Management Letter
Do you ever think about the world, your job, your future? We can do that together. In combination with me and several managers from various countries who regularly receive our management letter. You can request it here.
2009
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Humility and Thankfulness
Dear Mr. Cooper, What a year! Not an easy one – and not a year of jubilee. Certainly not in my case. There were nights this year when I slept as badly as I did when I was first starting up my own business. Does any of this ring a bell with you? The year has given us plenty of reasons to feel this way: Sales declines, cancelled contracts, liquidity squeezes, job losses, media invective, fear for our livelihood, bonus discussions, fighting over positions. These are things nobody needs … and the year was full of them...
2008
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Give something special
Dear Peter, what kind of present will you give your significant other this year? A diamond ring? A trip? An opera evening at the Scala? Special gifts, indeed. However, as an alternative or on top of everything, you could give something a little more exclusive. Something that has become very scarce on earth and which only a few people have ever seen in larger quantities: Time. Pure and pristine. The biggest luxury in our lives. None of us has time. Especially these days. Not long ago, a manager friend of mine explained to me that he had already survived three Christmas parties that week – it was only Wednesday. Apart from what they call the end-of-the-year rush and the dictates of the day-to-day operations: We definitely lack time for what is essential, the important things in life. This is the reason for my bold suggestion: Present your loved one with a whole day just for the two of you and without any interruptions. Present your family with a leisurely visit to the Christmas market. Give yourself at least one day without any imperatives. No “have tos”, no “shoulds”, no “should haves”. For one day do only what you have secretly wanted to do or not do for a long time. Does the thought of this make your heart beat a little faster? It will have the same effect on the people you give this present to. Time is the most special present of them all...
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