strictly opinionated transformalism for worldchangers
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A Guidebook for Century 21
Courage is not the opposite of fear
What is the opposite of fear? Courage?! There’s hardly a leadership article that doesn’t include a call to be more…
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THE INFINITE GAME: How Great Businesses Achieve Long-Lasting Success
by Simon Sinek Ever since I read Mindset by Carol Dweck for the first time more than ten years ago,…
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LEARNING AS A LIFESTYLE
Lifelong learning is necessary, but not sexy. Because many of us perceive learning as a necessary evil, as a means…
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WALDEN: or Life in the Woods
by Henry David Thoreau This 19th century classic by Henry David Thoreau is not only one of the most compelling…
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The Case of Hannes Kranzfelder
The case of Hannes Kranzfelder1 suspect. 21 pieces of evidence. 1 transformation story. No coincidence. Full of 21st century attitudes,…
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Pink meets Angela Duckworth
What would happen if rock ’n’ roll-activist Pink sang a duet with psychology professor Angela Duckworth about choosing excellence over…
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Alexandra Kodjabachi
The case of Alexandra Kodjabachi1 suspect. 21 pieces of evidence. 1 transformation story. No coincidence. Full of 21st century attitudes,…
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BEGINNER’S MIND
BEGINNER’S MIND \ bi-ˈgi-nər-z ˈmīnd \ A DEFINITION: Once you become an expert in a domain you most likely stop…
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The case of Tina Burkhardt
The case of Tina Burkhardt1 suspect. 21 pieces of evidence. 1 transformation story. No coincidence. Full of 21st century attitudes,…
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COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP \ kə-ˈlek-tiv lē-dər-ˌship \ A DEFINITION: In order to address global challenges, our paradigm of leadership must transform.…
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TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP
TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP \ tran(t)s-ˈfȯr-mə-tiv ˈlē-dər-ˌship \ A DEFINITION: The Transformative Leadership model is a collective approach of leadership beyond immediate…
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DIGITAL TAYLORISM
Do the current crisis give us a summer break? A good time to ask what has actually become of the…
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Muhammad Ali meets Brené Brown
The intent of good quotes is lost over time. They are often misunderstood. Or they stand alone and just don’t…
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Dr. Suess meets Virginia Woolf
Building great minds are a prerequisite for change: We have asked two who should know this well: The children’s books…
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OVERCOMING COLLECTIVE FAILURE
As individuals we long for change. But on a collective level, we feel paralyzed by the failure to initiate change.…
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Malala Yousafza meets Mark Twain
What would happen if Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafza shared ideas about the importance of education with the one…
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SHIFTSHAPER TREK (aka hero’s journey)
Why personal development is like a heroine’s journey? In our search for the right leitmotiv, we ultimately got hooked on…
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SOVEREIGNTY
SOVEREIGNTY \ sä-v(ə-)rən-tē \ A DEFINITION: Gaining sovereignty in transformational endeavors is the first dimension of the SHAPE® dimension. The dictionary…
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Janis Joplin meets Seneca
What happened if Janis Joplin met Seneca? The good intent of quotes is lost over time and they just don’t…
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Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone
by Brené Brown This timely book by Brené Brown taught me that courage and vulnerability are one and the same.…
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EXPERIMENT
EXPERIMENT \ ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt \ A DEFINTION: “We simply have to run more experiments” is lightly said, but heavily implemented. The…
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MASTERY BASED LEARNING
In textbook theory, mastery-based learning is a model where learners first need to demonstrate a deep level of understanding of…
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SIX YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SHIFTSCHOOL
It’s been six years since we founded Germany’s first Academy for Digital Transformation. Back then, we set out to create…
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COLLABORATION
COLLABORATION \ kə-ˌla-bə-ˈrā-shən \ A DEFINITION: Transformation is a collaborative effort. The dictionary defines collaboration as the act of working…
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SELF-LEADERSHIP
SELF-LEADERSHIP \ ˈselfˈlē-dər-ˌship \ A DEFINITION: Self-leadership is the ability to follow a growth path towards personal mastery and excellence.…
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Change in Organizations …. The times, they are a-changin!
The times, they are a-changin! But our organizations are not. This is how I often felt when watching the news.…
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TEACHING LIKE TENNIS
A common expression says that it takes two to tango: Two partners are by definition understood to be essential to…
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Maya Angelou meets Ricky Nelson
In pandemic times where everything just feels bla, a little self love can do wonders. Just let poetic rockstar Maya…
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The Case of Tobias Burkhardt
The case of Tobias Burkhardt1 suspect. 21 pieces of evidence. 1 transformation story. No coincidence. Full of 21st century attitudes,…
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Horace Mann meets Tina Burkhardt
New years come with a good opportunity to change our habits. We have asked two experts for some brief advice:…
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The Case of Manuel Grassler
The case of Manuel Grassler1 suspect. 21 pieces of evidence. 1 transformation story. No coincidence. Full of 21st century attitudes,…
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BEHAVIORAL DESIGN
Since video games have become a primary form of entertainment, the use of game design elements has gained massive influence…
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MODERATED MASTERMINDS
Peer coaching formats are the hottest form of collegial exchange right now. You form a professional learning community with likeminded…
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SERENDIPITY
SERENDIPITY \ ˌser-ən-ˈdi-pə-tē \ A DEFINITION: According to a British translation company, serendipity is one of the ten most difficult…
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Mise en Place
The main course is ready, but the rest is not. Something is burning and the kitchen looks like hell. Then…
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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
Holidays are coming… and along comes a flood of mass produced, meaningless ‘Thank You for XYZ Cards’, unwanted and useless…
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Richard Ayling
The case of Richard Ayling1 suspect. 21 pieces of evidence. 1 transformation story. No coincidence. Full of 21st century attitudes,…
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21 Lessons for the 21st Century
by Yuval Noah Harari Harari’s book is not on the top of our collection because it has been in the…
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SCHOOL WITHOUT CURRICULUM
Do schools really need a fixed curriculum? What we need today is more contact, not more content. In a digitized…
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SPIRIT OF OPTIMISM (IS BACK)
The new year is already six weeks old. Slowly but surely, spring is coming and we are hopeful to leave…
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ABOUT THE FEAR OF FAILURE
“Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great.”, said the great chef Auguste Gusteau in Ratatouille. So far,…
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GRM: BRAINFUCK
by Sibylle Berg The Brave New World probably began on day 1 after Brexit, in the country that once invented…
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FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS: Time Management for Mortals
by Oliver Burkeman Please, not another productivity guide. When reading the title you might think you have acquired just another…
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Leader by Example
What is the difference between a role model and someone who is leading by example? In education as in modern…
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Jason Frasca
The case of Jason Frasca1 suspect. 21 pieces of evidence. 1 transformation story. No coincidence. Full of 21st century attitudes,…
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NAVIGATE UNCERTAINTY
NAVIGATE UNCERTAINTY \ ˈna-və-ˌgāt ən-ˈsər-tᵊn-tē \ A definition: Uncertainty causes us to be in survival mode for extended periods of…
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BIG MAGIC: Creative Living Beyond Fear
by Elizabeth Gilbert This small, spiritual book by Elizabeth Gilbert is a guide to find your creative genius and give…
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The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing
by Bronnie Ware No one likes to talk about death. But this touching book by Bronnie Ware reminds us that…
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Greta Thunberg meets Buckminster Fuller
What would happen if climate activist Greta Thunberg and futurist Buckminster Fuller exchanged thoughts on how to change the world…
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The Case of Bettina von Stamm
The case of Bettina von Stamm1 suspect. 21 pieces of evidence. 1 transformation story. No coincidence. Full of 21st century…
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James Watt meets Eleanor Roosevelt
What happened if brewpunk James Watt met Eleanor Roosevelt for a chat at the White House? The good intent of…
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Decision Making in a state of emergency
For more than a year now, we all have been in a state of emergency. Personally, privately and of course…
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