For me, the middle is vertical! – Absurd and amusing stories from German executive floors
In my workshops and coaching sessions I keep hearing and experiencing the most extraordinary stories from day-to-day business. Some of them are wonderfully absurd. At the same time the topics seem very familiar to us and almost seem normal.
I will talk about these stories in this blog. Of course in anonymized form. I think you will find them informative and hope that some readers have smiles on their faces when they read them.
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Enlightenment tango
"How was your vacation?" is something I've been asked a lot in the last few days. "I didn't go anywhere" is my answer. Now that my kids are out of school, I'm working through the [...]
Ego, mind, and barrels
"What have you learned? How do you grow?" is what Matt Griggs likes to ask in his workshops and coaching sessions. This time was no exception, as I found myself on the Nature of Success "Next Level" [...]
Newly arrived in the boss’s chair
"What topic do you think I should tackle next?" my coachee Alex asked the other day at the beginning of our session. Alex has held a leadership position in a medium-sized company for four years. [...]
The menu of possibilities
"What is your life philosophy?" Matt Griggs asked me for the first time in 2019 as part of my development measure. After my Kelee meditation, I contemplated on it and suddenly had an image in [...]
The hole in the lineup
"Do you think I should become a coach?" is a question I get asked pretty regularly. Becoming a coach, or at least training to be a coach, is an unstoppable trend. In the past, a [...]
Of identifying expectations and cheese
"Does anyone want to do a round of introductions?" – This is a question that is never asked at the beginning of a workshop or seminar. Instead, the round of introductions seems to be an [...]
Just look at the trousers he is wearing…
"How do I want to be with myself and others?" is a question I regularly encourage my coachees to ask themselves. At the top of the list of answers is: calm. This is hardly surprising, [...]
Of genitals and stories
"Do you have a favorite female surfer?" my surfing buddy Yannick asked me a few years ago. "Carissa Moore," I replied like a shot. "But she surfs like a man!" Yannick countered. So? What does [...]
1999 – or the narcissist in me!
"Ms. Keromosemito, in your opinion, is Mr. M. a narcissist?" Mr. O., the managing director of a mechanical engineering company, asked me the other day. Together we were preparing a conflict facilitation with Mr. M., his works council chairman. [...]
The vanilla crescent dictatorship
"What would you have done in my position?" many coachees ask me when they tell me about challenging situations from their day-to-day work. Recently, Mr. V., managing director of a subsidiary in a group of companies, [...]
Of ducks and experts
"Why doesn't our management listen to us, although we are the experts and know how it works?" a participant in my expert program asked me a while back. In cooperation with the customer, I developed [...]
The Star Authority
"What did you learn from corona?" is a question currently being asked by many HR experts on LinkedIn & Co. Always take away something positive, seems to be the motto for those working from home. [...]
Anything but good!
"Can you please also address the issue of resilience?" a customer recently asked me. My task was to reflect on the results of a 360° feedback process with managers of a large corporation. The CEO [...]
My boss is a jerk – how do I get rid of him?
What do I do if the management behaves in a way that completely goes against our corporate values?" asked Stefan, a retail manager, during one of my recent seminars. He did not wait for an [...]
Coffee or tea?
"Do you drink coffee or tea?" – I ask my coachees when they make their first appointment with me. It is important to me that my customers feel comfortable in my office. I also make [...]
Latin lesson for leaders
"How can we improve our meeting culture?" – I am asked on a pretty regular basis. Meetings – nobody likes them. Everyone thinks there are too many of them. They rarely bring the desired results. [...]
About winners and losers
"Ms. Keromosemito, what do you think makes people successful?" When I am asked this question, I often have the impression that the person asking is looking for the magic formula for success. I don't have it, [...]
Call me Kaa and trust in me!
“Can you run 10 workshops for us by the end of the year on the topic of trust?” a technology group asked me last August. On the one hand, for an independent trainer like me, jobs [...]
It’s just an ocean experience
“Do you also offer training sessions just for women?” – I get asked on a regular basis. No, I do not. It does not make any sense to me that women (apparently) lead differently than [...]
Mindfulness
Our thoughts are permanently leaving reality behind. Our working day often already starts in our heads while we are still asleep. While in bed we are working on our lists. [...]
Enough of this kindergarten nonsense
Are you familiar with this situation? You are sitting in a meeting and think – this is worse than in a kindergarten! Sometimes it even feels like war. If this is [...]
Idiot on the rocks
“Ms. Keromosemito, how can I best prepare for an Assessment Center?” – this is a question I have repeatedly been asked and generally do not answer. On the one hand, because I am convinced that [...]
I don’t have a ticket!
“Tell me, what do you do when someone starts crying?” Mr. B. recently asked during one of my seminars. He had asked his colleague to improve some aspects of a task that she had completed [...]
Sorry, I don’t have a photo for you
“Tell me, is that your young sister in the photo?“ one of my esteemed customers, Mr. S., asks me when he recently looked at my consultant profile. His eyes move between the photo and my [...]