[17-Jul-26] How to let it go

Why curiosity might be one of the most underrated leadership skills

"Letting go is not something you do once. It’s something you do over and over again. Every time you let go, you free yourself a little bit more, until suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, you realize that you have truly moved forward into a new phase of your life — one of greater peace and happiness."

As I did work last Monday, the leadership workshop, I had my learning day today. Also as starting point into a one week holiday. The topic this time is Marketing and Pricing. What a big relief, much more common sense and in line with my way of thinking and working. I passed 4 tests today, all well above 85%. Just in case you will ever have to do with Statistics or Marketing, some helping links for you:

• Free A/B Test Calculator

• Market Positioning Statement Generator

• Standard Deviation Calculator

Besides that we had the Capstone (our final project for the EMBA) check-in yesterday with Dr. Eleonora Carr. A nearly 30 minute discussion about our project idea that she really liked and was already looking forward to the progress we will be making in the coming months.

We had a more detailed discussion about the proper AI usage, what tools will be selected with which prompts. As a reminder, our project will be about a proper and strategic use of the $85 billion Elon Musk made with the SpaceX IPO in June.

Using GROK as one of the AI tools might be an interesting approach.

"xAI is a (SpaceX) company working on building artificial intelligence to accelerate human scientific discovery. We are guided by our mission to advance our collective understanding of the universe. As part of our mission, we have developed “Grok,” a conversational generative AI powered by xAI’s large language models."

Looking at the GROK owner and development team, the tool might be a little bit Elon Musk biased? You never know, but we will be checking by using the same prompt with different AI tools.

• TED Talk: Why AI will never replace a great teacher by Matt Wu,Apr-26
• Seth Godin: Resources and focus

• How to Make 15 Dishes for 25 People Or: How to Prepare for the Unexpected and Succeed with a Crazy Idea by Jurgen Appelo

• Sixteen Nobel-Winning Economists Warn That Major AI Job Losses Are Coming. The consequences could be devastating.

• Dan Rockwell: A Gallon of Good and An Ounce of Bad

• Google your name. Now imagine your ex doing it. Four prompts erase what they'd find (for $0)

• Everyone is talking about AI models. But if you follow the economics of humanoid robots, the biggest value creation may lie somewhere else. They are the technologies that allow robots to move, manipulate and survive in the physical world.

• Simon Sinek: Give What You Want To Receive, Not What You Think People Want

•  

[07-Jul-26] The Viking Code

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHER, DEEP-TECH INVESTOR & TECH-EVANGELIST Anders Indset

 

The latest article from Anders is a comparison of Norway and Germany with respect to sports, but only available in German. Germany lost against Paraguay in the round of the last 32 teams. Norway did beat Brasil 2 days ago and will proceed to the Quarter-final (last 8 teams) now against England.

Below two paragraphs of the article translated for you:

"This is where the fallacy lies, and it’s one we must correct. Germany has worn itself out with a culture of performance that knew only extraction: more output, more optimization, more exhaustion. And when this version rightly fell into disrepute, we discarded excellence along with it. What has softened is not the work ethic. It is the sense of possibility—the desire for better problems."

"In Norway, an entire country takes to the streets. In front of the palace, along Karl Johan Street, as far as the eye can see: a united nation that believes we can do more. A collective coming together, a belief in the future—if we all pitch in. “Ro! Ro!” is the cry these days. Not because we have to, but because we can. Because Norway understands that a dugnad—a collective effort—doesn’t always lead to gold and glory, but it does lead to progress. And that feels good."

Great insights from a Norwegian who lives in Germany for 25 years already.

• End with Why. Why 'Start With Why' Is Wrong: Purpose Emerges From Collaboration by Jurgen Appelo

• TED Talk: The kind of AI we actually need by Van Jones, Apr-26
• Google: More than 25 years of innovation, and now helping Britain seize its AI opportunity
• Dan Rockwell: Courage Isn’t a Feeling

• 90% of teams don’t fail because of lack of talent. They fail because nobody knows who owns what.

[05-Jul-26] The week 27-2026 summary

Cabo Verde, the most impressive underdog at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

 

"The 1st illustration compares two different approaches to life.

On the left, only 29% of the circle is filled in. This represents life for people who only truly feel alive on weekends. The rest of life becomes something to just “get through” in anticipation of the next weekend.

On the right, the entire circle is full. The message isn’t that every day is easy or perfect. It’s that meaning can be found in everyday life when we choose to live intentionally."

What does AIDA say about underdogs: 

Underdog stories in tournaments over the past 50 years have captivated sports fans worldwide. From iconic comebacks to unexpected triumphs, these narratives inspire hope and showcase the power of perseverance. Teams or individuals defying the odds and prevailing against favored opponents have become legendary tales in the world of sports.

Memorable underdog victories include Leicester City's Premier League title in 2016, the U.S. hockey team's "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Olympics, and Buster Douglas defeating Mike Tyson in a historic boxing upset. These triumphs prove that in the realm of sports, anything is possible, and determination can lead to unprecedented success.

Without the increase of the participating teams to 48, Cabo Verde would never had the possibility to be at a World Cup. Now they used their opportunity, and a team from a country with less than half a million inhabitants was close to win against the 3-times champion Argentina with Lionel Messi. They had no chance and used it, to make their country proud. What a great story.

Currently the round of the last 16 teams is on and my champion tip England is still possible. They play against Mexico tonight, a tough game, hop or top.

• McKinsey’s 2026 curated book recommendations

• How much are people across the world paying for their carbon emissions?

• Why Executive Team Offsites Fail (And How to Avoid It)
  7 common mistakes that turn your team retreat into another pointless meeting by Gustavo Razzetti

• The Humanoid Robots You Can Actually Buy Right Now by Bernard Marr
  

• AI Layoffs Are Here, But They Don’t Mean What You Think by Bernard Marr
  

• Here’s everything you need to build a high performing team

• [05-Jul-26] Comparing with the worst shows you exactly where you’d land if nothing changed.

"Money is not a motivating factor. Money doesn't thrill me or make me play better because there are benefits to being wealthy. I'm just happy with a ball at my feet. My motivation comes from playing the game I love. If I wasn't paid to be a professional footballer I would willingly play for nothing." -- Lionel Messi, taken from 38 Lionel Messi Quotes To Inspire & Motivate (+50 Quotes About The GOAT)

[04-Jul-26] Happy 10th anniversary

Thanks once again to my one-, some-, several-, and every-time readers!!

 

My own quote "Before we put all our eggs in the artificial intelligence basket, we should make common sense more common and widely used." taken from the Google Gemini summary of my eBOOKS from the last 10 years.

I used the summary file today, to generate some images. The first with a fusion of Keith Haring and Banksy. The second one with influences from Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali. Really cool results I would say, a perfect fit to my celebration day today.

What else can I say:

• Unbelievable how fast 10 years are passing by
• More than 3,000k readers since day-1, a really big number
• It is a lot of fun to share my personal perspectives and useful information with the reader community
• The collected content is a great source of knowledge for me and the people who are downloading the eBOOKs for free
• Looking for more and deeper insights is helping a lot, to broaden my perspective and knowledge space
• A great way to learn, is to tell other people about it
• Keep reading and supporting me, very much appreciated!!

[03-Jul-26] The 2nd half of 2026 just started 

10 Ways to Strengthen Your Self-Confidence

 

"Self-reflection. Recognizing your strengths, skills, and accomplishments through introspection not only enhances self-esteem but also nurtures moral character."

Self-reflection is a good hint, you have to start with yourself before you can take responsibility for other people especially in the business environment. A personality test can be a good starting point - 16Personalities (my preferred one), Big Five Personality Test, and many more - see a collection on my subpage. 

I started with an aggregated view of our department with respect to Personality Types for the Leadership workshop in 10 days today. Gives an interesting perspective and a lot of surprising insights. Will be interesting to see the reactions of the audience ...

Found some interesting and opposing Automotive stories this week:

• Ford rehires 350 veteran engineers after AI fails to match human expertise

• Toyota: What looks efficient in the moment can quietly destroy a system. And what looks like failure can actually be discipline.
• A good fit story by PwC and WEF: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Entry-Level Work: A Framework for Safeguarding and Reinventing Early Career Pathways - INSIGHT REPORT JUNE 2026

For my QUANTIC EMBA another exam week is coming up Monday - Data & Decisions - and we are well prepared for the initial presentation of our Capstone (final project) summary sheet. Meaningful AI usage will be required to reduce effort and time needed. My USA team mates will be enjoying their well deserved Independence Day long weekend starting today.

• Normal Distribution: Everyone wants to build the next great Artificial Intelligence model. But before talking about AI agents, generative models, or neural networks, it is worth going back to a more basic question: How do your data really behave?

• Why The SpaceX IPO Brings A New Era Of Asteroid Mining Closer

• We Have 99% Accuracy in Detecting AI: Originality.ai Study

Some really helpful content:

• [03-Jul-26] Dan Rockwell special: The Lie of No Limits

• High-performing teams don’t rely on heroic individuals; they rely on an operating system that makes success inevitable.

• Graham Nicholls: 50 Coaching Belief Shifts

• Nice leaders avoid the hard conversation. Kind leaders have it early.

• The Coaching Growth Flywheel

• The 4C framework to set clear expectations

[30-Jun-26] Germany is out of the World Cup

What changed in the last 36 years with Gary Lineker

 

"Lineker’s famous line dates back to the 1990 World Cup semifinal between England and West Germany. After a 1-1 draw, England lost on penalties despite Lineker scoring both during the match and in the shootout. Frustrated by another German triumph on the biggest stage, the England striker delivered the quote that would follow him for the rest of his career."

36 years later a lot did change and Lineker summarized it perfectly again (a real expert):

“I think that this is one of the weakest Germany sides I’ve ever seen. France should reach the quarter-finals without any trouble.”

“Germany are living off their past. Just remember that they didn’t even make it out of the group stage at the last two World Cups.”

I have seen the Germany - Paraguay game yesterday and the German team did not deserve to win. Too slow, no plan, low motivation, too many mistakes, and a much better opponent. Some people would say it was just a bad day, but when you follow Lineker, it is a development over the last 36 years in the wrong direction.

A mistake is okay as long as you learn something out of it, but this is not happening here. 2014 World Cup Champions in Brazil, since then not a lot of positive results happened for Germany. Immediately after the game the discussion started already. Do we need another coach, what needs to change, etc. - No regrets, acceptance of poor performance, and a critical self-reflection - a retrospective. The German team lost a lot in 120 minutes, the love of the fans and the respect of the other teams. Hard to win back ...

Some similarity with the U.S. Adult's Pride - "As the United States marks its 250th anniversary (04-Jul-26), 33% of U.S. adults say they are “extremely proud” to be an American, the lowest reading in Gallup's trend dating back to 2001. Another 20% say they are “very proud,” which means just over half of Americans express high levels of pride in their country."

• Fortune: Europe's Most Innovative Companies (2026)
• Fortune: Most Powerful Women (2026)
• Video: Why this book sold 10 million copies | THE GOAL | Core summary

• Aimphetamine. You're not more productive. You're dependent.
  By Marcus Raitner

• Why Do Corporations Still Exist in the Age of AI? (Part 2)
  No, AI Won't Kill the Traditional Firm (Yet) by Jurgen Appelo

• Dan Rockwell: Disarm Defensive People
• The New Happy: The legacy you leave  

[28-Jun-26] My week 26-2026 highlights

80 Years of Vespa. Four days to celebrate a timeless icon, Rome | June 25–28, 2026

 

I had a 1982 Vespa during my studies, a special kind of vehicle and driving experience. Nothing what you would normally select with a

motorcycle driver's license, but I did. So I can fully understand why so many people did join the celebration and parade in Rome yesterday. Fans from around the world to celebrate their cult object.

Gilbert Enoka has a long history of success as a mental skills coach with New Zealand’s corporate and sporting elite. He is internationally renowned for his 20 year history with the All Blacks, first as their mental skills coach and now as manager. He has been with the All Blacks for over 250 tests and during that time the team has won back-to-back Rugby World Cups, one Laureus Award (for the best team in the world), 17 Bledisloe Cups, three Grand Slams, seven Tri Nations and five Rugby Championships.

"Be where your feet are"

Be in the present, not the past. Be in the moment is what matters and not what has happened before or that comes after; your action in the moment is what makes the difference. When you connect moments together, you create momentum.

I found the quote above in the Make Life Happier book today. Interesting topic and a lot about mindfulness and how to best use it in every day situations, easy and with low effort. Does also go well with - Slowmaxxing Is the Latest Wellness Trend—Here's How to Try It.

Have fun and a successful and surprising next week:

• [28-Jun-26] The one word you need to stop using today and some more help …

• How to end your workday: the Hemingway principle. How people are really using AI in 2026. The first principle. By Roberto Ferraro

• The Titan's Fatal Flaw Wasn't Engineering. It Was Groupthink. By

  Gustavo Razzetti

• The Physical AI Boom: 11 Companies Building The Next Tech Revolution by Bernard Marr
  

• Dysonfarming: We’re redefining British strawberries. Through the use of cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices, we produce premium fruit all year round

[26-Jun-26] Preparing for 04-Jul-26

My 10th BLOG anniversary is coming up shortly

 

Time is running fast and early next month I am writing my BLOG already for 10 years. How to best summarize all the content I created since 04-Jul-2016? A question I tried to answer today.

I did take all the PDF files of my eBOOKs so far, from 04-Jul-16 until 12-Jun-26, and used pdftotext in a Linux terminal window, to create one big text-file in the end. So 350 MB finally became 7.4 MB. This step was required, because tools like Google GEMINI have a restriction for the size of attachments.

With the following prompt

• I am preparing the 10th anniversary of my Blog on 04-Jul-26 and would like to collect some interesting information out of the text I have written so far, the attachment. I am interested in the Top-20 list of topics mentioned/covered most, and the Top-10 list of topics mentioned only once. Which quotes did I use most, which people did a reference most. Any other interesting things you realize during the research. In the end please summarize the key messages and findings in an easy to understand summary.

I got a lot of interesting insights and the basis for the first two pictures today. See the full chat here.

"Executive Summary:

- Over the past decade, and particularly in the months leading up to your 10th anniversary, your blog has served as a vital bridge between the rapid acceleration of technology and the enduring need for human connection.

- The core message of your writing is that technology—no matter how advanced—is a tool, not a substitute for leadership. Whether you are analyzing the billion-dollar SpaceX IPO, the rise of humanoid robotics, or AI's disruption of the job market, you constantly guide your readers back to foundational human elements. You champion psychological safety, the courage to have difficult conversations, the importance of rest, and the value of intrinsic motivation.

- Your findings suggest that as the world becomes more automated, authentic human skills—like empathy, common sense, continuous learning, and the ability to build capable teams—will only become more valuable. Your blog is not just a technology or management diary; it is a practical handbook for staying grounded, curious, and profoundly human in an increasingly digital world. Happy 10th Anniversary!"

This summary makes me really proud, cool excerpts of 10 years ...

[24-Jun-26] You Say You’re Kind, But Are You?

Some call it luck, others being at the right place at the right time ...

 

My kind of humor and an interesting way to see the world - "Imagine being a lobster on the Titanic. You spend the entire day convinced your biggest problem is becoming dinner, and then suddenly an iceberg shows up and turns your whole life into chaos."

Due to the very hot weather and busy times in the moment, above 32 degrees Celsius during the day (further increasing until the weekend) and still above 20 degrees during the night, only some interesting links and no detailed text today:

• "Simplicity is an art. It takes a lot of talent and tremendous discipline to figure out how to reduce something to its bare essentials. Many get this completely wrong because few product designers are artists." By Jurgen Appelo

• "Listening is harder than talking. What would happen inside people if you were more excited to listen than speak? Ears expand influence." By Dan Rockwell

• "#20. Chaos-making jerks: manufacture emergencies to cover their lack of performance. Which jerk is your “favorite?” What kind of jerk can you add to this list?" By Dan Rockwell

• "For years, the warning has been: smartphones are destroying a generation. But developmental psychologist Candice Odgers says that decades of data on teens tells a different story — violence, alcohol use and pregnancy are at historic lows, and research shows social media may not actually be the culprit for mental health problems. Hear her analysis of what’s really troubling kids these days, and why banning them from online spaces may make things worse." By Candice Odgers | TED2026 • April 2026

• The 10 People Who Built AI. One List. No Debate. An industry that didn’t exist 70 years ago now shapes every sector of the global economy.
  

• The BCG Matrix is a strategic business tool used to classify products, services, or business units. It helps companies decide where to invest, maintain, or divest resources.
  

• Your culture isn't the set of values on your wall. It's what your team does when you aren't watching. Most leaders believe they know what their culture is.

[23-Jun-26] The power of willingness

A space telescope is falling out of space. This is NASA's daring plan to save it.

 

As you can see on the SPCX chart today, the chart is going up and down. SpaceX sheds $400 billion in value as stock slides below its IPO-day closing price. A lot of money that people are winning and losing, crazy times to be in this space. My bet is still $125 per share, we will be getting there.

Today I did meet by two team members of the EMBA Capstone final project in a Zoom call for the first time. After a quick welcome session we did focus on the required tasks for the coming days until the week of 13-Jul-26 when the 1st project check-in is scheduled. As the US Independence Day is 04-Jul-26, this year America's 250th Anniversary, there are some holidays planned until then. We will finish the required two documents by 02-Jul-26 and schedule the check-in on 15-Jul-26. Will be fun, especially as we did decide the three focus areas today already - Africa and Starlink, SpaceX and NASA, Data Centers and Cooling. Besides that the SpaceX financials and stock price, plus Elon Musk as visionary and risky leader at the same time, will be accompanying topics for us as team.

My companies Spirit Day (the quarterly learning day for all employees) was all about customer focus and centricity today. Interesting perspectives with the same goal, to make customers happy and add value for them. Cool stuff and I found some time to proceed with my next leadership workshop content as well.

• Video: Xiaomi YU7 GT Makes History With Driverless Nürburgring Lap
• Video: How Fast Can a LEGO Technic Car Go Down Goodwood Hill?

[21-Jun-26] The week 25-2026 summary

Two days sour cherries harvest ...

 

The most time was required for pitting the sour cherries, harvesting and cooking jam was the faster part of the overall effort. In summary worth the time spent, we did try the 1st glass during breakfast today. Much better than everything you can buy, you can really taste the effort and dedication.

The latest Anders Indset article - The Progress Equation - is really interesting. "A call to act. Europe has the engines, talent and capital in abundance. The first factor is not what’s missing. But in every multiplication, two factors decide the outcome; if one of them is zero, the other becomes meaningless. And precisely this second factor is what we lack right now: the will to act."

And related to the The Art of Improvement video today - "Your brain tricks you more than you realize.

• You see a post and think, "That makes sense".
• You hear one opinion first and it quietly shapes the rest.
• You get ten compliments and spend the drive home replaying the one criticism.

None of this feels strange in the moment. It feels like thinking. That is what makes cognitive bias so hard to catch."

Tomorrow during my learning day I will be spending some time to prepare the Data & Decisions EMBA exam in the week of 06-Jul-26 and to get ready for the final Capstone project activities. My team and I will meet 1st time in a Zoom call on Tuesday, looking forward to this.

Tuesday is our next Spirit Day, a full day every quarter for the whole company, to focus on learning and knowledge sharing. One topic will be customer focus. I will listen in some of the sessions and prepare the next leadership workshop in parallel. Topics will be Management or Leadership styles, trust in people, change management, process improvement, and communication as some examples. 

• This Word Changes Everything. 3 Ways to Embrace the Power of "Yet" by Wisdom Made Easy
  

• [21-Jun-26] The best communicators do this first

• Wooden's 8 Laws of Learning. Not too many to remember by Jono Hey

• TED Talk: How to raise kids who question AI by Randi Williams, May-26

• Should You Really Say Please And Thank You To AI? By Bernard Marr
  

“If one were to attempt to identify a single problematic aspect of human reasoning that deserves the most attention, confirmation bias would have to be among the top candidates.” – Daniel Kahneman, taken from 70 Powerful Bias Quotes That Reveal Hidden Truths About Human Judgment (2025)

[17-Jun-26] Reliance on oil ...

Pakistan at 3rd place ...

 

When you look at the picture you can easily understand why Pakistan was hosting the Iran - USA negotiation and driving for an accepted result from both sides. 

For a leadership workshop in July I was investigating different leadership styles today. Could be one topic for a breakout session:

• Gemini: Top 10 Free Leadership Style Tests, Created with 3.1 Pro June 17, 2026 at 08:16 PM, Published June 17, 2026 at 10:28 PM

• Which Leadership Style Fits You Best? 17 Types Explained

• 10 Different Leadership Styles and How to Choose Yours

• 9 Powerful Lessons | Leadership Styles of Famous Leaders

"Whether there are innately female leadership styles... is not really the right question. It is more important to ask why there has been so little attention paid to women leaders over the years as well as why the styles of leading more often exhibited by women are particularly useful at this critical moment in history." -- Charlotte Bunch

A colleague from another department did contact me today, asking about the Personality Types workshop and if I could host it in her department in early Jul-26. Just too short notice as I have some other assignments already scheduled, but we agreed a future workshop end of summer, beginning of autumn. Seems to be a topic with a lot of interest?

• Dan Rockwell: Pessimists Can’t Lead

• The $2 Trillion Coin Flip: Is SpaceX the Future of AI or the Ultimate Market Bubble? By Joe Walker

• Fact-Check With AI Before Publishing. There's No Excuse to Be Ignorant Anymore by Jurgen Appelo

• TED Talk: Save it to your desktop! By Alan Resnick | Nov-25

[16-Jun-26] Nearly plus 40% since Friday

$225.64 maximum so far, crazy times for "crazy" people 

 

One professor from QUANTIC did share some data related to his research about the return performance of the biggest IPOs through time. An interesting read with additional financials included. This motivated me to ask Google GEMINI for a 365 days proposal of the SpaceX share price. The High-Probability (55%) 365-Day Trading Range is: $150.00 – $195.00. The Bull case with 25% is $210 – $250, the Bear case with 20% is $105 – $130. I placed a buy order for $125, will need some patience, but I am not in a hurry.

Some interesting side material:

• Has AI Already Killed How-To Nonfiction? Sales Trends, My Personal Data, and What It Might Mean for the Future by Tim Ferriss

• By IBM: Fix decision rights or fail at AI: 5 leadership missteps to avoid

• Ranked: The Countries With the Most High-Speed Rail

• Delft University of Technology: Honeybees teach drones how to navigate

• SpaceX to acquire the AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion

• The Real Asset in the SpaceX IPO Isn't a Rocket. It's a Learning Rate.

• Move AI data centers to the open sea. ​Meet Panthalassa—the newest tech unicorn valued at $1 Billion, backed by Peter Thiel and Marc Benioff.

• Data center hate is snowballing, and construction setbacks in the first three months of 2026 have already exceeded last year’s, report finds

As planned I finished the remaining Data and Decisions courses yesterday. Gives me two dedicated weeks to prepare the initial pitch document for the QUANTIC academic office that is due in the week of 13-Jul-26.

• The New Happy: Expect the bumps

• The AI boom is officially heading underwater.

• China has unveiled an underwater AI data center off the coast of Shanghai, housing nearly 2,000 servers inside specially designed pressure-resistant capsules placed about 35 meters beneath the ocean surface.

• Imagine a data center the size of a commercial airplane, floating in space, powered entirely by the sun

[14-Jun-26] My week 24-2026 highlights 

How does the present moment look like for a Trillionaire?

 

Fun fact and side note, my spelling checker was complaining about the word Trillionaire, I had to add it to the dictionary. A whole new level of wealth that did not exist so far.

But what is the difference between a Billionaire and a Trillionaire in the present moment? The Trillionaire status from Elon Musk comes mainly from his Tesla and SpaceX shares and not the cash in his wallet. Trust in a liquidity when it is required, we will see soon, if it really makes a difference for him.

Just today I did upload a new version of my 2026 eBOOK, now until 12-Jun-26. You can get it for free on my Downloads page, have fun.

Tomorrow I will finish the last course of the Data & Decisions concentration in my QUANTIC Executive MBA, 3 weeks before the exam in the week of 06-Jul-26. Will give me enough time to get prepared for the final CAPSTONE project. The 1st check-in with the academic office is scheduled in the week of 13-Jul-26, to present some initial ideas and the approach we as team are planning to take.

The Data & Decisions topic is still and will never be my dream concentration. Some parts make perfect sense and are easy to follow, others are difficult to grasp. Just a matter of finding the right answer fast enough, thanks to the open book concept :-)

When you are interested in some insights, I did search for simple explanations, might be helpful for me as well:

• Welcome to Stats Made Easy

• 15 Basic Statistical Concepts: Full Guide with Examples

• Statistics How To

Roughly 13 minutes left until the 1st Germany game starts at the FIFA 2026 World Cup. We play against Curaçao, a super underdog as most people would say, but a game is a game and we have seen some surprises already since the tournament started last Thursday.

Next week I will have discussions to prepare two new workshops. One 4-hour leadership workshop scheduled for 13-Jul-26 already, the other one for a 70+ people department in autumn. Always looking forward to these kind of opportunities. As I mentioned in my last workshop, the best way to learn something is to teach it to other people (see the learning pyramid).

Succeed in any role with e.g. Make Work Easier, Connect People, and Learn and use New Skills.

• The vanity trap in leadership. Why our attention spans are shrinking. Co-existence and the end of co-intelligence. By Roberto Ferraro

• Why AI Literacy Has Become A Boardroom And Investor Priority by Bernard Marr
  

• The AI Efficiency Trap: Why Doing Things Faster Could Cost Companies The Future by Bernard Marr
  

• [14-Jun-26] The great leadership shift by Eve Simon

[11-Jun-26] SPCX perspectives 

Some Pros and Cons of the SpaceX IPO tomorrow

 

The closer we are coming to the IPO date tomorrow, the more information and perspectives become available. It is not a selective perception anymore, it is common interest.

Just some examples:

• SpaceX IPO: The Math Behind the Moonshot

• How much is orbital infrastructure worth?

• SpaceX Isn't Competing in the Space Economy. It's Building One

• SpaceX is launching an IPO as a real estate company, but in a vertical sense rather than horizontal.

• How Big Will SpaceX Be in 5 Years? Here's What the Experts Are Saying.

Below a short AidaAI summary of the IPO pros and cons:

The recent SpaceX IPO has sparked intense debates over its pros and cons. One of the most discussed advantages is the potential for investors to participate in the promising future of space exploration and colonization. This IPO presents a unique opportunity for individuals to support innovation in the aerospace industry and possibly reap significant financial rewards.

On the flip side, critics are concerned about the highly volatile nature of space-related stocks. Some fear that SpaceX's unpredictable revenue streams and heavy reliance on government contracts could lead to substantial market fluctuations. Additionally, there are worries about the company's ambitious timeline for Mars missions and whether it can deliver on its promises within a reasonable timeframe.

We will see how it goes tomorrow.

There is a lot of AI in the IPO story and their future plans. These tools can also be used for the e.g. job searching and application process. On both sides, (applicant and HR) with the best possible combination of common sense, human and artificial intelligence. Sometimes less is more and helpful to stay authentic and different.

Just one example: "Free Online CV & Resume Builder for Better Jobs.

The Best Online Resume Builder. Our builder helps you create professional, ATS-friendly resumes that get noticed by recruiters in seconds, not hours." see https://cv.toolscase.com/ for details.

• How to apply happiness science in the real world

• TED Talk: Origami, the ancient art form solving modern problems by Miles Wu, May 2026
• Dan Rockwell: Your Language Lens Trains Your Eyes

The FIFA World Cup 2026 starts today. My daughter, wife, and I are guessing all scores of the group period, the first 72 games of the tournament, a family competition. Below my FIFA Bracket Challenge results, the Groups and Knockouts stage predictions. My quick and easy guess, no guarantee no expertise :-)

• Nutz62's Bracket

[09-Jun-26] They are temporary

Rest to Get More Done: REST by Alex Pang

 

Good to know that the feelings are temporary!! Since 15-May-26 the statistics page of my web page provider is not working properly anymore. They show the number of daily visitors, but cannot show a weekly and monthly view anymore. Seems to be a difficult bug and the experts are working on it. I am not an expert, but do not really see the difficulty here. Hopefully it will be fixed shortly?

Next "feeling" was yesterday when I was working on the Data and Decisions course. Besides the planned topic an Excel for Statistics and Probability course was offered. In general an interesting idea and it did even make a difference between MAC (15%) and Windows (62%) as desktop operating system. But no coverage for LINUX and any other Office tool besides Microsoft. No Google Docs, no LibreOffice, or other solutions. At the beginning I could still follow even on my LibreOffice installation, but the more specific it became the more difficult it was. In the end I gave up to stop wasting more time.

“When we treat workaholics as heroes, we express a belief that labor rather than contemplation is the wellspring of great ideas and that the success of individuals and companies is a measure of their long hours.”

— Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

• Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates

• ‘We expect it to leak so we’re just announcing it’: OpenAI files confidential SEC paperwork for IPO

• Prada and Axiom just revealed the stylish cooling suit Artemis astronauts will wear under their spacesuits on the moon

• Jurgen Appelo: The 10X Test - Always aim higher, whether faster, better, safer, or cheaper AND Product Backlogs Are Not Backlogs -

  A product backlog isn’t a backlog; it’s a wish list with deadlines you may never keep.

• Most Active Physical AI Investors in America - Future 50 Report - VENTURE CAPITAL LANDSCAPE 2026

• SpaceX unveils 11-million-square-foot Gigasat factory, a new manufacturing facility for space-based data centers

[07-Jun-26] The week 23-2026 summary 

"A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships were built for."

 

“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” -- Abraham Maslow

Proceeding with the Data and Decisions topic tomorrow. I plan to finish 2 - 3 courses to save some time for the final project preparation. Still an interesting and surprising topic, some parts are straight forward and common sense from my personal perspective, others are more than strange for me. Even with mathematical interest and background not so easy to follow.

From the colleagues in the EMBA I hear a lot of positive opinions and fascination for the topic, not my cup of tea, but it has to be done as well. So let's keep going ...

• Progress Is Fuel: Why Perfectionist Leaders Never Win
  Five ways leaders can turn small wins into lasting change
  by Gustavo Razzetti

• What Graduates Need To Know About AI And Entry-Level Jobs by Bernard Marr
  

• The New Skills Graduates Need In The Age Of AI by Bernard Marr
  

• The Art of Improvement video: How to Design a Productive Day That Actually Works

"I have learned that the novice can often see things that the expert cannot. What is necessary is not to be afraid of making mistakes or appearing naive." -- from 75 Quotes from Abraham Maslow

[06-Jun-26] Soccer World Cup starting shortly 

50th anniversary of a Scotland - Germany friendship

 

As I mentioned in a previous post, 22-May-2026 was the 50th anniversary of the 1st contact with my penfriend Eric from Scotland. What started 1976 is still in place, a great relationship. Just yesterday I got a small present, a T-shirt with our combined flag. My wife immediately mentioned, a good fit for the final of the 2026 Soccer World Cup in Canada, Mexico and USA from 11 June - 19 July 2026, with 48 teams. The largest World Cup ever.

I had an interesting interaction with GEMINI about the tournament and possible prerequisites and good practices to win, based on the data from the last 100 years. The four primary prerequisites include:

• Defensive Resilience

• Tactical Pragmatism

• Squad Composition

• Psychological Shielding

Because national teams have limited training time, a coach's impact is distinct from club football. Their success hinges on: Rapid Adaptation, Set-Piece Science, and Man-Management.

Data models and prediction markets heavily favor four teams that perfectly align with the historical prerequisites, in probability order:

1. Spain
2. France
3. England
4. Argentina

"For context, the gap between the top four and the rest of the world is statistically significant. The closest challengers looking to defy the numbers are Portugal (7.0% probability), Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti (6.6%), and Germany (5.1%)."

We will see in the coming more than 5 weeks. Not everything can be predicted and foreseen even by AI, with the best data and computing power in the background.

"The coaching sessions clients describe as “powerful” are often the ones that change the least. Because insight feels satisfying. Behavioral change rarely does." -- Graham Nicholls

• [06-Jun-26] The LEGO Architecture Sagrada Família

• Dan Rockwell: Don’t Confuse Passion With Purpose
• TED Talk: Why the best ideas come from play by Maxwell Pearce, May 2026

• Here's the remote job checklist that's helping people land opportunities in 2026

• Google to pay SpaceX nearly $1B monthly as Gemini computing demand rapidly grows

• The most expensive AI degree in the world… is now completely free 

[04-Jun-26] Preparing the next workshop

After the last workshop, is before the next workshop

 

As the aggregated information about the different Personality Types in a team was a good starting point last Tuesday, I did propose the same approach for a next workshop with 70+ people in autumn. Focus areas should be team interaction with and between different levels/roles in the hierarchy.

Topics like communication, resilience, self-confidence, team spirit and team support, should be covered, discussed, and maybe developed. Understand yourself and your team, as a starting point to change and hopefully to improve going forward. More to be discussed and agreed, 1st alignment meeting is next week - to truly connect.

After 5 Internship interviews in one week, I was thinking about their situation in the current market. I get a lot of great profiles, several with work experience (between finishing their Bachelor studies and starting a Master study) of 2 - 5 years, multi-language, with technical and data analytics or science skills. Great potential, but still difficult to find a position in the industry for a mandatory or voluntary internship. Why is this the case when we seem to have a huge skill shortage and war for talent? For me, all excuses and only short-term thinking. To build trust and a reliable relationship, you need to invest time and money. Still not happening enough ...

Europe wants to get independent from US technology platforms, a difficult plan that will take a lot of time and requires strategic investments:

• DuckDuckGo Installs Spike as Google Moves to Replace Search With AI

• Nextcloud: Regain control over your data. The better Microsoft 365

  for private clouds.

• DeepL’s decision to process data on AWS servers leaves European customers uneasy

And more ...

• Unique art piece covers humanoid robot frame with organic plants, vegetation

• Are Orbital Data Centers the Next Frontier of AI Infrastructure?

• Dan Rockwell: You Can’t Be Too Kind AND 5 Circles of Responsibility
• TED Talk: The counterintuitive secret of leadership by Jessica Kriegel, Nov-25

[02-Jun-26] Joyful June. Let's look for what's good.

Personality Types team workshop today

 

The offsite workshop today was a big success. The participants learned a lot about themselves and their teams or department. After a 20 minute introduction to the Personality Types topic, we did put theory into action. Six random teams had to work on three random tasks during a 30 minute session.. Preparing an Elevator Pitch, a Mission Statement, or a Slogan/Logo for their department was the team assignment. 

The time was pretty short, but perfection was not the idea and pressure helps to come to results faster. After presenting the results of all teams, we finished with a Q&A session. Some examples below:

• Is It Possible to Change Your Personality Type?

• Should You Ditch Fixing Your Weaknesses And Lean Into Your Strengths?

• How to Develop and Improve Your Strengths

"To conclude, your basic personality type cannot change – however, you can (and should!) change the aspects of your personality that you are unhappy with."

The 1st learning day of the new Data and Decisions topic in my EMBA was a challenge yesterday. The more I was reading, the worse it was getting, especially around the Probability Fundamentals. In the end I could finish the test that has to be done after each lesson with 90+%. Lucky and happy me, much better than expected.

• TED Talk: My $60 million science experiment by Mark Rober, Apr-26
• TED Talk: The invisible infrastructure in the sky by Adam Bry, Apr-26

• Where the Ultra-Rich Are Growing Fastest

• The Japanese have a beautiful way of looking at life

• SpaceX gets US approval to test new Starfall capsules for space manufacturing

• Africa’s first crane-less 6 MW turbine installed amidst extreme wind conditions

[31-May-26] My week 22-2026 highlights

"The trouble with automating too early is that you scale the mess." -- Jurgen Appelo

 

Just back from a 2.5 day trip to the Sauerland today. "The Sauerland is "Germany's inspiring outdoor region" - and for good reason. Because on 5,000 square kilometers in the swaying low mountain range landscape, characterized by dense forests, wide meadows and clear lakes, there are so many opportunities for experiences of all kinds."

Great weather, even with rain what is good for the nature, location & food, and just 2 hours away from home. One of the largest contiguous forested areas in Germany, a good fit to the ECOSIA financial report from Apr-26 by the way.

The QUANTIC Executive MBA (EMBA) is proceeding with the next main topic tomorrow - Data and Decisions - all about data collection, statistics, probability, regression, and data-driven decisions. The exam week will start on 06-Jul-26.

Tuesday morning I will be hosting a 90 minute workshop for our Cyber Security team. Looking forward to it, as a lot of the participants were really interested in their result of the Personality Test, and what I will be doing with the aggregated information for the whole team. 1.54 billion people have taken a 16Personalities test so far, a great database of results and insights into differences by country and culture. Knowledge that should be used more often, for individuals as well as in team setups.   

"Only 10 minutes to get a “freakishly accurate” description of who you are and why you do things the way you do. In our free type descriptions you’ll learn what really drives, inspires, and worries different personality types, helping you build more meaningful relationships."

• Little Openings. Moments that invite connection by Jono Hey

The email from sketchplanations just arrived in my inbox, a good fit to the personality types topic, and kind of selective perception.

I see the same for my EMBA finalization project - the best possible strategic advice to use the 75 - 80 billion US$ that SpaceX might earn with the IPO mid Jun-26. Articles about potential investments show up more often, as we come closer to the IPO date. Some examples below:

• Starship Just Logged Another Big Win, And The Real Story Is Bigger Than Rockets

• FAA grounds SpaceX's Starship V3 megarocket after Flight 12 'mishap'

• 6 Space Data Center Startups Raised $1B to compete with SpaceX, Google, Blue Origin: the $Trillion Bet

• Space Debris Threatens Climate Satellites as Collision Risks and Avoidance Maneuvers Rise

• 33,000 high-speed objects now turn Earth’s orbit into a growing collision zone

• Sam Altman’s Problem Isn’t Artificial Intelligence. It’s Human Disagreement

• AI Could Wipe Out Entry-Level Jobs, And That Should Terrify Business Leaders by Bernard Marr
  

• Over 2 million people across 170+ countries have already learned AI from this FREE course.

[27-May-26] Obviously Awesome ...

“How do you beat Bobby Fischer? You play him at any game but chess.” ― April Dunford

 

When you are not reading books, you can start with the 8 minutes summary video.

Two interesting days finished. Yesterday I did meet a former colleague, who is now working for another company. Great insights about the motivation to change, leaving your comfort zone fully motivated, and how to get familiar with a new work environment. The more open and willing to learn you are, the better for the change process.

Today we did visit our Network Operating Center, to better understand the complexity of the end to end process. From getting the initial content, preparing and distributing it to the customers. A lot of small things can go wrong with huge impact on all customers. Kudos to the technical experts and support team, to keep everything up and running.

One highlight of the week so far was - ENCYCLICAL LETTER. MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV ON SAFEGUARDING THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE TIME OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Interested in a Gemini Executive Management Summary, based on the following prompt: "Can you please create an executive management summary of the uploaded document. Maximum two pages in an understandable, not too financial language. Besides that listings of the Top-10 risks, Top-10 promises, Top-10 financial figures, Top-10 strategic ideas and other useful and remarkable topics." see here, I was really impressed, even by the formatting of the final PDF document.

• TED Talk: How to stand out in the ocean of AI slop by Mick Mahler, Nov-25

• What Do Great Leaders Have in Common? By Douglas R. Conant

• Dan Rockwell: 5 Truths About Trust

• [27-May-26] Are You Better Today Than You Were Yesterday? By Frank Sonnenberg

• Canada’s Tree Pulp Battery: Biodegradable, No Toxic Waste

• China: ENGINEAI’s 129,000 sq ft factory claims to build one humanoid robot every 15 mins
  

[25-May-26] Food for thought ...

Food exports have become one of the clearest measures of global economic power.

 

Using the public holiday today for a quick post, as I will be away in the coming 3 - 4 days for different evening activities. I am sure you will survive ...

Besides the food for the stomach there is also the food for your brain. Either via learning or coaching as one example:

• Here are 9 free AI courses with certificates worth your time in 2026

• How To Coach Employees, credit to George Stern

• One AI prompt just replaced 6 sessions of executive coaching.
  

  Liz Bradford gives it to you for free.

Some Engineering stuff:

• Smart solar tiles are interesting. They merge roofing materials with clean energy technology, turning the roof itself into the power system instead of adding panels on top.

• Is space the ultimate solution for our environmental crisis?

• China tests humanoid robots in tea farms before the 2026 World Robot Games

• What did Oppenheimer do the moment the first atomic bomb detonated? By Eve Simon

Good food to eat and to improve your brain, requires quality and a positive mindset to value the required investment. It is not available for free or low cost. Sometimes to have to balance missing money with a little bit more personal time investment, hopefully it will be worth to you?

I will meet a friend tomorrow evening, will be on a team excursion to another company location on Wednesday, have table tennis training Thursday evening, and will be away for a short holiday with my wife from Friday to Sunday. Good life-work alignment required. On 02-Jun-26 I will be hosting a workshop at our Hirschburg training location in Koenigswinter, final preparation work is still to be done until then. As I like to reuse material from previous workshops, the adjustment will not be that difficult and time consuming. I start tomorrow ...

[24-May-26] The week 21-2026 summary

Some really cool and forward looking engineering 

 

Besides SpaceX that is in the news on a daily basis now, potentially until the IPO on 12-Jun-26, there is much more cool stuff in different technology areas. But first we need to talk about - SpaceX Board Sets Musk Compensation Around Mars Settlement and Orbital Data Centers:

• Musk could receive up to 200 million super-voting restricted shares if SpaceX hits a $7.5 trillion market value and establishes a permanent Mars colony of at least 1 million people.
• A second tranche grants up to 60.4 million restricted shares for meeting valuation goals while running orbital data centers with 100 terawatts of compute capacity, equal to roughly 100,000 nuclear reactors.

Crazy and far forward looking, the only question is, who takes more risk here, Elon or the SpaceX board?

• Inside Asia’s first osmotic power plant: How Japan turns saltwater into electricity. Japan joins Denmark in proving osmotic power can work at scale. (25-Aug-25)

• ‘Fuel made from air': Japan achieved carbon-neutral fuel breakthrough but paused the project at a surprising moment (30-Mar-26)

• Japan’s Matchbox-sized Humidity Generator Runs 10 Days (03-Dec-25)

"If you’re struggling to start a difficult conversation, you’re not alone. People understand the cost of Conversational Debt. They just can’t find the first word. Here are seven ways to help you start." - How to Start a Difficult Conversation at Work. 7 Ways to Build the Courage and Break the Silence by Gustavo Razzetti

Some AI related stuff, to increase the amount of content you are checking out anyway:

• Video: UBTECH Walker C1 Humanoid Robot Performs Stunning Ballet Moves

• The New AI Career Divide Is Already Starting To Show by Bernard Marr
  

• When Does AI Become Too Dangerous To Ignore? By Bernard Marr
  

• Emily 2.0: One Question. Every AI Model. Side by Side. The only platform where Claude, GPT, Gemini compete for your answer

• Mistral AI's CEO says Europe has 2 years to stop becoming America's AI 'vassal state'

• NVIDIA just dropped 8 FREE AI courses

Two years. That's the narrow window Europe has to build its own artificial intelligence infrastructure before becoming permanently dependent on American tech giants, according to Arthur Mensch, the CEO of French AI startup Mistral.

[21-May-26] Quick pictures and links

Free and sunny Thursday ... 

 

Looking forward to a long Whit weekend, with next Monday off and Tuesday as additional school holiday, plus summer temperatures. All you need ...

• Flip-Thinking. Reframing turns problems into opportunities by Jurgen Appelo

• SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) IPO prospectus

• New Data Suggests That AI Really Is Already Replacing Human Jobs

• China activates world’s first offshore wind-powered underwater data center

•  

[20-May-26] Advice for hard times

How to achieve your dreams

 

No time and motivation yesterday to write something in my BLOG after a successful Data & Analytics Day. I was part of the organization team and took the opportunity to moderate the day. As I am doing this several times during a year the team asked me to take this role.

We started the day at 08:00 AM with waiting, for supporting colleagues to show up and for 10+ tables that were missing, to setup the different games we wanted to play. 15 minutes before the official start at 09:45 AM everything was ready for the show. 7 groups with 4 teams each did switch between the 6 games we had prepared. Team size was 4 - 5 people, a good starting point to get to know each other. We played 7 rounds with 20 minutes each. Plus some break and change time in between --> 3 hours well covered and all participants were happy. A good start into the day.

After lunch we had a panel discussion with senior managers about strategy and values in our Data & Analytics environment. Well received, but hard to follow for some people, still being in the after lunch coma. Next time we will definitely do an activity to get up the blood pressure between lunch and the following agenda topic. We closed the day with the 7 groups discussing individual and team values, TRUST did win the top spot with nearly 20% of the votes from all participants.

Besides the AI Adoption by Country in 2026 picture, some interesting topics that came up lately: 

• Claude Just Changed the Economics of Knowledge Work #163

• Something Big Is Happening By Matt Shumer • Feb 9, 2026

• Claude Mythos Preview is a new frontier AI model from Anthropic

• What happens in a world run by AI? They fall in love, kill themselves, commit arson

"The experience that tech workers have had over the past year, of watching AI go from "helpful tool" to "does my job better than I do", is the experience everyone else is about to have. Law, finance, medicine, accounting, consulting, writing, design, analysis, customer service. Not in ten years. The people building these systems say one to five years. Some say less. And given what I've seen in just the last couple of months, I think "less" is more likely." -- Matt Shumer

• McKinsey Quarterly: Quantum’s bold promise: What business leaders need to know

• Dan Rockwell: The best ability is teachability
• TED Talk: The simple habit for a happier social life by Nicholas Epley, Apr-26

• The US is pouring more capital into AI data centers in 6 years (~$930B) than the inflation-adjusted cost of the Marshall Plan, Apollo, Manhattan Project, and the Interstate Highway System — combined.

• NASA tests 80-pound student-built robot designed to mine soil for Artemis moon bases

[17-May-26] My week 20-2026 highlights 

Circle of Control: Free Worksheet & Example to Reduce Worry

 

"Your circle of control includes your thoughts, actions, and choices. It’s the things you have direct power over. Outside that circle are things you can’t control, like other people’s behavior or the weather."

The description is a good fit to the 2nd picture - You are taking too many things personally. One bad comment should not ruin your entire day...

by Justin Mecham

I was watching parts of the 24-hour race on the Nuerburgring yesterday and today. A really great example for the Circle of Control and to never take it too personal. 

Because, you have different levels of professional drivers, Max Verstappen Formula One driver did try a new environment this weekend, sitting in a car prepared by professional mechanics, running on tires from several companies. The cars are from different car manufacturers

and race class categories, with a wide range of horse-power, aerodynamic capabilities, acceleration, and high-speed, all using the same race track. The drivers are in teams of 2 - 4 people, to better manage the 24 hours racing.

"Outside that circle are things you can’t control, like other people’s behavior or the weather" - exactly what happened in the last two days. Weather between, sun, rain and even snow, at the same time as the track is 25 kilometers long. And other drivers, crashing, driving too slow or not going out of the way fast enough. The car of Max had a technical defect being in the 1st position for most of the time. The car in 2nd place, did fall back to the 3rd place in the last 2 minutes of the race, due to a crash of another driver - out of control. More opportunities:

• We look forward to seeing you again on 10-14 June 2026 for the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans with the return of some big-name manufacturers in Hypercar class: Aston Martin, Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Genesis, Peugeot and Toyota.

• CROWDSTRIKE 24 HOURS OF SPA on 25-28 June 2026

Big week next week with the Data & Analytics Day on Tuesday, will be fun:

• Things Can Be Both. 3 Reminders When You Feel Conflicted by Wisdom Made Easy
  

• The Next Big AI Shift Is Selling Digital Workers-As-A-Service by Bernard Marr
  

[14-May-26] April weather in May ...  

Ice Saints 2026 - May 11th to 13th/14th

 

During the public holiday today we had a wide variety of blue sky and heavy rain, plus everything in between. Typical April weather in May, and much colder than last week. We used a short period of blue sky for a quick walk outside. 

Anyway, you cannot make everybody happy with the weather. Some complain, others don't care and are happy about any condition, as you can see on the picture.

Today I did upload the 2026 eBOOK until 12-May-26 on my web-page, see under Downloads.

Yesterday my team did get the feedback for the STRATEGY project. We reached a 3/5 and passed. Some complaints about missing details and a small usage of AI in the text. Good and helpful recommendations and feedback for the final project of the EMBA. The complaint about the AI text was somehow expected, but it goes both ways. I did control the feedback with several AI checkers again, and the majority did say 90 - 100% AI generated after a scan.

How Do AI Detectors Work? Methods and Limitations

I have to go back to work tomorrow and cannot enjoy a bridge day as many colleagues, because there is a lot of work still to be done for the Data & Analytics day next Tuesday.

Two more links related to data centers in space, plus many more content:

• Google and SpaceX negotiating launch deal for orbital data centers, reports claim

• Lonestar - STARVAULT: THE FUTURE OF DATA STORAGE IS IN SPACE

 

• SPAN Announces XFRA, a Distributed Data Center Solution to Close the Speed-to-Power Gap for AI Compute Demand

 

• China unveils hydrogen-powered fuel cell stack for long-range industrial drones

• After letting Claude coach me, I understand why coaches are panicking about AI. Because within 2 minutes, I realized something uncomfortable: AI is already good enough to expose coaches whose value is just information.

• Dan Rockwell: 3 Anchors That Hold You Back AND Your Time Lens Shapes Direction
• Gallup: What 2025 Federal Reforms Did to Worker Engagement AND Thai Employees Lead Southeast Asia in Engagement Gains

• Large Study Finds That Replacing Workers With AI Is Backfiring Badly

• pwc: The ecosystem opportunity for industrial manufacturers

"Know your target audience. Always keep them at the forefront of your mind. Understand their lifestyle and what they are looking for. Gather their feedback and use it to tailor your approach. The voice of the consumer is an essential input into the development of any fashion business or blog." -- Imran Amed, Canadian - Editor

[10-May-26] The week 19-2026 summary

About difficult conversations ...

Let's start with some Psychological Safety related topics:

"Psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. Psychological safety at work is a shared expectation held by members of a team that teammates will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for sharing ideas, taking risks, or soliciting feedback."

• Here's How 19 HR Leaders Define Psychological Safety In The Workplace

• Tanmay Vora: Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers: Turning Beliefs Into Behaviours That Build Trust
• The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Psychological safety is not about being nice. It is about whether the truth can enter the room. Most rooms I walk into, it can't.

A busy week in my QUANTIC Executive MBA and getting a first understanding of the final project called Capstone. My team is established and we know that we will be working on a Strategy Report. Much more than required, so we are on a good track right now.

The more I think about my idea to smartly invest the $75 billion that Elon Musk might earn with the SpaceX IPO in June 2026, the more crazy ideas are coming up.

Today I was thinking about several Tesla Optimus driving and maintaining a space data center, to guarantee seamless and 24/7 xAI, Starlink, and other services. With the sun as energy provider and to use space for cooling purposes. Why not? There is more time for other crazy, and not immediately obvious ideas. Sounds like fun ...

• Gallup: Europeans Upbeat on Job Market but Not Engaged at Work.

  European employees posted largest gain in job optimism since 2011 yet remain least engaged globally

• How to Fix the Three Conversation Patterns That Keep Your Team Stuck. Practical first steps to move your team from avoidance, blame, and groupthink to real conversations by Gustavo Razzetti

• The Power of Small Changes. 3 Ways to Embrace the Power of Small Steps by Wisdom Made Easy
  

• McKinsey & Company: Monthly Highlights, May 2026
• The Art of Improvement video: You're Not Stuck - You're Too Comfortable

• AI Could Wipe Out Entry-Level Jobs, And That Should Terrify Business Leaders, by Bernard Marr

• Dan Rockwell: Break the Habit of Bad Habits

• NASA tests confirm next-generation Mars rotors can safely break the sound barrier

• Why AI Projects Fail (the 10 Failure Modes)

• The fastest way for a coach to burn out? Confusing commitment with coachability.

• People form opinions before you even speak. Your posture. Your eye contact. Your expressions. All of it sends a message. And that message is often stronger than your words.
  

“When team members trust one another, when they know that everyone on the team is capable of admitting when they don’t have the right answer, and when they’re willing to acknowledge when someone else’s idea is better than theirs, the fear of conflict and the discomfort it entails is greatly diminished.” – Patrick Lencioni, taken from 60 Essential Quotes on Building Psychological Safety for Team Members

[06-May-26] Hamdi Ulukaya and Their Immigration Story

Authenticity: Are You Proud to Be You?

"Ulukaya transformed from Kurdish immigrant who fled persecution to founder of a yogurt empire that employs 2,000+ workers across multiple facilities. Approximately 30% of Chobani's workforce consists of refugees and immigrants from 19+ nationalities, demonstrating refugee hiring's business benefits"

I read about Hamdi in my weekly stock market magazine today. They are featuring interesting investors on a weekly basis. He has a great story, success, and character. Worth to have a closer look.

"Because the industry rewards people for getting certified… not for being effective. You were trained to have answers. Great coaches make clients face what they’ve been avoiding. Your certification taught you frameworks and techniques. It rewarded you for completing hours and modules. It helped you ask good questions." by Graham Nicholls

• Seth Godin's blog: AI together

• The Org Chart Is Choking Your Craft. As the Org Chart Is Dying, the Team of One Is What Replaces It by Jurgen Appelo

• TED Talk: Why I spend hours sketching in conflict zones by George Butler, Apr-25

I don't believe in coincidences, but in destiny. Fun fact: When I was thinking about the final project of my Executive MBA on Monday and had the SpaceX idea, I was thinking of my buddy who is living in Texas. Maybe close to Elon Musk's new city, Starbase?

He did contact me yesterday and asked, if I have a team already or would be interested to join him and a friend. I did pitch my idea and mentioned that he is close to Elon Musk, what would be a great fit and advantage. Final decision is still outstanding ...

"Entrepreneurship is seen as if you're in Silicon Valley or New York City and starting an app business or a social-media business, which is cool. But what we really have to focus on is people who make things, and how can we fund them, and how can we encourage people to stay in their community and make a difference in their community." -- Hamdi Ulukaya,

Turkish - Businessman Born: 1972

[05-May-26] Still reading books?

Fairphone's Impact Report 2025 (page 30)

Yesterday my EMBA cohort did get first insights into the final project, called CAPSTONE, that will finish our 16-month journey in Nov-26. We can either develop a Strategy report (a consulting assignment) or a Business plan (for a new real or dream company). Up to 35 pages and a 10 minute video presentation are the two deliverables.

A first high level idea is due by mid Jul-26, to be reviewed with the academic office. By then it has to be finally decided, if the project will be done individually or as team effort. Sounds straight forward, but after reading the detailed handbook first questions came up already. So time to breath, relax, sit back and enjoy, instead of panic mode.

Out of past experience I can say that I am not a self-employed character, so the Business plan option was out pretty quickly. As a Strategy report was the task of the last project we just delivered some days ago, this sounded like fun and a good idea. My current thinking process so far below, thanks to GEMINI deep research for insights and references:

• Strategic Analysis of the SpaceX Initial Public Offering: Valuation, Structural Integration, and the Capitalization of the Orbital Economy

• Environmental Implications of Orbital Launch Expansion: A Comprehensive Analysis of Atmospheric, Marine, and Regulatory Dynamics

• The Great Convergence: A Strategic Analysis of Telecommunications and Satellite Consolidation (2000–2036)

When you earn $75 billion from an IPO, what are the strategic options to use this money? We will see ...

• World’s largest single-unit floating wind turbine installed, could power 24,000 homes

• Dan Rockwell: Tap The Power of Subtraction AND Fuzzy Values Make Exhausted Leaders

• Building versus Buying AI Agents: Split Your Stack! By Jurgen Appelo
  

[01-May-26] Do something kind ...

Caring Leadership: 7 types of rest

"Do something kind for someone you really care about" is the 01-May-26 entry in the Action for Happiness calendar. A lot more to come during the Meaningful May, have a look.

I personally did give away a small May Tree to my wife, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the first May Tree I gave to her some years ago :-)

Another 2026 anniversary by the way. There will be a second one later today when I will pass the 3,000,000 readers on my BLOG counter, an unbelievable number that I could never assume when I started on 04-Jul-2016, a great success story and a lot of fun and appreciation since then.

Two more days left to deliver the final result for our Strategy project case study (to finish concentration 6/10 of my QUANTIC Executive MBA). So far the team projects were Excel Sheet based, pretty structured and straight forward to handle as team. This time we have to write a professional report with up to 2,500 words in free text. We can reference some of the well known Strategy Frameworks, but there is still a lot of room for discussion, alignment and final agreement.

The next three concentrations are finished by an exam only. Finally we have the Capstone project as #10, more details will be shared starting next week Monday. Looking forward to the insights and the potential effort that will be required to finish successfully.

• AI Leadership Assistants
  Free tools powered by Gen-AI and designed by THNK to support you in your everyday leadership challenges

• Apples, Oranges, and Iceberg Metrics
  3 Rules of Thumb for Thinking About Data

• Mapped: Every Country’s Fertility Rate as Births Decline Worldwide

• [01-May-26] How Much Clean Energy Have Countries Added Since 2015?

Related to the IKIGAI topic --> Reconnect with who you were as a child

I use this example often when I host workshops about personality types. These tests are looking for attitude and not skill set.

Attitudes are made up of feelings, behaviors, and beliefs. Attitudes can change due to learning, social pressure, or new information.

"Don’t spend your precious time asking “Why isn’t the world a better place?” It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is “How can I make it better?” To that there is an answer." -- Leo Buscaglia, taken from 

100 Attitude Quotes To Improve Your State Of Mind By Maxime Lagacé

Also: "Preparation + Attitude + Opportunity + Action = Luck." -- John C. Maxwell

[29-Apr-26] About Emotional Intelligence 

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) By Mia Belle Frothingham

Not everybody is open for every topic, or can easily understand more complex or difficult details. One approach is to explain the topic in easier language, like you would do it for kids. Below the Aida AI perspective as one indication:

It makes sense to explain difficult topics to 5-year-old kids because it helps them build a foundation of understanding that can grow over time. Breaking down complex subjects into simple concepts can spark curiosity and stimulate their learning. However, this approach comes with pros and cons.

One advantage is that presenting tough subjects in an age-appropriate manner can demystify them, making it easier for children to grasp the basics. On the other hand, oversimplifying information may lead to misunderstandings or misconceptions that could be challenging to correct later on. Striking a balance between clarity and accuracy is essential when explaining complex topics to young children.

See as example:

• Emotional Intelligence (EQ) By Mia Belle Frothingham Updated on
  April 20, 2026 versus

• 21 Emotional Intelligence Activities, Exercises, and Worksheets by

  Michael Vallejo, LCSW on March 25, 2026

Life Is Still Analog, Not Digital (For Now). The more I use digital technologies, the more I want to push them away. By Jurgen Appelo

•  

[28-Apr-26] Make Life Happier 

I did pick up the book today, looking forward to the content ...

"This book is more than a guide to feeling better. It’s an invitation to join a growing movement of people choosing to live differently. Because lasting happiness comes not just from caring for ourselves, but from caring for each other. Whatever your situation, you can do something – and you can start today."

R.C.K.T. ("Rocket" without the vowels) --> C — Create Your Checkpoints in Reverse: "Each checkpoint informed the one before it. By starting at the end and keeping that vision in mind, they avoided overbuilding the rocket or adding unnecessary systems that made the project harder than it needed to be. --> Pick your biggest goal right now. Write the result in one clear sentence. Then list five to seven major checkpoints in reverse order, starting from the result. Each checkpoint should make the next one possible ..." 

2026 is the year of anniversaries for me:

• The 10th year of my BLOG, I started 04-Jul-2016
• The 50th year of contact with my penfriend Eric from Scotland, 22-May-1976
• My 37th year of working, I started as mechanical engineer at a drawing board in April 1989
• And some general anniversaries and commemorations of 2026

And some other interesting and helpful material for the future:

• Video: Sony’s Ace Robot Beats Top Table Tennis Pros in Real Matches
• PWC: Decoding ROI from AI AND Go deeper on AI performance insights and actions (PDF)
  

• “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” — Sheryl Sandberg

• Your coaching is not creating psychological safety. It's creating dependence.

• 70% of people who receive coaching report better work performance.

• Every change has a valley. Here is where it gets real.

•  

[26-Apr-26] The week 17-2026 summary 

A marathon highlight again ...

Last Sunday we did celebrate a Humanoid robot outrunning humans in the Beijing half-marathon, beating the world record in 50 minutes 26 seconds. Today at the London Marathon 2026: Sabastian Sawe clocks first legal sub-2 hour marathon - as it happened in one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds (1:59:30)!!

Assuming a constant speed, the humanoid robot would still be faster for the full marathon distance with 1:40:52, but changing the battery might take some time as well? Anyway both runs are really outstanding.

"Comparison and analysis of open source AI models across key performance metrics including quality, performance, inference speed, context window, parameter count & licensing details. Models are considered Open Source (also commonly referred to as open weights) where their weights are accessible to download. This allows self-hosting on your own infrastructure and enables customizing the model such as through fine-tuning. Click on any model to see detailed metrics." Check it out ...

Tomorrow I will be in the office to host a team workshop. The idea is to discuss and agree our goals for fiscal year 2026/2027, and who is doing what? And who is willing and able to do this, plus anything we do not want to do going forward. When you reduce resources you have to reduce the team responsibility as well, as the available working time is not increasing. Automation and simplification might be approaches to streamline the current ways-of-working, but only between tight guardrails.

The Excel sheet is the last activity for my QUANTIC team, to propose strategic ideas for the case study company, and how to best implement it in the four areas under discussion. Delivery date is 03-May-26.

• Costs vs. expenses. Same money out, different impact.
  

• How to Understand What Energizes and Drains Your Team
  A simple exercise to read your team’s pulse (with a facilitation guide and tool download) by Gustavo Razzetti

• The AI Trap More Companies Will Fall Into In 2026 by Bernard Marr
  

• What If AI Isn’t A Bubble, But It Still Crashes The Economy? By Bernard Marr
  

•  

[22-Apr-26] From Self-Awareness to Action

Ignore Sparks, and You’re Playing with Fire By Frank Sonnenberg

Two interesting articles today from Angela C. Crawford, PhD and Frank Sonnenberg. Picking Gather facts from Frank's list of 10, and combining it with Angela's Leaders Succeed Together newsletter from today:

"A single assessment gives you a slice of the picture. One lens can tell you how you prefer to communicate, or what energizes you, or what you value most. But people are multidimensional, and so are teams. When you layer multiple validated frameworks together, something powerful emerges: a full-color portrait rather than a thumbnail sketch."

1. Free DISC Test: Fast DISC Personality Results

2. Free CliftonStrengths Assessment - Discover Your Top Talents

3. Free VIA Character Strengths test

4. Free 5-Question Zone of Working Genius Quiz (Patrick Lencioni's model)

Just in case you do not believe in the result of a single personality test, have a plan B available and combine e.g. four different perspectives, as listed above. It is just a matter of some of your dedicated quality time to be invested.

• Ecosia has 250 million trees planted

• US firm unveils submarine-hunting drone with 9,200-mile-range, 35 mph top speed

• The Dropster 3.0 is the net gun for experts in mini drone combat. However, handling is still simple and quick

• SpaceX partners with AI startup Cursor, may buy it for $60 bn

Have a great rest of your week.

•  

[21-Apr-26] TED talk May-2010 ... 

The Golden Circle provides compelling evidence of how much more we can achieve if we start everything we do by first asking a simple question: “Why?”

“More people can now produce work that looks good. Technically strong, often weightless. The signal has changed.

So everything shifts inward. 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆. Purpose alone doesn’t differentiate. But understanding the why becomes the anchor when everything else moves."

An interesting article and perspective, also works well in the current work environment. Related to e.g. the "war for talent", the shortage of skilled workers, difficulties to find a job for best-ager with 50+ (ATS age discrimination), and for young talents & students in connection with entry or juniors positions. All need to be clearer about their WHY, for themselves and for the recipients of their job posting or application - less speed and more quality.

• South Korea’s gas battery turns greenhouse gases into electricity during capture

• Tesla hits 0% charge in remote Chilean desert as YouTuber uses hood-mounted solar

• New e-bike made from wood packs 350 Wh battery for 50 miles of range

• The Leadership Agenda for Today: What Really Matters Now by Magdalena Pertgen
  

• Dan Rockwell: 5 Questions That Unleash Humility

• The employee you hired and manage could one day become a manager ...

[19-Apr-26] My week 16-2026 highlights

You don’t always need to change your entire life to feel better

“…as the number of demonstrations has mounted, it has become clear that it is comparatively easy to make computers exhibit adult-level performance in solving problems such as intelligence tests or playing checkers, and difficult or impossible to give them the skills of a one-year-old when it comes to perception or mobility.”

This surprising pattern became known as Moravec’s Paradox, the idea that machines often do well at things people find hard, and do poorly at what is easy for us."

Interesting to see, how fast theory and reality can develop differently. Because just today a Humanoid robot outruns humans in Beijing half-marathon, beats world record.

Surprising to see the video and the speed of the robot. How does this racing end, when the human controller is pressing the STOP button, or when the battery is empty? And how does motivation work for robots, if at all?

Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation: What’s the Difference?

"Intrinsic motivation describes the undertaking of an activity for its inherent satisfaction, while extrinsic motivation describes behavior driven by external rewards or punishments.

Intrinsic motivation comes from within the individual, while extrinsic motivation comes from outside the individual."

I assume we are not at the stage yet to see intrinsic motivation of robots, but external punishment, or the start signal are working already. 

"Real power in life is not in controlling the world; it is in learning how to control your own brain, your own emotions, and your own energy."

Without a robot "brain" - "Chemicals that control your motivation, happiness, calmness, and connection are not locked inside success, money, or other people — they are hidden inside your daily habits." - the chemicals are still working in the human controller's/developer's brain. But there might be simulations or similar activities in the robot control system around the corner already? Development is running fast ...

• Dan Rockwell: The Forgotten Habit
• Anders Indset (is now on Substack): AI is Blind. The next frontier of intelligence lies not in scale, but in contact with reality.

• 16 Second Brain Practices for Solo Operators (2026). Your Human Brain Is Ghosting You: How to Stop Forgetting Your Earlier Decisions. By Jurgen Appelo

• Why Unlearning Is Vital to Succeed in the AI Era. Before adopting new ideas and practices, we must first empty our cup by Gustavo Razzetti

• Why AI Is A Game-Changer For Creatives, And Why The Creative Industries Must Fight For Their Rights by Bernard Marr

[17-Apr-26] AI detector and more ...

From GROW to GROWTH model

Today I had the opportunity to participate in a 3-hour CFO simulation game. It is a dedicated Finance training for our company in the telecommunications industry. Three sessions for three fiscal years, with possible investments in towers, shops, service trucks and staffing, from HR to service desk people. Every investment had immediate effect on cash-flow, subscribers, market coverage, Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU), customer satisfaction, and employee engagement. A great experience, worth the effort and time.

The link is just one example of several available simulation tools.

"The CFO Simulation is an immersive, online business game that replicates the core responsibilities and pressures of a modern Chief Financial Officer. Participants are placed at the helm of a company's financial department, tasked with steering the firm through multiple quarters of competitive market dynamics."

Other topic. Finally I did get a response from the QUANTIC academic feedback team about my assumption that the last feedback was AI generated. In summary: "The feedback was written by a human and the AI Detector I used is well known for false positive results, I should not be worried".

As I had the feeling that it was AI written by reading and the AI detector confirmed it, I did not buy into the response. I used other AI Detectors to check the same text again. You can see the result on the picture and judge on your own.

• Best Free AI Detector in 2026

• Best free AI detector: top tools to spot AI-generated text

AND

• Andon Market: SF’s first fully AI-run retail store with $100k budget

• Companies Just Learned a Brutal Lesson About Training AI to Do Human Jobs

• Usually, Young People Embrace New Technology. Gen Z’s Attitude Toward AI Should Worry the Entire Tech Industry

AND

• Your HR platform measures engagement. But does it improve it?

[14-Apr-26] Give and get some space   

Choose Germany as your Education Destination?

After 54 years the ARTEMIS II crew has much more space in their rocket, but the design seems to be timeless, or it is just a technical requirement. Next is ARTEMIS III ...

When I have the 1st interviews with my international Internship applicants I am always asking for their motivation to come to Germany. The most recurring arguments are the financial perspective, less than 1,000 EURO per year for study fees, and the work-life balance. An interesting perspective from the outside on Germany.

And most of the students are planning to stay in Germany after finishing their studies, to work here for several years. Proper German skills are a prerequisite, better C1 than B2 level, especially in small and midsize companies. But there is many more when you look at the picture. Two side notes:

1. Especially students from China take German classes up to C1 level before they even start to study. A delay at the beginning, but it can pay off in the end.
2. More and more German companies are complaining about the "war for talent" and the alleged "shortage of skilled workers". And our politicians come up with different ideas to mitigate this through the influx of foreigners - so far the theory ...

In reality it is difficult in the moment, to find any entry position for finished students or young professional, mostly independent from the country they are coming from, but even more for the International community. All are searching (companies and employees), but they are not matching. The pain is still not high enough. 

And on top we are facing the AI battle - An AI generated CV and cover letter are checked and judged by an ATS system - both sides are losing and an improvement is not visible yet.

Some cool links to close for today:

• TED Talk: Will AI take your job in the next 10 years? Wrong question by Vinciane Beauchene | Oct-25
• Dan Rockwell: The Leader on a Donkey AND The 6 Sense-Making Questions
• pwc: The $800 billion opportunity in health and nutrition

• World’s first 100% battery-electric cruise ship unveiled with 1,856 passenger capacity

• Tanmay Vora: The problem is never just the problem. It's the response to it that defines your team.
• Roger Federer didn’t just play longer than everyone else.

  He just started playing a different game.

• Video: Increase Performance AND Fulfillment at the Same Time: INNER EXCELLENCE by Jim Murphy
• Video: Draw a circle and make it right
• Video: Draw a square with three lines
• Video: One Team = One Dream!

• Rolls-Royce to build 470-megawatt nuclear reactors to power 3 million UK homes
  

• Obvious hires aren't smarter. They ask AI better questions.

[12-Apr-26] The week 15-2026 summary 

Artemis II Astronauts Back in Houston

Two learnings from the moon mission. Some technical problems are solved already and new technology will not make it better or different. And experience is a key skill to be successful, maybe later than sooner.

Here another good example, especially when you like the SUITS series:

• Video: Introducing Donna's Replacement: The Amazing And Experienced Gretchen | Suits -- experience beats youth

Tomorrow is the 1st day of the STRATEGY exam week of my Executive MBA. During the coming two weeks the STRATEGY project can be worked out, either individually or in a team with up to four team members. As using AI is a valid option, as long as you properly mark the AI generated text, my approach will be as follows:

I did upload the project description to Gemini and raised the 5 questions that we have to answer as part of the project. You can find the result here. I will use this as a kind of sparring partner for me and to check content and completeness of my personal work. Same as you would do in a team setup, you have different characters, with different skills, capabilities, and experience. Not everybody is expert in all areas, but the sum of all is better than the individual result. 

It is the same with AI models, they are not good in all areas. Confirmed on the picture today and by several examples below:

• By the Solo Chief Jurgen Appelo
• By the AI Maker Wyndo

• [12-Apr-26] What works for you as an individual doesn’t scale inside a business

Looking forward to the coming weeks, as a fun fact - tomorrow is the 253rd of total 506 days of the QUANTIC EMBA. Party on ...

• Video: How to actually change your life

• Good Kids Don’t Grow on Trees By Frank Sonnenberg

• You Are Allowed to Outgrow Situations. 3 Gentle Reminders if You Want to Grow by Wisdom Made Easy
  

• The High Cost of Conversational Debt and How to Break Free
  The compounding costs behind your team’s recurring frustrations. And how to start paying it down. By Gustavo Razzetti

• The Beginner's Blueprint For Building AI Agents That Handle Your Toughest Business Tasks by Bernard Marr
  

• Stop using SWOT. Start using MAPS.

• 70% of CEOs think their strategy is clear. (Only 10% of their teams agree.)

[10-Apr-26] Storytelling approaches ...

A good story works in a lot of areas

Let's start with the Artemis II mission to the moon an back. A lot of good, but some surprising stories as well:

• The Moon Spacecraft’s $30 Million Toilet Has Been a Bit of a Disaster

• How an 8-year-old designed a zero-gravity indicator for Artemis II

• NASA’s Artemis II crew photographs Earthset and rare solar eclipse near Moon flyby

• [10-Apr-26] SpaceX’s IPO Would Make It a Top 10 Company Globally

Next one the 4-day workweek as another example:

• In 2019, Microsoft Japan ran a month-long “Work-Life Choice Challenge,” giving employees every Friday off without reducing pay. The results were striking — productivity jumped by nearly 40 percent, electricity use fell by 23 percent, and paper printing dropped by 60 percent.

• Germany just showed the world something powerful. A 4-day work week wasn’t just a “nice idea” it worked. 73% of companies chose to keep it permanently. Meetings dropped by 60%.

Some AI and Energy generating stories:

• The Countries Building the Most Nuclear Power

• US firm’s micro nuclear reactor could make vessels cruise for decades without refueling

• BCG: AI Will Reshape More Jobs Than It Replaces

• The 3-Tool Stack Behind My 4 Businesses (guest post)
  Why self-awareness matters more than software when building your AI workflow by Joel Salinas

• Bob Ross, AI Interns, and the IKEA Effect. On AI, learning, and the difference between watching and doing by Marcus Raitner

• The AI Maker: Choose Your AI Learning Path

Finally Interns, students and young professionals. In the last two days I had three conversations, one with a former Intern and two interviews today. For new hires I am not looking for a list of skills, I am more interested in a good story, and rare combinations of expertise and experience. To make our existing teams even better with an outside perspective. 

One key to success is to take the understandable nervousness out of the conversation, to make it less like a job interview and more like a conversation on equal footing, like you would have it in a cafe. The less professional questions sometimes cause surprises, especially when the candidates have prepared a very strict interview path.

Some helpful links for young professional looking for an entry position, either as employee or self-employed:

• Understand your personality first: https://www.16personalities.com/
• How does your country of birth compare to Germany
• NEURA: Cognitive Robotics. A new era of human robot collaboration

• 75 top Robotics companies and startups in Germany in April 2026

• Startup Insider Daily

• Land Your Dream English-Speaking Job In Germany

Have a great and relaxing weekend ...

• ORGANIZATIONS ARE PERFECTLY DESIGNED FOR THEIR RESULTS

• Gallup: Leaders Have Better Lives but Worse Days
• Dan Rockwell: Comfort Makes You Stupid

• Technical skills get you hired. Soft skills keep you relevant, promoted, and trusted — especially as AI reshapes work.

[07-Apr-26] AI is transforming everything

pwc: 2026 outlook - Global M&A industry trends

Quick and early Heads-Up: Startup Week Duesseldorf 2026. "The eleventh edition of the Startup Week will take place from September 7 to 11, 2026, marking the start of a new decade for the event. Since its launch in 2014, Duesseldorf’s startup ecosystem has grown rapidly, from around 100 startups back then to over 550 today."

As good pictures transport content much faster and easier to process, here some examples:

• [07-Apr-26] About Servant Leadership

• Versus Micromanagement

• The 20 Tallest Buildings in the World

• Population Growth in Every Country (2000–2025)

• 7 ways to learn anything 4x faster

Politicians on LinkedIn is a strange and still surprising scenario. Everybody can be there and share content, no doubt about it, but when you promote data that can easily be checked and proofed wrong, why are you doing this? I have seen a post from the German Minister of the Economy today. Her work is tough right now due to the Iran war driving the gasoline prices into crazy highs, especially in our country.

This post is making it even worse, not directly related to gasoline, maybe just a lame red herring? More than 160+ comments questioning the accuracy shared data and providing alternatives. Will be interesting to see how this story proceeds?

• Your Hyperdrive Advantage. Solo Operators Building Clunky AI Agent Stacks Now Will Claim a Whole Market Tomorrow by Jurgen Appelo

• Engineering Flowchart (so funny)

• The Missing Operating Model: How to Turn Strategy into Execution
  by Jennifer Reed
  

• What companies think change looks like: Fast, smooth and immediate.

[04-Apr-26] A picture quiz ...

Artemis 2's 'Space Plumber' fixed the toilet on ...

The top picture would be a winner in a photo quiz, not easy to assume that it is a space toilet. Possibly not easy to use in weightlessness.

• What Was The Toilet Trouble in Artemis II Mission After Take Off, How it Resolved?

• Video: Artemis 2's 'Space Plumber' fixed the toilet on ...

• Artemis II Blog and updates

Next topic is a difficult one and it is coming up on LinkedIn daily with very different perspectives, in summary --> when is all genders finally becoming all ages as well?

"Every week I see posts from people over 50 who cannot find a job, and what stands out is not their experience or their willingness to work, it is the silence after applying, no reply, no feedback, often not even a rejection.

At the same time, companies say they cannot find people, that growth is slowing down because the right talent is not available, and that is where it starts to feel inconsistent, because if both were true at the same time, we would not be seeing this pattern so often.

And I think this is the part we do not always say out loud."

To make it even worse, no appreciation for expertise and experience above 50, and the same at the opposite side of the work force - finished students and young workers do not find an entry position, due to the current situation in the industry and AI taking away the junior positions. Exactly what I mentioned in my article in the REWIRED book from Feb-26.

Companies are turning a blind eye to reality and are not seeing the obvious, especially the HR departments who are in charge of short-, medium-, and long-term resource planning, hiring and development. They ignore the status quo and have no plan, what should be done next.

• TED Talk: I let DaddyGPT parent my kids. Here's what I learned

  Stephen Remedios (Oct-25)

• Circus elephant teaches about meetings. Do what you want. Nothing goes viral by accident. By Roberto Ferraro

• World’s first solar-powered ambulance designed for remote healthcare needs

• The leaders who protect their businesses understand this one key principle: Use EBITDA to communicate. Use cash flow to operate.
  

[02-Apr-26] “Houston, We’ve Had a Problem”

For Artemis II the 1st ever real toilet in a rocket to the moon is not working (yet)

A really funny side effect of a several year long preparation, to go back to the moon - "Artemis II builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I in 2022, and will demonstrate a broad range of capabilities needed on deep space missions. The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft." 

Some unpaid product placement or a small marketing effort from my side:

The tool I used to check my feedback for the Leading Organizations project, is the best according to several studies - "This article provides a meta-analysis of multiple research studies that showcase Originality.ai’s superior detection capabilities. These findings validate Originality.ai’s own AI detector accuracy study. They show that Originality.ai has outstanding performance when distinguishing AI-generated content from human-written text, demonstrating reliable third-party evidence of our efficacy."

... and fairphone just released the industry’s first ever nature report, well done!!

I wish you a great Easter time and break when you have some days off. here some material for free time:

• Can Humans Detect AI-Generated Text? 6 Studies Would Suggest They Can’t

• Why does the Balanced Scorecard help businesses link costs with actual business results?

• Video: Visualization of the distances in astronomy (Earth - Moon)

• Artemis II lifts off, sends four astronauts on historic 10-day lunar test. Artemis II marks NASA’s return to crewed deep-space exploration, with astronauts set to orbit the Moon and validate systems for future landings.

• You need to understand which AI skills you’re trying to develop

[01-Apr-26] Welcome to April 2026 

Organizations with excellent change management are 7x more likely to meet their objectives

A really helpful summary picture from Olga Cherkasova today. It covers all the well known frameworks that you need to master the people side of change!! Check her website ...

Just had to take care of a family IT ticket. Our scanner, an older model, needed a new WLAN connection setup after changing our Router some weeks ago. Manually entering a 46-digit password takes some time, but now it is working again. Ticket closed.

One more working day before the long Easter weekend with Friday and Monday off. Will be fun, I hope the chickens have laid enough eggs?

• TED Talk: How we’re turning pollution into toys, toothpaste and more by Xu Hao (Jun-25)

• TED Talk: 5 practical ways to take control of your life by Jim VandeHei (Nov-25)

• Your AI Agent Stack Is Spaghetti—It Should Be Lasagna. I'm building a three-layer AI agent architecture for my one-person business by Jurgen Appelo

• AI Changes Everything — Except This By Frank Sonnenberg

• World’s first solid-state battery-powered electric motorcycle production begins

• China’s humanoid robot captivates crowd with smooth catwalk and illusion turn

• World’s first hydrogen-powered engine for big cargo ships tested in Japan

• Which blind spot is costing you the most right now?

[31-Mar-26] Stay curious & ask questions

As AI gets more autonomous, the traditional “human in the loop” oversight model is showing strain.

Last Sunday I mentioned the topic about the AI generated feedback for my Leading Organizations project. In the meantime I raised an official question to the Academic office out of curiosity, to find out which tool is used and why the content is not transparently marked as AI generated. Still waiting for an answer.

Anyway a good fit to the Japanese Techniques and the marketoonist picture today. Asking questions helps and I hope that the AI generated feedback is double checked by a human expert in the loop.

Listening and Reading are both really valuable skills in these days with AI catching up, time to exercise ...

"The National Council of Teachers of English recommends scanning every book before reading it using an acronym called T.H.I.E.V.E.S: Title, Headings, Introduction, Every word in bold or italics, Visual aids, End of
chapter questions, Summary." taken from See words in a new way: SPEED READING by Kam Knight | Core Message (video)

• Video: Social Media Is Stealing Your Life. Here’s How to Take It Back
• Dan Rockwell: The Destruction of “Maybe”

• Only two types of people will be safe in the AI era, according to Palantir CEO Alex Karp

• Eve Simon: One of the biggest mistakes I see organizations make with AI? They wait for the perfect infrastructure before letting people explore. Firewalls. Restrictions. Tool approvals. Security reviews. All important and all incredibly slow.

• 15 Powerful Coaching Models + Behavioural Frameworks
  Used by top coaches, leaders, and high performers.

• From Blueprint to Reality: A Stronger Business Case for Shared Energy Infrastructure

• What’s in your control, really? (Use this as a guide) The 3 circles of influence

• New omnidirectional propulsion lets drones move freely in any direction midair

[29-Mar-26] The week 13-2026 summary

Great Ideas Are Dying in Silence. Let’s Change That.

"The real enemy isn’t fear. It’s conformity. And I’m starting a movement to fight it." -- Gustavo Razzetti

As mentioned last Sunday I recorded my Leading Organizations video on 20-Mar-26. The feedback from the QUANTIC Academic team was already available six days later, what is pretty fast with 470+ people in the same cohort. Reading the feedback I was feeling appreciated and had the confidence that somebody did see the video or reviewed the presentation I provided. Even some of my special parts were explicitly mentioned. In the end two sentences how to further improve for the next time. In summary 5 of 5 possible points.

Reading through the feedback several times I had the assumption that it might have been written by an AI system and not a human. I did confirm this today by using the AI Detector from Originality.ai™. 100% confidence that it was AI written, only the first sentence was from a human.

On the one side we have a very strict Plagiarism policy for the content we are providing -- Quantic takes academic integrity very seriously—we define plagiarism as: “Knowingly representing the work of others as one’s own, engaging in any acts of plagiarism, or referencing the works of others without appropriate citation.” -- but feedback seems to be a grey area?

Anyway, when most of the HR departments are now using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)  and AI tools can do Coaching in the meantime, giving feedback is a minor issue, or not ...

• The Best AI Tools For Coaches

• 10 Best AI Coaching Platforms to Transform Employee Development in 2025

• Transform Career Development With AI-Powered Coaching

• An AI coach built by an AI company

• AIMY™, the always-on coach

• Scale AI coaching to empower thousands of employees and students

My next EMBA topic is STRATEGY, with the exam starting in the week of 13-Apr-26 and the final project being due by 03-May-26.

sketchplanations: "A model is a tool, and its usefulness depends on what you are trying to do. If you’re trying to plot courses on a flat map, then the Mercator projection is extremely helpful. If you’re trying to understand how large Greenland is compared to other countries, then it’s misleading." 

Something that applies for a lot of areas, as I always say "not all technology that is available makes sense to be used" sometimes you are better of with the traditional or manual way of doing things. Can also be faster ...

Tomorrow is my next learning day, Tuesday I have my last holiday from 2025, Wednesday and Thursday I am in the office and Friday is Good Friday, the long Easter weekend. Just a two-day work week, why not?

• The Ultimate Guide to the 4 Day Work Week

• Find your perfect 4-day work week position

• The 4-Hour Workweek

Anders Indset: "Triangular Alchemy is not a management method. It is not a reinvention of “explore versus exploit,” nor a matrix distilled into a polished consulting slide. It is not a model to be implemented. It is a way of seeing—a perceptual instrument that allows us to understand organizations as living systems and to grasp their dynamics."

• The New Happy: Listening generously

• Shame vs. Guilt. What 81,000 people want from AI. Technical leaders make these 3 common storytelling mistakes. By Roberto Ferraro

• Your Worth Might Not Be What You Think. 3 Tips to Recognise Your Self-worth by Wisdom Made Easy
  

• AI Is Breaking Jobs Into Tasks, And That Changes Everything by Bernard Marr
  

[25-Mar-26] Do you assume everyone processes information the way you do? 

"Accuracy is true to intention and precision is true to itself"

When you have the feeling in a job interview that the applicants are using the simultaneous translation capability of e.g. TEAMS and read prescribed answers for potential questions coming up, then this might be accurate, but far away from precision. As always - not everything what is technically possible makes sense - and is far away from being authentic. AI is not always your friend!!

• These Moments Reveal Everything About You by Frank Sonnenberg

• Dan Rockwell: Defeat Negativity
• Eve Simon: The Productivity Paradox!

• Europe’s biggest vanadium battery goes live in Spain with 8 MWh storage power

[24-Mar-26] Start with one small change

Happiness Worldwide in 2026

"Global happiness trends show more countries gaining than losing happiness since 2006-2010 and Nordic countries again leading the rankings of international happiness. However, while people under age 25 in most countries are happier than they were 20 years ago, youth happiness has declined in several Western nations."

"To change your life, don’t try to change your whole life. Instead, try to change just one thing.

You might not believe it, but this single change has the power to ripple out and have a wonderful affect on many other areas in your life. It will start to influence your other choices. It will start to affect you and how you see yourself. And with time, you will look around at your life and marvel at how it has changed."

Spring time started last week and tomorrow the Winter is coming back to our area for a short visit. 10 degrees Celsius colder, windy and even snow is possible late in the afternoon. The flowers and trees will not be happy, but this sometimes happens in nature.

The new EMBA main topic Strategy started yesterday and I even found some time to look into the project description already. 

"The Aire Fresco company owners are faced with a critical strategic decision: whether to pursue the relatively known business to consumer (B2C) market, or whether to tackle the untapped, but potentially risky business to business (B2B) market.
Prepare a professional report that analyzes the firm’s internal capabilities, competitive differentiation, the competitive landscapes of the industry in both the B2C and B2B markets, and make recommendations as to the best option for Aire Fresco to pursue."

Frameworks like Porter's Five Forces, a PESTLE and SWOT analysis are expected to be used. The report should be around 2000-2500 words long, including a range of charts, figures and imagery. The project can be done as team or individually. Will be a good learning experience.

• Stop Balancing. Start Switching. Eight signals for knowing when to pivot between exploration and execution by Jurgen Appelo

• Dan Rockwell: Challenge All Requirements
• Structure Meetings: The principle is simple: Your agenda reflects your priorities. If decisions come last, they get delayed. If they come first, they get resolved.

• Despite all the noise , companies and recruiters are still overlooking the value of professionals over 50

• New 3D-printed robot uses wind instead of batteries to explore harsh terrains

[22-Mar-26] My week 12-2026 highlights

100 Questions to Give and Receive Better Feedback

"Icebergs make powerful metaphors because much of what matters is hidden. Despite knowing the maths, it’s still genuinely surprising and sometimes hard to believe that 90% of an iceberg is beneath the surface."

As planned I recorded my Leading Organizations video last Friday for my QUANTIC Executive MBA. It was a little bit longer than required, but I made a detailed introduction and did some marketing for the REWIRED: Leadership in the Age of AI book by Eve Simon at the end. Did fit to the content of my presentation and I did write a paragraph for the book as well.

The next main concentration topic will be STRATEGY, starting tomorrow. The same day when the last dedicated project will unlock. After the Strategy project all remaining topics will just be finished with an exam. Gives more time for the big finalization Capstone project that unlocks on 04-May-26 and has to be delivered by 15-Nov-26. All learned subjects will be included, as far as I did understand it so far. We will see shortly. First things first with Strategy now.

"The Five R’s Feedback Model

It’s not a rigid checklist. It’s a conversation starter that includes five steps. Often, we limit the feedback discussion to the actual moment, the feedback conversation. But what happens before and after is equally important. Think of the 5R’s of Feedback framework as a map to help navigate feedback conversations. When both givers and receivers use the same map, it’s easier to find common ground."

• Gallup: Accountability Is Leadership's Greatest Weakness

  Seven competencies define success, but one stands out as the most urgent deficiency

• The 25 Best Countries to Retire in 2025

• New transparent solar windows can generate power 24/7

• What’s in Your Wellbeing Toolbox? 3 Ways to Manage Your Wellbeing by Wisdom Made Easy
  

• Choosing The Right AI In 2026 Is No Longer About Choosing The Right Model by Bernard Marr
  

"It is surprising how little most small business values the customers. A positive feedback from the customer is critical to your business, and what's more important is their referral." -- Fabrizio Moreira, Ecuadorian - Politician Born: January 18, 1982

[19-Mar-26] World Happiness Report 2026

How Do Smart People Lose Their Way?

"Trends in global happiness: Nordic countries lead the happiness rankings once again. Finland is still in a group of one at the top, followed by a group of three: Iceland, Denmark, and Costa Rica. Sweden and Norway complete the top six, followed by the Netherlands, Israel, Luxembourg, and Switzerland to round out the top ten. Costa Rica’s rise to 4th marks the highest ever ranking for a Latin American country."

As always, really interesting insights in the Gallup 2026 report. Nordic countries are no surprise, but Costa Rica is. 272 pages worth reading and looking for data to reuse. Take your time. Here a TED talk that might be somehow related - I taught rats to drive. They taught me to enjoy the ride by Kelly Lambert, Nov-25

I told you on 10-Mar-26 that I passed the Leading Organizations exam with 88 of the 80 percentage required. Perfectly fine for me when you take the Pareto principle and "Done is better than perfect" into consideration. In the meantime I did read in the Slack channel of my Cohort that some people were questioning if the exam platform was presenting the right answers for all questions. There seemed to be some disagreement about right and wrong. 

Fun fact, yesterday I was reading a LinkedIn article of a Cohort member, who was celebrating a 100% exam result after spending 4 hours. Respect and congratulations, no doubt about it. But when some of the Cohort members are right with their assumption about the correct question and answer mapping, how can you get a 100% result?

Anyway, my effort-result ratio was sufficient, will be my way forward as well.

• The Human in the Middle, by Eve Simon

• Dan Rockwell: 5 Daily Responsibilities of Managers

• The Sleepy Agent Boss. My five principles for building an AI agent orchestration architecture by Jurgen Appelo

• McKinsey & Company: The future of restaurants: Precision in the kitchen, connection at the table

• Scientists make engineered bacteria convert plastic waste into Parkinson’s drug

• The hardest thing about leadership frameworks? They make it sound like progress is linear.

[17-Mar-26] Two Dan Rockwell posts ...

Always good to support colleagues

I am definitely not putting myself on the same level as Dan Rockwell, he is far ahead with respect to experience, success and daily delivery of his

Leadership Freak blog, no doubt. Two examples from the last two days, also related to the two pictures today:

• 16-Mar-26: 10 Ways to Fight Fair
• 17-Mar-26: Your Ego the Saboteur

Interested in more insightful Blogs or Newsletters, see Interesting Links on my webpage (middle column). And a quick AIDA AI summary:

A good blogger is someone who is passionate and knowledgeable about their chosen topic, engages with their audience through valuable and well-written content, maintains consistency in posting, interacts with readers through comments and social media, and continuously seeks to improve and evolve their writing style. Being authentic, relatable, and trustworthy are key qualities that make a blogger successful in building a loyal following.

 

The public transport strike in Duesseldorf is off tomorrow for one day and proceeds on Thursday. Good for me and my at Campus working plan, but bad for all the impacted travelers and users of the system that is supposed to be much more sustainable than the car traffic. 

YES we have the right to strike for better work conditions, but the

proportionality between impact on uninvolved customers, and the expected results seems to be out of sync now!!

• The Barbell Economy Is Reshaping Your Career. How Big Tech and Micro-entrepreneurs Are Changing the Workforce by Jurgen Appelo

[15-Mar-26] The week 11-2026 summary

Everyone's chasing the next AI productivity tool. Meanwhile, the rules that actually work have been around for decades.

On 10-Mar-25 I passed the 2,000k reader mark for the 1st time, in the meantime the counter is beyond 2,810k already. Back on 18-Mar-21 the counter was at 500k, long long ago ...

I am going back to work tomorrow, as a new Intern is starting. Due to another public transport strike on Tuesday, all Duesseldorf traffic is down, I will be working from home. Was planned differently, but you have to be flexible. Hopefully during the week my coughing will be going away and I can finally record the video for the Leading Organizations project, it is due my next week Sunday. The majority of the work is done already, so not a lot of pressure yet.

• Anders Indset: From the End of Growth to a 10× Economy?
• Video: You're Not Lazy - It's Overstimulation by The Art of Improvement

• Emotional intelligence: the 1 thing everybody misses. Your manager is already investing in you. 10 charts that capture how the world is changing. By Roberto Ferraro

• Davos 2026: Jensen Huang On The Five Layer AI Cake, The AI Bubble And Key AI Breakthroughs by Bernard Marr
  

• Age is just a mindset. You're never too old to start something. You're never too young to be an expert.

• Quantum computers still struggle with chemistry’s hardest molecular calculations 

[13-Mar-26] Next month, Friday 13th again

Africa has by far the youngest population, and living by your own values

My illness is getting better, but still causing some unplanned down-times, as yesterday. My Leading Organizations presentation is finished, I just have to wait until the coughing is getting better, to record the video without breaks.

Related to the topic we had a QUANTIC webinar today - An Entrepreneur’s Insight: Bold Moves & Smart Hires with Dr. Sara Alshareef and Lennard van Vloten. Besides a lot of interesting insights and shared experience, my two learnings:

1. Using the 16Personalities test and results for hiring and team building
2. Special advise for introverts: Book summary video: HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE by Dale Carnegie

I had a lot of discussion about hiring in the past days. With young students looking for an entry position, and EMBA colleagues being interested in executive search. Some examples:

• As you do not know, if the company you are applying for is using an ATS system, be compliant with your CV anyway.
  https://bettercv.com/cv-ats

• And map your CV with the job description upfront and improve the matching score before you apply.
  https://www.cv-by-jd.com/cv-jd-matching

• The rest is being authentic and to stand out of the mass of applying candidates, needs some time to find your personal approach here.

• I did work as headhunter in the past (2017/2018) and can just recommend to build relationships and networks as early as possible, even when a change is not planned yet. In the moment you need the support, there is no time to start building from scratch first. Especially executive research is doing their homework constantly, they know the right time to get in contact with you, don't worry.

• Proactively building such relationships is okay when you see a common topic or interest. When it is more artificial or could feel like it, better not. Especially when you are not under pressure in the moment. 

Next International Day of Happiness is 20-Mar-26 and The 2026 World Happiness Report: A Global Conversation on Wellbeing comes out 19-Mar-26.

• Video: Make people feel heard (build better relationships): HOW TO LISTEN WITH INTENTION by Patrick King
• TED Talk: What happened when I started measuring my life every day by Chris Musser, Oct-25

• The Fleet of Theseus: Handling Your Career Identity Crisis
  Your professional identity should be a saga, not a single story
  by Jurgen Appelo

• A useful way to think about organizational culture is along two dimensions: formalization and centralization

• Leaders & Their Agentic Teams by Eve Simon
  

• PwC: How incumbents can partner with start-ups to drive growth. 

[10-Mar-26] Good and bad days ...

I passed the Leading Organizations exam successfully

Yesterday was a good day and I passed the exam as planned. I finished the 1st smart case (a small test after each content paragraph) nearly a year ago during the application phase already. The last one in Jan-26. So a really long duration and still being ill, made it a little bit difficult. But with 18-years experience in leadership roles I was assuming that a lot could be answered with experience and/or some common sense.

I still did read the documentation again before starting the exam, just to search fast enough in the right place during the 5-hours open-book setup. Theory and reality are still two sides of the coin and in some cases the question and related answer did not make sense for me, even after checking in the documentation. Anyway, 88 vs. 80% required right answers was sufficient, the rest is silence.

Today the WLAN capability of our router did just crash from one to the next minute and did not come back properly since then. As the router is rented, I will order a new one tomorrow. Luckily the LAN capability was still working smoothly, so I could connect an older WLAN router as interim solution. Only challenge was to remember the password, but it was still available and visible in our mobile phones. Hopefully the service hotline is quick tomorrow?

• Dan Rockwell: 5 Positive Ways to Say No

• Exploring Consciousness by Grant Snider

• German startup targets summer 2026 for first orbital rocket launch from Scotland

• NASA Valkyrie humanoid robot built for Mars research returns to US after 10 years

• New photonic chip runs AI in trillionths using light, cuts heat and energy use

[08-Mar-26] My week 10-2026 highlights

QUANTIC Global Conference London, March 5-8, 2026 

Some month ago my plan was to go to the London conference and I did take holidays accordingly. Due to the high costs and not so good weather that could be expected early March I decided to stay home. Might also be better to join a Europe conference when I am closer to finishing the Executive MBA or when I am even done already by Dec-26.

I am ill since Wednesday, so joining the conference would not have been an option anyway. Okay, no guarantee that I would have been ill with London fully booked, but you never know. All pictures that I have seen from the conference so far are with sunny weather, so one concern less for the next time.

Illness is not really my topic and I don't know it from the previous years, as I rely on a strong immune system so far, what might also be coming from my regular use of public transport, who knows? And with our kids long out of Kindergarten and School, there are normally no illness surprises coming from there side anymore. But my wife is hosting regular handicraft courses for kids age 6 to 12, so this might be a root cause, as she became ill last Monday already?

In the meantime it is getting much better, the effects such as coughing, runny nose, hoarseness, aching limbs, and fatigue are decreasing. Just in time for the next week. I have still one week holiday, plan to pass the Leading Organizations exam tomorrow and would like to finish the presentation for the same topic during this week as well. When all goes good, we can even start to paint the kitchen, another to do on my list.

• Health is the one thing that makes everything else possible.

• McKinsey: Monthly Highlights, March 2026
• Gallup: Women Show Stronger Employee Engagement Amid Higher Burnout

• Sweden built a machine where clever crows trade trash for treats, turning these brilliant birds into tiny city sanitation workers !

• There's no deadline for success. Yet people treat their 40s like the end of the road. But I'm 50 years old, and I've never worked harder or been healthier. And recently, I spent time looking at some of the world's most successful leaders.

• World-first: US firm plans to house data centers inside floating wind turbine platforms

• Fei-Fei Li, the godmother of AI, is one of many brilliant female leaders who inspire us today and every day. The UN Women International Day on March 8th should expand it's present 365 days a year, as the consciousness which drives AI right now might not be the one which has next generations in mind.

• The paradox of effort. AI fatigue is real and nobody talks about it. Executive amplification. By Roberto Ferraro

• The 3 Steps of Success. Your Ideas Are Not Enough by Wisdom Made Easy
  

• Want a Better Work Culture? Change Your Team Conversations.
  By Gustavo Razzetti

• MWC 2026: The IQ Era Is Here, And These Are The Trends Every Business Leader Needs To Watch by Bernard Marr
  

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” — Albert Einstein taken from 100 Trust Quotes: Words to Build, Mend, and Strengthen Connections

[03-Mar-26] No need to compare ...

What leadership materials have truly resonated with you?

Was the question of my Leading Organizations professor yesterday. Here some results shared by the students:

• Video: Ray Dalio: We’re Heading Into Very, Very Dark Times! America & The UK’s Decline Is Coming!
• Video: Clip: Rory's Doorman Fallacy | Conflating Efficiency and Effectiveness

• The doorman fallacy (in the age of AI)

• Video: MULTIPLIERS by Liz Wiseman | Core Message
• Video: How to Lead With Radical Candor | Kim Scott | TED

A diverse set of answers and shared material, hopefully more to come.

I shared the REWIRED book link, here the latest message from Eve Simon, who is already back in San Francisco.

My next holiday starts tomorrow until 13-Mar-26, I had to take the remaining 2025 days before 31-Mar-26.

And some more food for thought:

• The Comfort Zone in a World That Never Rests by Magdalena Pertgen
  

• Great leadership isn't built on talent. It's built on solid architecture

• Funny video: When they install a voice-recognition elevator in a Scottish building.

• Why some people stay valuable even as AI gets smarter. (It’s not speed.) It has little to do with tools, prompts, or output.

• We live in a world where getting out alive is less cooler than going viral.

• This little graphic has been going *viral* for all the wrong reasons.
  8.1 billion humans, but 84% have never used AI - "You're not alone"

[01-Mar-26] The week 09-2026 summary

Turn Your Life Around in 7 Steps

A busy week with several interesting days:

• Germany: Equal Pay Day 2026 on 27-Feb-26 (there is still a 16% gender pay gap)
• Wuppertal: 125 Years of the Suspension Railway
• Then we had the ongoing negotiations between the USA and Iran, and suddenly the military attack this week. Seems to be a common practice, besides the Russia and Ukraine situation that is ongoing for more than 4 years now. I did ask Gemini for a deeper research about this topic and examples from the last 5,000 years, here the results.

Do you remember the Winter Olympics and the most viewed and longest taking sports competition Curling?  Some interesting and surprising insights in a 16 minute video.

Some more Trevor Noah videos:

• Trevor Noah Makes My Brain Hurt | A Bit of Optimism Podcast with Simon Sinek

• The Psycho Cyclists of Amsterdam! - Trevor Noah

• Why America Hates Change?

"As part of the joint programme of celebrations for the Gaudí Year, presented last May by the Gaudí Council, the Sagrada Família is organising a series of its own events to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the architect’s death, from autumn 2025 to Christmas 2026." supported by this video: Sagrada Familia Finally Nears Completion After 144 Years

Have a great next week ...

• The Real Reason Culture Implementation Fails (And It’s Not Communication). Your culture deck doesn’t make you a better company. Your behavior does. By Gustavo Razzetti

• Anders Indset: When the World Itself Becomes the Prompt

• What We Didn’t See At CES 2026, And Why That Matters by Bernard Marr
  

• Build Or Buy AI Agents: Why This Choice Matters More Than You Think by Bernard Marr
  

• Ranked: The World’s Richest Countries vs. the Happiest Countries

• You’re Not Overwhelmed. You’re Prioritizing Wrong. The empty jar lesson.