Volkmar Völzke's BLOG

There is a mindset that is crucial for more or less success, privately or in business: Are your decisions guided by the belief that, in principle, everything is available in abundance or by the idea that there is a lack in everything? 

Do you think that, if you have more of something, then someone else must have less? Or do you believe that, if you have more, others will benefit at the same time? 

I can tell you, based on various studies, from my collaboration with numerous people, and from personal experience, this difference in mindset makes a huge difference for your success and your happiness in life. 

Now, you can probably guess which of these two mindsets leads to more success. It is the belief that everything is available in abundance: happiness, money, prosperity, success, ideas, and so on. 

From my experience, however, the other mindset prevails in most companies; scarcity rules.

If you change this mindset for yourself and your team, gates will open for...

Yes, we are living in challenging times. But it’s in difficult periods that you can see who’s getting ahead as a leader and who’s getting stuck.

It’s a simple truth that if ten companies or teams are hit by an extreme challenge, there will almost always be one or two that benefit from it in the end. What is the decisive factor for this success in difficult times? You guessed it: the mindset of the leaders and the entire team. 

Our thoughts and beliefs determine our decisions and actions, whether we like it or not. Because this factor is so important, I will be conducting a live webinar about it. Click here for more information and registration.

Here are three ideas to remember for now:

1. Focus. What you focus on will grow, and your focus as a leader is contagious to your team. What are you focusing your thoughts on during this difficult situation: the barriers or the opportunities? How much time do you spend on each of these categories?
2. Perspective. It...

Every crisis has lessons, and so does this one. Here are three of the most important lessons from my perspective:

1. Things can always turn out worse or better than you think they can. What we thought was impossible yesterday may be reality tomorrow, and sometimes very quickly.
2. Those who can switch from survival mode back to growth mode quickly will emerge from a crisis as winners. Many lick their wounds for far too long.
3. The right mindset is crucial, and the true mindset shows itself exactly when things get tough. Mindset determines our focus, our decisions, and our success.

“That’s all easy to say,” you may think, “but how does that help me with our daily craziness?”

I’m glad you asked. Here are three concrete ideas on how you can implement these findings for your benefit (and that of your team):

1. No comfort. Even when things are getting better, there is no more rest. Stability is a dangerous illusion. Be relentless in always looking for better...

Trump, climate change, the corona virus, refugee crises, etc…these things can make one pretty dizzy. Nowadays, countless messages come pouring in, through all kinds of channels, every day, and 90 percent are negative.

One can easily get the impression that these events are all crucial for our daily well-being. But not at all!

They have an influence, sure, but your personal environment is largely determined by exactly one thing: your small daily decisions.

How you treat the people around you has a greater impact on your happiness and success than the killing of a terrorist in Yemen or even the impact of a new virus.

It is very easy to be distracted by exploited media events and use them as an excuse for doing nothing.

Keep your feet on the ground. Here are three things you should do every day despite or because of all crises:

1. Decision. Decide every day on your behaviour and your positive influence on others. How do you want to positively influence others? What positive things...

Welcome to 2020! This year marks the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth. You will certainly hear more about this event over the course of the year—at least, you will if you are a little bit interested in music.

Here, right at the beginning of the year, are some interesting lessons we can learn from his life, in case you think you have too many problems in yours:

1. Beethoven’s father became an alcoholic, and his mother died when he was 17. He had to take care of his two younger brothers from then on.
2. His hearing loss started at the age of about 30 and progressed to complete deafness later on.
3. He could not marry his love because of class differences.

These are only three of his problems. What did he do with them? Did he complain and withdraw? Quite the opposite. Despite all adversities, he played at countless performances and “incidentally” composed 722 pieces, including operas, symphonies, and piano sonatas. 

The next time you want to...

The world doesn't stop turning because of your decisions. Simply do the best you can do right now to improve your own life and the lives of others.

More here: https://www.volkmarvoelzke.com/blog/how-2020-will-be-very-different

You are likely to hear all kinds of well-intentioned advice on how to be more successful and happier in 2020, and I will not repeat it here. But when I look at past projects and coaching sessions with my clients, there are certainly some places where I would like to see more courage to make significant changes.

Here are five ideas for a completely different (and, therefore, even better) 2020:

1. Don’t take yourself so damn seriously. We are all fallible individuals who try to make the best out of our lives. The world keeps on turning with or without us.
2. Your life is finite. Stop putting things off and start moving. At the very least, plan a fixed start date in your calendar. Make use of every day!
3. You have all the power. You are incredibly powerful when it comes to positively influencing others, but most people suppress this power for fear of attracting too much attention. Make the lives of at least three people a little better every day and do so very purposefully.
4. You decide...

In this time when most of us are less "busy" with daily routines and more thinking about essential questions, it is good to remember some important principles.

Here are 3 extremely important reminders for the coming year that many of us keep forgetting:

1. There are no boundaries, either for yourself or for others.
2. Change comes through action, not through consideration.
3. Happiness comes from progress, not from security and stagnation.

In the video I explain more background and give tips on each of these three reminders.

I wish you a strong start into the new year!

Read more: https://www.volkmarvoelzke.com/blog/your-mediocre-thinking

In my "Winning Team Workshops," I challenge the participants, again and again, from all directions. Of course, this is intentional, even if it is exhausting for most of them.

I'm talking about a mental challenge here. One of them is how, in our mindset, we deal with extremely successful people.

The differences between the teams are enormous: While some are inspired by controversial people, such as Elon Musk or Steve Jobs, and see them as role models in most ways of thinking, others are cynical and try to find negative characteristics.

I don't need to tell you which teams and companies are generally more successful when it comes to strong growth and innovation.

Whether you like it or not, your beliefs about extreme success directly determine your actual success in life and business. And if you lead teams (or even an entire company), you have a strong multiplier effect: I have never seen a team hungry for success with a hesitant team leader.

Important: This is not about maintaining...