I’m an advisor, author, and entrepreneur living in Berlin, Germany. I work on the intersection of tech, society, and communication. More ↗
Latest
How can one talk about a business that has discretion at its core?
Here, I try to remain true to the principle of discretion and simultaneously satisfy the needs of clients and partners for a look behind the scenes. So, what has OPAK been doing in the first 100 days since its founding? I'll try to be as down-to-earth as possible, but only as abstract as our work requires.
How can we communicate like humans in times of AI?
I'm launching OPAK consulting. Together with some of the smartest and most likable people I've had the pleasure of working with in recent years, I'll be offering communications and transformation advisory for organizations and individuals. We call ourselves the OPAK collective.
Why is print publishing not dead?
I have a - let's say - split relationship with print. I love magazines and books. But I consume content almost exclusively digitally. This contradiction keeps catching up with me in my agency work. Clients ask: Should we still do print? Colleagues hope: Can we also do print? You find my answer in this post .
How to reinvent airline storytelling?
What is contemporary storytelling for an airline? Together with Lufthansa, we have developed a completely new content ecosystem for the airline. The resulting system is what we call a Seamless Travel Experience, and in this post I'm going to tell you what that means, exactly.
Should we turn our passions into a profession?
Many so-called experts tell people to "choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life". I am sceptical as to whether this is true. Here, I explain why. Spoiler: Maybe it's better to look for a profession that allows you to live the way you want to. Also, there are some really old pictures of me playing in post-punk bands.
What skills do we need for the future of work?
The influential think tank Zukunftsinstitut recently asked me if I would like to contribute an article on "New Work Skills" for their Zukunftsreport (Future Report) 2024. This was a great opportunity for me to think about which skills and habits are merely useful in the new world of work – and which ones are critical. If you'd like to read my entire text (and many others, of course), please purchase the report. To whet your appetite, I'll briefly summarize my statements here as a teaser.
How to work with non-human colleagues
Many roles that exist in today's organisations will soon be taken over by AI tools, or will at least be significantly changed. Processes will have to be fundamentally rethought when artificial intelligence becomes part of the workflow. The fact that you no longer have to attend meetings yourself, but instead can send an AI bot to summarize everything afterwards, might seem strange today – but it shows where things will soon be heading. Organizations should be discussing all of this now. Instead, they often deal with formal obstacles such as IT guidelines or data protection when it comes to AI. Companies now need to overcome these hurdles quickly.
Is AI taking over the jobs of authors and designers?
Creative professions such as designers or copywriters are increasingly being replaced by AI. The human-centered explanation of the world as the central mechanism of collective meaning production is rapidly losing its significance. As a journalist and author, this leaves me perplexed and a bit angry. Explaining the world to myself and others through writing has always felt natural to me. At the same time, as the head of consulting at a digital agency, I am extensively involved with the opportunities and benefits of artificial intelligence and take part in the development of various AI applications. In my day-to-day work, I see how technological progress is taking an exponential leap and how that is creating entirely new opportunities for companies, but also for people. In my new post, I discuss this contradiction.
Do we need a new concept for vacations?
As a young man, I loved the book "Ferien für immer" by Christian Kracht and Eckhart Nickel – a collection of subjective reportages about "the most pleasant places in the world". Above all, I liked the promise that resonated in the title and the implicit attitude: life doesn't have to be spent at a desk. The world is big and exciting. Exploring it can and should become part of the job. One compromise can be a Workation, combining travel and work. In this post, I discuss the pros and cons. And I ask: Were my globe-trotting nomadic plans a youthful fantasy? Does everyone at some point reach the stage in life when they appreciate the vacation they can plan and stop dreaming of unrealistic alternatives?
As a former journalist, I have mixed feelings about PR. Today I work at an agency, C3. In this post, I describe how, with one client, we managed to turn this slight malaise into a constructive new approach: PR that doesn't suck. A corporate communications model where content marketing and press relations are cleverly married, where owned and earned content cross-fertilize. A reaction to the observation that marketing, communications and public affairs are converging. That internal and external communication is increasingly becoming one.
Can generative AI help us rethink hybrid work?
How can Generative AI help me in my day-to-day operational work as a consultant, author and speaker? The other day I was preparing a presentation on Hybrid Work. The target audience is real estate developers, interior designers, and office planners. So it's a very specialized topic. I wanted to know what happens when I bring in Chat GPT and Midjourney for sparring during idea generation. To open up new aspects of a topic I imagine I know pretty well. To challenge myself and get me out of the comfort zone of "I already know everything anyway". So much in advance – the experiment has been a success. I'm surprised at what my two AI colleagues have come up with.
Why do newsrooms produce better content than companies?
People sometimes ask me what the biggest difference is between my earlier work as a journalist and the corporate communications or marketing I mostly deal with today. My answer may be a provocation to many, but it needs to be said: Journalistic organizations were and are dramatically more efficient at getting high volumes of quality content out into the world than communications and marketing departments. Why is that so? The answer is complex, but it can be condensed into five points.
Can managers have a 4-day workweek?
The 4-day week is often touted as a contemporary way of working, and not just in the context of New Work. It is said to lead to greater employee satisfaction, higher productivity and even higher turnover. More than three-quarters of all professionals in Germany see the 4-day week as a desirable model for the future. Some nations, such as Great Britain or Iceland, are already testing it for everyone. In Belgium, there has been a legal right to it since the beginning of the year. Nice idea, but not for executives! Wouldn't you be considered a wimp among high achievers? As a muddlehead with no drive for the goal? Maybe. I did it anyway – since moving into consulting I have a 4-day week. Here, I explain why.
Are we planning our days the wrong way around?
A big part of our mornings consists of calls and meetings – although early in the day is the worst time to do them. In my new column, I describe why science advises us to take a different approach to planning our working time. How we can manage to have meeting-free mornings. Why it would make us more productive. And how this can work not only for individuals but also for organizations.
Solving the Hybrid Work Dilemma
Earlier this year at ESCP Business School I taught a course on „Creating a framework for sustainable hybrid working environments”. Based on this lecture three of my students wrote a well-researched and instructive piece that has now been published.
The Tough Question: How to scale empathy?
Hybrid leadership, experts say, means above all being more emphatic. Asking more often: How are you? Then really wanting to hear the answer. But in large organizations, the boss can't ask hundreds or even thousands of people how they're doing or what's on their minds. Instead, there may be (seemingly) empathetic machines to do the job – and they might even be better at it.
Strategies to keep the news from making us miserable
If you're like me, all the bad news from around the world that reaches us every day sometimes wears you down. And if you're not careful, it actually fills unproductive hours of the day. To counter this "Doomscrolling" I recommend a smart, contemporary approach to news, a "healthy" media diet.
Things my 12-year-old daughter taught me about content marketing
At our agency we regularly develop content strategies for Generation Z. In the communications industry this is generally considered a particularly difficult challenge, so I used a chat with my daughter about "Stranger Things" to do a little qualitative market research.
5 ideas for how organizations can retain young talent
Finding good employees is currently more difficult than ever for employers in many sectors. Even in the creative industry where I work, the topics of recruiting and employer branding are currently being discussed more hotly than ever. Almost all digital agencies are having a hard time recruiting new talent. What do employers need to do now to attract these demanding young people? I suggest five steps.
I wrote a piece for the new “Monocle Book of Entrepreneurs”
I had the honour to contribute a piece to this superb collection of insights for entrepreneurs, pondering whether managers are responsible for the wellbeing of their teams and if companies should adopt a right to disconnect.
Podcast-Interview with 42 School’s Max Senges
The incredible Max Senges quizzed me about remote learning, upskilling, and implementing a makers mode. About strategies against digital fatigue, why software developers are role models for all of us when it comes to fiercely defending one’s focus time – and what all this means for the future of education. For me, it was an intellectual rollercoaster ride. We even talked about my favorite science fiction book series.
My LinkedIn-Newsletter is in the top 25 of all German ones
I've been writing a newsletter column for a while now – actually it's more of a monthly op-ed and research piece, dealing with the intersection of tech, society, and communications. Happy to see it increasingly getting traction, picking up new subscribers with each issue, and triggering lots of insightful discussions.
Keynote at Credit Agricole: New Work after Corona
Over the last months, remote working has become a mainstream phenomenon at almost all companies and organizations. But is that a good thing? Here, I discuss the downsides of always-on and constant distractions that come with too much digital collaboration (in German).
At Do-School, working with young adults on culture hacks for digital collaboration
In a workshop on Digital Fatigue I expected the participants, who were fresh out of school, to have their own opinions, experiences, and 'culture hacks' when it comes to digital collaboration – and that's exactly what I found. So it was a conversation on eye level and one that I enjoyed a lot.
Speaking at Mazars about strategies against Digital Fatigue
In an insightful Q&A with employees of Mazars in Germany, we discussed Asynchronous Communication, Psychological Safety, Makers Mode, and Mindful Based Stress Reduction Delighted to see that even high-performance professionals in the finance industry would love to learn more about meditation and strategies against permanent distraction.
Excited to be part of Business Insider’s Global Trends Festival
Being invited alongside titans such as Reed Hastings, Sebastian Thrun, Mathias Döpfner, Jeff Jarvis, and Audrey Tang I was part of a panel discussion on the “Organizational setup to thrive in a digital and post-pandemic future”, together with Koen Gonnissen and Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett, hosted by the great Philip Vanhoutte.
Does the German Mittelstand need to change?
Germany’s quiet ranks of highly specialised, often family-owned companies are uniquely well placed to weather economic flux. But recent global shifts mean that they might have to accept investment and input from abroad. My op-ed for Monocle magazine’s annual "The Entrepreneurs".
I am quoted about the future of the workplace in Monocle magazine
The role of the office has changed: it’s no longer the place where you go to look at a screen; you can do that anywhere. Huge office parks in the suburbs will fade away. Instead, we’ll see more flagship-like offices in prime locations, for reasons of employer branding as well as customer retention.
I’m an advisor, author, and entrepreneur living in Berlin, Germany. I work on the intersection of tech, society, and communication. More ↗
Latest
How can one talk about a business that has discretion at its core?
Here, I try to remain true to the principle of discretion and simultaneously satisfy the needs of clients and partners for a look behind the scenes. So, what has OPAK been doing in the first 100 days since its founding? I'll try to be as down-to-earth as possible, but only as abstract as our work requires.
How can we communicate like humans in times of AI?
I'm launching OPAK consulting. Together with some of the smartest and most likable people I've had the pleasure of working with in recent years, I'll be offering communications and transformation advisory for organizations and individuals. We call ourselves the OPAK collective.
Why is print publishing not dead?
I have a - let's say - split relationship with print. I love magazines and books. But I consume content almost exclusively digitally. This contradiction keeps catching up with me in my agency work. Clients ask: Should we still do print? Colleagues hope: Can we also do print? You find my answer in this post .
How to reinvent airline storytelling?
What is contemporary storytelling for an airline? Together with Lufthansa, we have developed a completely new content ecosystem for the airline. The resulting system is what we call a Seamless Travel Experience, and in this post I'm going to tell you what that means, exactly.
Should we turn our passions into a profession?
Many so-called experts tell people to "choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. I am sceptical as to whether this is true. Here, I explain why. Spoiler: Maybe it's better to look for a profession that allows you to live the way you want to. Also, there are some really old pictures of me playing in post-punk bands.
What skills do we need for the future of work?
The influential think tank Zukunftsinstitut recently asked me if I would like to contribute an article on "New Work Skills" for their Zukunftsreport (Future Report) 2024. This was a great opportunity for me to think about which skills and habits are useful in the new world of work – and which ones are critical. If you'd like to read my entire text (and many others, of course), please purchase the report. To whet your appetite, I'll briefly summarize my statements here as a teaser.
How to work with non-human colleagues
Many roles that exist in today's organisations will soon be taken over by AI tools, or will at least be significantly changed. Processes will have to be fundamentally rethought when artificial intelligence becomes part of the workflow. The fact that you no longer have to attend meetings yourself, but instead can send an AI bot to summarize everything afterwards, might seem strange today – but it shows where things will soon be heading. Organizations should be discussing all of this now. Instead, they often deal with formal obstacles such as IT guidelines or data protection when it comes to AI. Companies now need to overcome these hurdles quickly.
Is AI taking over the jobs of authors and designers?
Creative professions such as designers or copywriters are increasingly being replaced by AI. The human-centered explanation of the world as the central mechanism of collective meaning production is rapidly losing its significance. As a journalist and author, this leaves me perplexed and a bit angry. Explaining the world to myself and others through writing has always felt natural to me. At the same time, as the head of consulting at a digital agency, I am extensively involved with the opportunities and benefits of artificial intelligence and take part in the development of various AI applications. In my day-to-day work, I see how technological progress is taking an exponential leap and how that is creating entirely new opportunities for companies, but also for people. In my new post, I discuss this contradiction.
Do we need a new concept for vacations?
As a young man, I loved the book "Ferien für immer" by Christian Kracht and Eckhart Nickel – a collection of subjective reportages about "the most pleasant places in the world". Above all, I liked the promise that resonated in the title and the implicit attitude: life doesn't have to be spent at a desk. The world is big and exciting. Exploring it can and should become part of the job. One compromise can be a Workation, combining travel and work. In this post, I discuss the pros and cons. And I ask: Were my globe-trotting nomadic plans a youthful fantasy? Does everyone at some point reach the stage in life when they appreciate the vacation they can plan and stop dreaming of unrealistic alternatives?
As a former journalist, I have mixed feelings about PR. Today I work at an agency, C3. In this post, I describe how, with one client, we managed to turn this slight malaise into a constructive new approach: PR that doesn't suck. A corporate communications model where content marketing and press relations are cleverly married, where owned and earned content cross-fertilize. A reaction to the observation that marketing, communications and public affairs are converging. That internal and external communication is increasingly becoming one.
Can generative AI help us rethink hybrid work?
How can Generative AI help me in my day-to-day operational work as a consultant, author and speaker? The other day I was preparing a presentation on Hybrid Work. The target audience is real estate developers, interior designers, and office planners. So it's a very specialized topic. I wanted to know what happens when I bring in Chat GPT and Midjourney for sparring during idea generation. To open up new aspects of a topic I imagine I know pretty well. To challenge myself and get me out of the comfort zone of "I already know everything anyway". So much in advance – the experiment has been a success. I'm surprised at what my two AI colleagues have come up with.
Can managers have a 4-day workweek?
The 4-day week is often touted as a contemporary way of working, and not just in the context of New Work. It is said to lead to greater employee satisfaction, higher productivity and even higher turnover. More than three-quarters of all professionals in Germany see the 4-day week as a desirable model for the future. Some nations, such as Great Britain or Iceland, are already testing it for everyone. In Belgium, there has been a legal right to it since the beginning of the year. Nice idea, but not for executives! Wouldn't you be considered a wimp among high achievers? As a muddlehead with no drive for the goal? Maybe. I did it anyway – since moving into consulting I have a 4-day week. Here, I explain why.
Why do newsrooms produce better content than companies?
People sometimes ask me what the biggest difference is between my earlier work as a journalist and the corporate communications or marketing I mostly deal with today. My answer may be a provocation to many, but it needs to be said: Journalistic organizations were and are dramatically more efficient at getting high volumes of quality content out into the world than communications and marketing departments. Why is that so? The answer is complex, but it can be condensed into five points.
Are we planning our days the wrong way around?
A big part of our mornings consists of calls and meetings – although early in the day is the worst time to do them. In my new column, I describe why science advises us to take a different approach to planning our working time. How we can manage to have meeting-free mornings. Why it would make us more productive. And how this can work not only for individuals but also for organizations.
Solving the Hybrid Work Dilemma
Earlier this year at ESCP Business School I taught a course on „Creating a framework for sustainable hybrid working environments”. Based on this lecture three of my students wrote a well-researched and instructive piece that has now been published.
The Tough Question: How to scale empathy?
Hybrid leadership, experts say, means above all being more emphatic. Asking more often: How are you? Then really wanting to hear the answer. But in large organizations, the boss can't ask hundreds or even thousands of people how they're doing or what's on their minds. Instead, there may be (seemingly) empathetic machines to do the job – and they might even be better at it.
Strategies to keep the news from making us miserable
If you're like me, all the bad news from around the world that reaches us every day sometimes wears you down. And if you're not careful, it actually fills unproductive hours of the day. To counter this "Doomscrolling" I recommend a smart, contemporary approach to news, a "healthy" media diet.
Things my 12-year-old daughter taught me about content marketing
At our agency we regularly develop content strategies for Generation Z. In the communications industry this is generally considered a particularly difficult challenge, so I used a chat with my daughter about "Stranger Things" to do a little qualitative market research.
5 ideas for how organizations can retain young talent
Finding good employees is currently more difficult than ever for employers in many sectors. Even in the creative industry where I work, the topics of recruiting and employer branding are currently being discussed more hotly than ever. Almost all digital agencies are having a hard time recruiting new talent. What do employers need to do now to attract these demanding young people? I suggest five steps.
I wrote a piece for the new “Monocle Book of Entrepreneurs”
I had the honour to contribute a piece to this superb collection of insights for entrepreneurs, pondering whether managers are responsible for the wellbeing of their teams and if companies should adopt a right to disconnect.
Podcast-Interview with 42 School’s Max Senges
The incredible Max Senges quizzed me about remote learning, upskilling, and implementing a makers mode. About strategies against digital fatigue, why software developers are role models for all of us when it comes to fiercely defending one’s focus time – and what all this means for the future of education. For me, it was an intellectual rollercoaster ride. We even talked about my favorite science fiction book series.
My LinkedIn-Newsletter is in the top 25 of all German ones
I've been writing a newsletter column for a while now – actually it's more of a monthly op-ed and research piece, dealing with the intersection of tech, society, and communications. Happy to see it increasingly getting traction, picking up new subscribers with each issue, and triggering lots of insightful discussions.
Keynote at Credit Agricole: New Work after Corona
Over the last months, remote working has become a mainstream phenomenon at almost all companies and organizations. But is that a good thing? Here, I discuss the downsides of always-on and constant distractions that come with too much digital collaboration (in German).
At Do-School, working with young adults on culture hacks for digital collaboration
In a workshop on Digital Fatigue I expected the participants, who were fresh out of school, to have their own opinions, experiences, and 'culture hacks' when it comes to digital collaboration – and that's exactly what I found. So it was a conversation on eye level and one that I enjoyed a lot.
Speaking at Mazars about strategies against Digital Fatigue
In an insightful Q&A with employees of Mazars in Germany, we discussed Asynchronous Communication, Psychological Safety, Makers Mode, and Mindful Based Stress Reduction Delighted to see that even high-performance professionals in the finance industry would love to learn more about meditation and strategies against permanent distraction.
Excited to be part of Business Insider’s Global Trends Festival
Being invited alongside titans such as Reed Hastings, Sebastian Thrun, Mathias Döpfner, Jeff Jarvis, and Audrey Tang I was part of a panel discussion on the “Organizational setup to thrive in a digital and post-pandemic future”, together with Koen Gonnissen and Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett, hosted by the great Philip Vanhoutte.
Does the German Mittelstand need to change?
Germany’s quiet ranks of highly specialised, often family-owned companies are uniquely well placed to weather economic flux. But recent global shifts mean that they might have to accept investment and input from abroad. My op-ed for Monocle magazine’s annual "The Entrepreneurs".
I am quoted about the future of the workplace in Monocle magazine
The role of the office has changed: it’s no longer the place where you go to look at a screen; you can do that anywhere. Huge office parks in the suburbs will fade away. Instead, we’ll see more flagship-like offices in prime locations, for reasons of employer branding as well as customer retention.
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