personal development

How to respond to a deep personal crisis

Joerg Kuehn · May 25, 2020 · Leave a Comment

It was 10th November 2009. A few months ago, Robert Enke had been announced as the top goalkeeper candidate to lead the German team into the Football World Cup 2010.

That morning, Robert said goodbye to his wife and went to his daily training routine at the Hannover Football Club. By late afternoon, his wife Teresa became worried when Robert was not back. She rang him continuously but found his mobile switched off. At 5.15pm, Robert stood in front of a regional express train. Police confirmed the discovery of a suicide note but would not publicise its details.

Robert’s death came as a great shock to the nation and the entire international football community. The question remains – Why would such a successful footballer end his life at the top of his career?

Dream of changing your life?

Joerg Kuehn · May 25, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Due to confidentiality reasons, names and backgrounds in this story have been changed.

It was February 2015 when Marie emailed me asking whether I would consider coaching her husband, Peter. Peter is a successful civil engineer, who has been thriving in his career across 8 different countries over the last 18 years. He is now working with a very well-known multinational company.

One would think the story of Peter’s life is a typical definition of success – he has the money, he travels worldwide for work, and he has earned his professional respect. But during our complimentary session, Peter, a man in his 40s, confessed:

“I admit, I am very good at my profession, and I have worked hard to achieve all I have thus far. However, what I do is not my chosen path, and I’m frustrated because I don’t even like what I am doing. It doesn’t give me satisfaction but a never-ending stream of regret at my hopelessness. But I don’t know how to move forward or change. Among the fears that inhibit me, there is one that torments me the most – that I will still be doing the same thing in the next 10-15 years.”

Self-Leadership Lessons of a 800km Walk

Joerg Kuehn · Apr 28, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Daniel Goleman’s quote “Exceptional leaders distinguish themselves because of superior self-leadership” inspired me to share some self-leadership lessons that I learned during an 800km walk.

Nearly 8 years ago I asked my manager at P&G whether I could take 4 weeks off to “take a walk”. Initially he said “no” but eventually gave me the green light. I had worked in supply chain management for 17 years and it was the first time I took 4 weeks off.

I wanted to walk the Camino De Santiago, a more than 1,000 years old pilgrimage in Northern Spain. People walk the “Camino” (The Way) to pay their respect to the Apostle St. James, but also to find new direction and hope in their lives. Before walking those 800 kilometres, I had no idea what a huge impact it would have on my life. Two years later I quit my job and started a new career and life as an Executive Coach. Looking back, I realized that the experiences I had on the Camino gave me the courage to take this step. I am glad to be able to share some of the 5 (sometimes hard) lessons I learned.

The ultimate way to meet your life goals

Joerg Kuehn · Apr 28, 2020 · Leave a Comment

This article was originally posted on Linkedin on 4 December 2018. Submissions for 2019 have been closed, however do drop an email if you are interested in future Life Compass programs!

Only a few minutes after I had opened the Bangkok Post on 15th of March 2003, I put it aside in total shock because of the following headline: “Procter & Gamble acquires Wella in a $7 Billion Deal.”

This news not only changed my life, but probably the lives of every single of my 17,000 Wella colleagues. For me, the years and months that followed felt like doing several MBA’s at the same time, as it not only meant relocating to Singapore, but also operating in a totally different working culture whilst learning new tools, systems, processes and acronyms every day.

Among the many new things, there was one tool that stood out for me: the OGSM, which stands for Objectives-Goals-Strategies-Measures.

How Much Is Enough?

Joerg Kuehn · Apr 28, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Picture an idyllic Brazilian fishing village. Every day the men of the village go out to sea in their boats to catch fish. The sale of the fish provides a decent living, but none of the fishermen are rich. Or are they? Well, that depends on how you define rich. Whilst none of them has a lot of money, no one is getting stressed to the point of becoming ill either.

Over time this charming and peaceful village started to attract tourists, including Jack, an investment banker from New York, who is looking to escape the rat race for a while. One Morning Jack sees a fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore with quite a good catch of fish aboard. Jack was very impressed and asked the fisherman how long it was to catch so many fish? The fisherman replies, “Oh, just a short while.”

“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” asked Jack. Without hesitating the fisherman replied: “This is enough to feed my family and give me the money I need.” Jack was puzzled and questioned further: “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”

[Read more…] about How Much Is Enough?

personal development

This article was originally posted on Linkedin on 4 December 2018. Submissions for 2019 have been closed, however do drop an email if you are interested in future Life Compass programs!

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