Life and Career Design - Blog
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Die Artikel im Life and Career Design Blog widmen sich den zentralen Themen Karriere, Führung, Online Education, Skills und der Zukunft der Arbeit.
Sie erscheinen in deutscher oder englischer Sprache.
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The articles on the Life and Career Design Blog focus on key topics in careers, leadership, online education, skills, and the future of work.
We post in English or German.
How to Select the Right Career Coach!
Not every competent career coach is necessarily the right coach for you. In this video, we look at four important factors when selecting a career coach:
• Personal chemistry – Do you feel comfortable and understood?
• Trust – Can you openly share your situation and goals?
• Credentials & experience – Does the coach have the right qualifications and relevant experience?
• Financials – Are the fees and payment terms clear and appropriate?
This is the second video in the Career Coaching series.
Are you still on the right career path?
How can you earn more—or find work that is more meaningful?
And what will happen to your job as AI and technology transform the world of work?
In this video, I explore three major career challenges:
1. The Blind Spot
2. Understanding What It Takes
3. Understanding the Future Career Context
What does it take to get booed by thousands of university graduates? In 2026, apparently, talking positively about Artificial Intelligence.
At several U.S. university commencement ceremonies in 2026, speakers were booed after discussing Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the future of work. Among them was former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who addressed graduates at the University of Arizona.
Why such a strong reaction in a country that has traditionally embraced technological innovation?
Why don't we simply use ChatGPT or NotebookLM to "watch" movies or summarize complex books? In this video, I explore a provocative question that originated in a corporate governance course for Executive MBA students.
CONTENT
The efficiency fallacy: Why quickly solving tasks with AI is useful in everyday work, but often hinders learning transfer in learning.
The psychology of understanding: Why neural connections in the brain only occur through personal experience and active engagement, such as watching an original film or creating your own mind maps.
Knowledge vs. orientation: Why summaries by authors like Yuval Noah Harari can never replace the deeper understanding needed for complex decisions in a rapidly changing world.
Learn how to use AI tools effectively without neglecting your cognitive and emotional skills. Stay curious!
Warum nutzen wir nicht einfach ChatGPT oder NotebookLM, um Filme zu „schauen“ oder komplexe Bücher zusammenzufassen? In diesem Video gehe ich einer provokanten Frage nach, die ihren Ursprung in einem Corporate-Governance-Kurs für Executive-MBA-Studierende hat.
Inhalt des Videos:
Der Effizienz-Trugschluss: Warum das schnelle Lösen von Aufgaben mit KI im Berufsalltag sinnvoll ist, beim Lernen aber oft den Lerntransfer verhindert.
Die Psychologie des Begreifens: Warum die neuronale Vernetzung im Gehirn nur durch eigene Erfahrungen und aktive Auseinandersetzung – wie das Sehen eines Originalfilms oder das Erstellen eigener Mindmaps – stattfindet.
Wissen vs. Orientierung: Warum Zusammenfassungen von Autoren wie Yuval Noah Harari niemals das tiefere Verständnis ersetzen können, das man für komplexe Entscheidungen in einer sich schnell verändernden Welt benötigt.
Erfahren Sie, wie Sie KI-Tools richtig einsetzen, ohne dabei Ihre kognitiven und emotionalen Fähigkeiten zu vernachlässigen. Bleiben Sie neugierig!
„Wie sabotiert man sich am besten selbst, um seine Projektziele zu erreichen?“
Viele von uns sind wahre Meister darin, sich selbst am Erfolg zu hindern. Wenn Sie Ihre Projektziele wirklich vermeiden wollen, brauchen Sie eine Strategie, Disziplin und die feste Entschlossenheit, konsequent alles Falsche zu tun.
I just published a research article on the impact of artificial intelligence on work.
„AI is a net job creator, not a job killer!“
A significant replacement of human labor by AI is not expected until 2030. However, AI skills become important and job-relevant during this period.
Das INDUSTRIEMAGAZIN hat im Jahre 2025 Top-recherchierte Beiträge über die europäische Wirtschaft geliefert, doch waren diese klar in Moll und nicht in Dur gestimmt. Eine depressive Grundstimmung herrschte vor. Zum Jahresbeginn bringe ich Ihnen folgenden Beitrag, um zu zeigen, dass Europas Industrie Innovatives zu bieten hat.
Work will be optional! Really? Elon Musk & Jensen Huang
Elon Musk offered a long-term prediction that work will become optional (perhaps in 10 to 20 years), similar to playing a video game or growing vegetables in a backyard as a hobby.
Jensen Huang countered with a near-term perspective, suggesting that while everyone's jobs will change and people will be more productive, they will likely be busier. This increased productivity frees up time to pursue the numerous ideas and backlog items that people or companies have.
Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Focusing on What Truly Matters
Quality assurance in higher education is becoming increasingly difficult in a fast-changing world. With over 30 years of experience in accreditation and quality systems, I’ve learned that external certification can support improvement—but it can also hinder it when it no longer serves the institution’s real goals. This raises the essential question: What is the prime directive of higher education?
The prime directive: Students should be supported to succeed in their lives and careers.
Yet many quality assurance and accreditation systems fail to fully measure this outcome. Typical metrics—such as job placement within six months or satisfaction surveys at graduation—capture only short-term results. Long-term career impact, personal development, and transformative learning often remain invisible.
My own Executive MBA experience illustrates this. While demanding and costly in the moment, its true value only emerged years later, shaping my work as a consultant, academic director, and dean. However, neither the institution nor external accreditors measured this long-term impact.
New Challenges Require New KPIs
In a world reshaped by rapid technological change, especially AI, students need more than technical skills that may quickly become obsolete. Skills such as self-management, adaptability, communication, and learning agility are essential for long-term success. Current accreditation systems rarely give these competencies significant weight. To remain relevant, institutions must redefine key performance indicators and distinguish clearly between short- and long-term goals.
The Cost of Irrelevance
With rising tuition in some countries and increasing pressure on public budgets in others, misaligned degrees carry major economic and social risks. Micro-degrees and work-integrated learning may, in many cases, offer better value.
Aligning Accreditation With the Prime Directive
Where institutions can choose their accreditor, they should select one that supports long-term student success. Ultimately, aligning internal quality assurance with external accreditation around the prime directive is essential for a resilient, future-ready higher education system.