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Field Notes

The latest analysis and insights

Human Essentials in times of AI 2

article 28 October 2026

Human Essentials in times of AI

As AI becomes part of everyday life, what remains essentially human? A reflection on values, belonging and what it means to live well in an age of AI.

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Schloss Marbach

article 10 July 2026

The Part of Leadership Work I Used to Find Boring

And what joining SUM taught me about the “IT” in transformation

World Beautiful Business Forum poster showing a lemon in the centre of an ancient amphitheatre

article 11 May 2026

Is your business beautiful?

Last week I had the opportunity to join the World Beautiful Business Forum in Athens. It was hosted by the House of Beautiful Business which has been founded by Tim Leberecht and Till Grosche 10 years ago. This anniversary conference which some participants consider a festival brought together 850 participants, 200 faculty in a series of inspiring venues in Athens like the Olympia Theatre, the Maria Callas Museum, the Old Stock Exchange and the National Gardens to name just a few.

Street artist from Bahia

article 6 January 2026

Go home - going home

The change of the year and the various festivities come with family gatherings for many of us. Going home for Christmas has been a recurring theme in our Argentinean-German family; the ritual got some interesting impulses this season that I wanted to share with you.

Clouds 1

article 27 August 2026

Making Space for what comes next

To celebrate our son’s high school graduation, we took the family to Paris and spent one week in this stunning city. We were beguiled by its many treasures, the visible and the invisible. I had spent a semester in Paris in 1996, lived in Montparnasse, and absolutely loved it. This was the first time I was to bring my family there, and I was a little nervous to be either disappointed after all these years or to overwhelm them with all my stories and places of yesteryear. But the city did not disappoint, and we all discovered our own gems.

Your Leadership Space pic1

article 26 June 2025

Your Leadership Space – Obstacle or Enabler?

Sum recently celebrated a first: our inaugural sum summit. We gathered 50 senior leaders from 18 countries in the Swiss mountains, to experience and explore a shared question: What makes a space effective to host the conversations that truly matter?

How do you deal with loss of control pic2

article 16 May 2025

How do you deal with loss of control?

The summit of the Finsteraarhorn (4274m) has been on my bucket list for quite some time. It is the highest peak in the Bernese Alps, the 9th highest in the Alps, and the third most ‘prominent’ in the Alps.

Newsletter on Sufism 2

article 5 May 2025

What can we learn from Sufism?

Last year, Ekki sent out a solemn invitation: Who would be interested in a Mountain Wisdom retreat in Istanbul to explore the teachings and relevance of Sufism? The response was overwhelming. So much so that we ended up hosting not one, but two groups.

Welcome to Sum Space

article 1 September 2024

It was on Independence Day, the 4th of July 2011 when Carolina and I founded sum. 1'500 workshops in 40 countries on all 6 continents, 50 leadership conferences later, and probably 25000+ leaders that we had the honor to ’touch’ and work with, it was time to reflect on the experiences and the current state of the world. What does the world need? How can business be a force for good?

The relational space Pic 6

article 5 March 2025

Are you having the relevant conversations with your partner?

We recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, and we felt this was a good moment to pause, reflect on where we stand as a couple and what we might want to do to prepare for an exciting future together. Friends pointed us to a couple’s retreat in Costa Rica which follows the methodology developed by psychologist Sue Johnson (summarized in her book ‘Hold me tight’).

Outlive-I don't want to talk about it-US Books

article 2 October 2024

Do you understand how you stand in the way of good and healthy relationships?

This summer I came across another book that shifted my perspective and understanding.  And it could actually contribute to a better story for us and the world.  At least for the male half of the population.

Three skiers standing at a snowy mountain summit next to a large metal cross, with snow-covered peaks and a clear blue sky in the background.

article 3 April 2024

3 Leadership reflections while mountaineering with my 82-year old father

I recently turned 50, and to mark the occasion my father and I decided to spend a weekend at the foot of the Großglockner Mountain in Austria

A group of people sitting in a circle on the grass outside a historic building with yellow and white walls and red-tiled roofs.

article 28 June 2023

What can we learn from Parzival?

Parzival is an epic poem composed in the 13th century by Wolfram von Eschenbach in 16 books and a total of 24'000 lines.

Lightning strike

article 3 March 2023

Have you ever been struck by lightning?

On February 21 at 5.15pm Brazil time, our sailing yacht, an X4.3 from the Danish shipyard X-Yachts, got struck by lightning.

A sailboat anchored in clear blue water, with ropes extending from the boat to the shore in the background under a clear blue sky.

article 6 July 2022

What did I learn during my sabbatical?

This year I celebrated a big birthday, and in addition, our firm recently had its ten-year anniversary, so it occurred to me that it is time to realize a long-time dream: going for a two-month sailing sabbatical

A group of people sitting on cushions under a large white canopy tent in a grassy area, with mountains and buildings in the background.

article 16 September 2021

What did we learn in 10 years of sum people?

Dear friends of sum people, on Independence Day, 4th of July 2011, we founded sum people. After 20 years as a corporate employee and coming from a family of public servants founding a company was a big step

A collage of three images: the left image shows an elderly man in a suit smiling and waving; the middle image shows a tennis player in a red shirt holding a racket and waving; the right image shows a man in traditional clothing and glasses waving.

article 22 June 2021

Who do you admire? and why?

One of the exercises we run during the Mountain Wisdom format asks you: who do you admire? and why? and what are the qualities that you admire of this person?

A collage of six charts with colourful sticky notes, text, and images, each addressing different topics related to team performance and leadership. Each chart is labelled with a number and a question or topic.

article 15 July 2020

Can you shape a high performing team – online?

Over the last decade at sum people we have facilitated 1000+ High Performance Team (HPT) workshops in 40+ countries on all continents (with the exception of Antarctica; even though Tasmania, Patagonia and South Africa got relatively close)

Mum holding baby

article 19 March 2020

Choosing Optimism in the face of crisis

During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, also known as swine flu, I helped lead the efforts at Novartis to develop and distribute a vaccine for the world.

big little lies image

article 8 January 2020

How many big little lies are in your life?

I can’t remember that I ever recommended to watch a TV series; so this is a first. ‘Big little lies’ on HBO is a master piece, and it is not by accident that it won 4 Golden Globe and 8 Emmy Awards.

A black hat, brown coat, and striped scarf hanging on a white wall-mounted coat rack.

article 8 November 2019

Ever been grounded? What can we learn of it?

It was diligently planned as a typical week in a busy period of the year when many clients define their priorities for the coming year, sharpen their purpose, address team dynamics, or celebrate recent achievements: