On February 22nd, our annual Think Tank: Leaders in Action went into its 9th round! Once again, we invited clients, friends and interested acquaintances to our offices in Paderborn for inspiring talks from unique speakers. Our 2024 motto was Stand your ground, carry out your ideas.
Christina Wieber, senior buyer and affiliate CEO of the international Diebold Nixdorf Corporation opened the event with a bit of her professional background, her challenges and successes. Her talk, entitled From Sock Crisis to Rightsizing, began with a childhood anecdote that indelibly shaped her life. As a child, Christine fell off a horse. Now that may not sound like a life-shaping event to you, but it certainly was for the child Christine, who was terrified and wanted nothing more than to forget the whole experience. Her riding teacher, however, encouraged not to give up, to get up and get back on the horse. And Christine did. The experience became a tenet that she carried over into her professional life. She understood and still understands that failures are stepping stones to learning and that challenges help us grow. “Come on, try it out! You can do it!” A sentence she heard repeatedly. She faced her challenges, learned from them, grew from them and consistently prevailed. In 2022, Christine’s outstanding crisis management ability not only saved Diebold Nixdorf from bankruptcy but over the ensuing year, while nurturing her small daughter at the same time, she turned the outgoing tides for the company to incoming profit. Essential values Christine embodies and radiates include keeping your word, recognizing that challenges as chances, meeting people and repeatedly venturing out of your comfort zone.
Deeply impressed by Christine’s edifying talk, we broke for lunch. Our offices hummed with stimulating conversations, while our guests refreshed old acquaintances and made new contacts. Afterwards, we settled for the day’s second Think Tank talk: Horses and Technic – How Do They Fit Together?
Diana Wahl, a prominent horse photographer in the German-speaking world and winner of the 2021 Silver Camera award, spoke about creativity. For Diana, creativity is not limited to drawing and craftsmanship. Creativity is stretching beyond our conventional way of thinking and striving for that unique moment of singularity. Successfully carrying out this intention made her a name in her métier. Her photos bear a highly distinctive view; an insistence on esthetic and novelty as depicted in her spectacular and renowned portrait of a horse decorated with gold. Diana’s ideas come to her on walks outdoors or even in the shower. She impressed upon us that creativity takes time for ideas to evolve and we should allow our minds that time. If nothing else works, simply turn off the lights. According to studies, darkness increases creativity by 30%.
After a short pause for networking, we returned to our seats for our final inspiring talk: Fighting Like a Lion. Manuel Planella related the impressive story of his personal triumph despite setbacks and hurdles. And impressive his career has been! Once a professional soccer player with FC Paderborn, he then moved on to selling exclusive luxury automobiles. Over the years, and also due to his profession, Manuel’s taste for quality suits led to him giving special attention to the elegant breast pocket handkerchief. But pockets squares don’t stay put, the slip out of shape during the day and the constant adjusting was annoying. Inspired by the snap-closure in glasses etuis, he developed his own product, the pocket square holder. Friends urged him to patent his idea and create his own startup business, aptly named Manplan. Manuel’s clever invention earned him a deal in 2017 on the TV show Die Höhle der Löwen. He continues to successfully sell his pocket square holder and earn his niche on the sector. Despite many setbacks – predominantly health issues – Manuel doggedly fought his way back and in early 2024 launched his business anew. His fighting spirit touched us all deeply. The day came to a gradual end amid lively exchanges and a sneak peek at next year’s 20th Think Tank anniversary.
