FLI Thought Leaders

True Progress (2015)

Barbara Kellermann

Harvard Kennedy School, Professor of Public Leadership

Leadership does not happen without having active supporters: “Good” leaders rely on good followers, “bad” leaders attract bad followers. Barbara Kellermann talks about what defines a leadership system…

Steffi Czerny

Founder of Burda DLD Digital-Life-Design

Steffi Czerny told us her amazing story of how she went to Israel for a charitable purpose and this became her start into the thrilling world of digital innovation…

Siegmar Gabriel

Form. Deputy Chancellor & Minister for Foreign Affairs Germany

We asked one of the leading Berlin politicians about his vision of a desirable future. This is what Sigmar Gabriel came up with…

Bill McDermott

CEO SAP

Out of his corporate plane, the CEO of SAP was talking with us about how artificial intelligence can help to make the world a better place…

Franz-Josef Radermacher

Professor Artificial Intelligence Ulm University, Member of Club of Rome

What does Sisyphus tell us about leadership? Futurologist Franz-Josef Radermacher shares his principles of how to achieve progress as a leader…

Juliana Rotich

Co-Founder Ushaidi, Social Entrepreneur

Juliana Rotich is a TED speaker and Afro-American social entrepreneur. She talks about how an insufficient infrastructure in Africa inspired innovation…

Frank Schätzing

German fiction writer

Frank Schätzings fiction novel “The Swarm” was sold about 4 million times so far. In an interview, he told us why visions are important and what the young generation has to prepare for…

Barry Schwartz

Professor of Social Theory and Social Action and Psychologist

How to achieve inner strength when you are a leader in a highly volatile and dynamic environment. TED Senior fellow Barry Schwartz (“The Paradox of Choice”) is sharing his insights…

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Author and philosophical essayist

The author of bestselling books “Black Swan” and “Antifragile” told us why progress is about imitating nature and taking responsibility…

Prof. Dr. Dr. Klaus Töpfer

Executive Director of the UN Environment Programm

Klaus Töpfer is an experienced politician and visionary. And he is one of the global experts regarding sustainability. In an interview, he shared his priorities for an agenda of global progress…

Jimmy Wales

Co-Founder Wikipedia

Jimmy Wales shared his personal story about how he achieved his vision to make knowledge accessible around the world and what he thinks is key to achieve progress in the future…

Muhammad Yunus

Noble Peace Laureate and founder of Gramen Bank

At the annual meeting of UN Foundation, Muhammad Yunus talked with us about the exponential power of the digital generation and how important a common vision is to use it in the right way…

Meaning@Work (2016)

General a.D. Helge Hansen

Former Commander of NATO Allied Forces

Being commander of the European NATO allied forces, Helge Hansen was leading several hundred thousands of soldiers. If it comes to purpose-driven leadership, he says, a business can learn a lot from military leadership…

Joe Kaeser

CEO Siemens

Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser gave us a very open and honest interview about what he thinks is vital to provide purpose and motivation as a leader…

Bahati Kanyamanza

Ciyota Corburwas, Refugee Organsation Uganda

Without any material goods, a team of 5 young refugees started their own school education system and inspired hundreds of others to change their lives…

David Rowan

Editor in Chief Wired Magazine

David Rowan is traveling around the world most time of the year to find companies that truly make a difference. Here he tells us about what he thinks makes a business unique…

Stefan Ries

SAP, Global Head of HR

Being faced with information overload, our brains often are biased when making decisions. This can be a threat to the culture and innovation power of a company. Stefan Ries talks what SAP is doing to “lead beyond bias”…

Götz Werner

Founder of DM Drug Stores

Are philanthropy and business antidotes or do they even inspire each other? Götz Werner believes the second. In an interview, he told us how we used it to build up Germanys largest drugstore retailer…

Amy Wrzesniewski

Amy Wrszniewski

Professor at the Yale School of Management

Amy Wrszniewskis research focuses on what organizations and individuals can do to perceive their work as meaningful and motivational. Here is what she told us in an interview…

Father DR. Notker Wolf

Former Abbot Primate Order of Saint Benedict

Father Notker Wolf was Abbot Primate and spiritual leader of 8,000 monks. He shares his insights into what you have to search for to discover meaning in life…

The Truth Behind Innovation (2018)

Hannes Ammetsreiter

CEO Vodafone Germany

How can you use a space mission to the moon to foster an innovative mindset in your company? Hannes Ammetsreiter tells us about it…

Jeff Burton

CO-founder Electronic Arts

E.A. is one of the worlds leading computer game companies. In his speech, Jeff Burton reflects what made it so successful and gives a glimpse of what the future of virtual reality could bring…

William “Bill” Drayton

Founder Ashoka Social Entrepreneurs Network

William “Bill” Drayton was named by U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s 25 Best Leaders in 2005. He is one of the most popular social entrepreneurs and founder of Ashoka, a global network that empowers people that want to start a social business…

Neil Harbisson

Avantgarde Artist and Cyborg

Neil Harbisson is best known for being the first person in the world with an antenna implanted in his skull and for being legally recognized as a cyborg by a government. He talked with us about how innovation starts with yourself…

Herbert Henzler

McKinsey, Former European Chairman

Herbert Henzler has been one of the most influential business advisors in Europe. Being chairman of McKinsey, he was passionate about what drives business leadership. Here is what he told us…

Lin Sebastian Kayser

Serial entrepreneur, 3-D Printing Pioneer

How much in your life can be planned – and how much you have to be open to surprises? Lin Kayser talks about why serendipity is one of the most important entrepreneurial qualities…

James Law

Founder of Cybertecture

Hongkong based James Law shares his exciting personal story how watching Starwars as a kid inspired him to revolutionize the world of architecture…

Antonella Mei-Pochtler

Boston Consulting Group, former partner

Antonella Mei-Pochtler has been called “Germanys most popular management consultant” by Spiegel Magazine. She has given strategic advice to hundreds of CEOs. To us, she talked about, what truly drives innovation…

Frank Meyer

Head of B2C Solutions and Innovation E.ON

How to turn a company upside down? Frank Meyer tells his story of E.ON which decided to change from a traditional energy supplier to the leading company with regards to green, sustainable energy solutions…

Sebastian Morgner

Co-Founder FLI and Managing Director MLI Leadership Institute 

What can we learn from the fall of the Berlin Wall about the future leadership? Sebastian Morgner tells us…

Alan South

Founder of Ripplewood and former CEO Ideo Europe

If you want to drive innovation as a leader, you have to navigate through specific dilemmas. Design Thinking pioneer Alan South explains what challenges you should be aware of…

Catalin Voss

Silicon Valley inventor and entrepreneur

Catalin has been programming iPhone apps since he was a youngster. This led him to Silicon Valley. In an interview, he explains the extraordinary, but also ambiguous innovation ecosystem of the Valley…

Hanno RENNER

Founder of Personio

With his tech HR startup Personio, Hanno Renner’s goal is no less than to revolutionize human ressources processes for all German startups and SMEs. He is a passionate entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Personio, a cloud-based HR management…

Vision Y Map

The vision of a desirable world

Visionary Leadership

More than 50 Munich based students from all continents co-created a vision of a society they want to live in in the future. Here is what they decided to strive for…

Meaning@Work Map

How to create meaning at work

Future of Work

What can I do as a leader to create meaning? And what are things one should avoid. More than 150 global thought leaders and practitioneers investigated this topic. The results you find here…