Is a rainbow inclusive?

Is a rainbow inclusive? It does have all the colors, yet they are all separated from each other. They don’t interact. And what about the wavelengths that we cannot see with our eyes? A rainbow does not include the higher energy rays such as Ultraviolet, X-ray and Gamma. The same applies to the lower energy […]

Walk the Walk

I love to walk. When I share that I average 15K steps per day, people often ask: “How can you be productive when you spend so much time walking?” To which I always answer: “I am productive because I spend so much time walking.”

Powered by sustainable energy doesn’t equal sustainability

Just because a product is powered by sustainable energy does not make it sustainable. Consumable energy is a scarce commodity, regardless of how it is produced. We have to be very mindful of how we consume it. Take the World Cup in Qatar making many sustainability claims. Let’s not forget it took an incredible amount […]

Don’t just focus on a niche

Pick a niche. Have laser focus. Niche down. The prevailing business wisdom for startups is to focus on the smallest possible group of people to serve. I think it’s terrible advice. Or at least terribly incomplete. Certainly, it works from a commercial point of view and to get off to a good start. However, when […]

Two ways to treat employees

Essentially, there are two ways to treat employees: with trust or with distrust. Whichever one you believe is the right approach, you will be confirmed in your beliefs. Working from a place of trust or distrust both lead to their own self-fulfilling cycles. Working from a place of distrust leads to a self-fulling command and […]

Freedom: right and responsibility

Freedom is a precious and powerful thing. Such a shame it’s often so one-sidedly interpreted as “I can do whatever the hell I want”. The way we exercise our freedoms can adversely impact the freedoms of other living beings. When we host a loud party, we limit our neighbour’s freedom to have a quiet night […]

3 hacks to consistently deliver great work

In the past, most professions exhausted our bodies, now they exhaust our minds. Different rules apply to sustainably deliver great work. Here are three hacks that can help you do just that. 1) nurture your wellbeing Everything stands or falls with taking good care of yourself. Do what you need to do to thrive both […]

Innovation is not just about technology

Innovation is not just about technology. Far from it. Innovation is about successfully bringing new ideas to life. Organisations with a narrow technocentric view on innovation run the risk of overlooking ‘low-tech high-value’ innovations that may be better equipped to solve a problem. Innovation can manifest itself just as easily in policy making, behavioural design, […]

A brave space

Creating a safe space is not the endgame when building an innovative organisation. There’s one more step you can take: Transform a safe space into a brave space. A safe space is great. It’s a space where people feel free to ask questions, share ideas, or try new experiments. However, that doesn’t yet mean they […]

Impact over intentions

Shall we focus less on intentions and more on impact? Don’t get me wrong. Intentions are important. Great stories often start with good intentions. However, intentions are safe. They only exist in our mind. They don’t require any action. They don’t yet affect other living beings in the real world. It’s only after taking action […]