Life means learning. People learn from successes, but also from failures. There are no good or bad experiences. Success and failure belong directly together.
If I have learned one thing after almost 60 years of life, this sentence sums it up. Because of one particular experience, which I will write about in my next post, I can now, at the end of 2021, take the time to reflect and write down my most important experiences and insights.
I look back on a long and interesting career in which the role of technology changed continuously.
New Work: Technology as a catalyst for a self-determined (working) life.
When I began my professional training as a data processing clerk in 1983, the term computer was still defined in terms of mainframes, text machines and medium data technology. The personal computer was making its way into businesses and Bill Gates' vision of "A computer on every desk and in every home." was still smiled at by most. In the 1990s, computer networking increased. The Internet and the new applications it created caused the first hype at the end of the millennium, which caused the DotCom bubble to burst in 2001. Subsequently, the era of smartphones began, contributing to a general availability of technology. Web 2.0 became a major driver of applications that engaged users with communication and transaction-based applications. Social media is probably the first to be mentioned here.
However, the biggest change happened in the last 5 years. The availability of applications and information at any time and in any place has enabled knowledge workers in particular to pursue their careers more independently and self-determinedly. Work has taken on a different meaning - at least in the technology and knowledge industries. The desire for a work/life balance and the ability to generate and consume information anywhere at any time fed the desire for independence.
Work is no longer defined by recognition and reward but by fulfillment.
From this developed the desire for a self-determined way of life that no longer viewed work as recognition and reward (outcome) but as fulfillment (purpose). The pandemic has then reinforced this development in the past two years.
So if at the beginning of my professional career it was primarily about technical competence and the career developed through the achievement of measurable goals, today other skills are required that determine the cohesion and success of a team.
What it takes today to motivate yourself, teams and organizations.
If I am allowed to take responsibility for teams today, it is not so much the professional as the personal skills and qualities that are required. In recent years, I have been able to accompany this change in many executive roles in a number of companies. As an entrepreneur, I was directly responsible for it. As a board member of public companies, I was able to feel and shape the balancing act between investors, customers and my team.
In this blog I would like to share my experiences. It is about meaningful work, mindfulness and motivation in a changed working world. What do I have to do MYSELF, what does my TEAM need and how can I make my ORGANIZATION fit for these new challenges.