to share with you some beautiful excerpts of three of his most memorable speeches. Enjoy them!

Without doubt there exist many great leadership speeches about vision, charisma, teams, communication, delegation, commitment, clarity, honesty, etc. given by respected and famous business leaders and managers. There is one, however, I believe to be a rather unique and inspirational one. At the same time, it's a very unusual one. One which talks about exceptional leadership only at a second glance. Why? It's a speech about a simple word: Love! What love means and what it stimulates in you and your environment. The answer: Nothing less than authenticity, respect, maturity, self-confidence, simplicity, modesty, fulfillment, and even a special sense of wisdom. Key leadership characteristics in order to love – and as a consequence – to grow yourself, your team, and your customer base. Without these attributes you will not be able to manage and to lead a successful business. The speech is called As I Began To Love Myself... Listen to it now!

Today we are at the beginning of a new day. Why not also deciding to be at the beginning of a new life from today on? Before it might be too late?! Why to possibly regret later in life that we have not really done what we have always had aspired to do? Why wasting time? We are always on the go, there is not enough time to rest and no time to contemplate. Yes, we might be successful on the job, but what´s the prize we´re paying for it? Do we, do you, invest enough time for a fulfilling private life? Invest 5 minutes in yourself to listen to a beautiful poet - called “Instants“ - by Jorge Luis Borges. Maybe close your eyes for a couple of minutes and enjoy the words, sentences, and related thoughts

Listening to this podcast episode will take you only a few minutes — Minutes to find out how to draft great presentations and to become a more effective and convincing presenter. A few minutes which can change your professional – and most likely – also your personal life.

Learn in this podcast episode how to inspire, create a vision, and stay successful in the long run. Over the years I've observed with a constantly increasing level of admiration the impact "inspiration" can have on both people and organizations. How inspiration can set off the creation of a powerful vision; and how vision itself can cause lasting success. The words – Inspiration – Vision – Lasting Success - seem to form a magical flow.

There are only some top companies which successfully engage, motivate, and excite their employees. One of them being online retailer Zappos. I´d like to present you in this podcast episode the "Zappos employee engagement approach" by explaining its 6 ways of how to build relationships and engage employees.