Today I presented my portfolio to one of the training institutes in Hamburg. Being in this industry for the past 10 years, it still astonishes me that executive training and development is like a black box.

The institute I was talking to was considering leveling the playing field of their proposition towards executives, senior managers and corporate programs. The conversation was interesting as well as enlightening. “Now, Ms. Uensal, how do you involve executives and where is the difference to our courses?” Most of the managers I encountered prefer someone who has track record of practical experiences from specific industries. The textbook approach is nice to consider, but it doesn’t deliver all the answers they are looking for. Sometimes the issues are very specific to this type of organisation and it’s important to analyse the ecosystem of the manager’s position in order to come up with explanations and results. The process during a collaborative workshop involves group discussions, simulations, group works allowing a secure platform where managers can work out an organization specific solution. Hence business cases are useful, but especially in B2B customers are not really interested in how Apple has changed the rules of the several industries. (Though I admit I am a huge fan of Apple).