Lisa Christen

The most important skill that got you to your success will eventually become your downfall.

"What!? No, no", they tell me, "Mental Strength is so important! I just need MORE mental strength."

But Mental Strength uses the Goldilocks Principle.

Too little has consequences.

Too much has consequences.

You want just the right amount.

One of the biggest blindspots I coach Executives on is how to have LESS mental strength.

(Executives seem to only have too much).

The skill that got you to your success will eventually become your downfall.

Unless...

Below is my latest article for Forbes 👇

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2024/04/23/ways-your-mental-strength-may-be-hurting-more-than-its-helping/

Council Post: Ways Your Mental Strength May Be Hurting More Than It's Helping An over-reliance on "mental strength" can lead to many negative consequences, such as ineffective leadership, burnout and an overall decline in your personal well-being.

I think the authenticity movement is hurting FAR more people than it's helping.

Under the guise of "being authentic", too many leaders are keeping themselves "stuck" in their comfort zone.

👉 You're an introvert so you don't go to many networking events?

❌ That's not authenticity.

👉 You're a data cruncher and not an inspirational speaker so you don't get your team excited about the org transformation?

❌ That's not authenticity.

👉 You're direct and it causes problems with others?

❌ That's not authenticity.

---

I'm not saying you need to be fake or pretend to be someone else.

I'm saying you need to be intentional.

💡 Choose to grow over choosing to stay stuck 💡

Just because something doesn't come naturally (yet) doesn't mean it can't become authentic to you.

1️⃣ Don't use "that's who I am" as an excuse to limit your growth.

2️⃣ Stay intentional and be flexible to meet the needs of the situation.

3️⃣ Allow yourself to grow into your full potential

THAT is where true leadership magic happens.

Attending the World Economic Forum is one of the most inspiring parts of my year. 🙌

Meeting such brilliant 🧠 and powerful⚡️ change-makers ready to make a difference - and doing the work to get BIG things done.

👎 The media always tells you WEF is an elitist scam only serving the 1%.

👀 Don't believe everything you read!

---

It's not perfect, but nothing ever is.

Instead of complaining, the people who show up are those with energy, motivation, vision, influence, and the power to actually make the change happen!

I'm grateful for every discussion there that's moving us to a better global world 🌎

---

And some personal highlights for me:

✨️ Chatting with the legendary Diane von Furstenberg, iconic fashion designer and creator of the In Charge movement.

✨️ Hugging HRH Ambassador Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, the first female Ambassador from Saudi Arabia to the US

✨️ Joking around with Nuseir Yassin, legendary social media influencer and creator of the Nas Summit.

✨️ Visiting The Female Quotient Equality Lounge and being inspired by the phenomenal speakers curated by Shelley Zalis and Ronda Carnegie.

✨️ Learning the extraordinary details about NEOM, the future of planned cities, from a person who is already living there.

Energy is set for the next 6 months 🏃‍♀️

There is one shortcut to solving literally EVERY SINGLE leadership problem. The only problem is... nobody likes the solution.

Why?

The solution involves counter-intuitive thinking and going against almost everything you learned in school, from your parents, from your bosses, etc.

The solution is extremely uncomfortable.

The solution involves looking deeply at yourself and seeing the parts of you that you may not like.

The solution involves facing your emotions (and your deepest fears).

The solution involves BEING instead of DOING / SLOWING instead of SPEEDING.

The solution involves continuous maintenance.

---

The above is all HARD.

Clients often come to me wanting a quick and EASY solution.

Just give me the morning routine that works best.

Just tell me the formula for prioritizing workloads.

Just tell me what I can say to convince others.

As a coach, of course, I can do that.

But it won't really solve your challenges.

---

The ONLY skill you need for success in leadership (and life)

is

Emotional regulation.

Don't run FROM your emotions, run TOWARDS them.

Face your emotion. Name your emotion. Get curious about your emotion. Make a CHOICE about what you want to do.

But do not GIVE IN to your emotions.

Don't let your emotions run you, YOU run your emotions

Everything else in life will follow.

✅️ Check that off the bucket list!

What an enchanting experience at the Ladies Drive League of Leading Ladies "The Future Is Bright" conference this week.

----

We heard from incomparable speakers like:

✅️Swati Mandela, Nelson Mandela 's granddaughter speaking about honoring the activism legacy of BOTH her grandparents and not forgetting women's roles in creating history.

Swati has single-handedly confirmed what I have known for a few months now - Africa is calling me to come.

✅️Acclaimed Hollywood producer and investor Dame Didi Wong speaking her unexpected truth about unconscious bias in Hollywood

✅️ John Strelecky who asked us: if your life were a museum, what would it be like? Would only the last few photos be of friends and family, and 95% of the museum be you hunching over your computer?

✅️ Sasha (Alexandra) Lund who talked about the difficulties of succession planning in families (90% of family businesses fail in the 3rd generation!)

✅️ and unexpectedly Wies Bratby ! Winner of the Women Empowering Award 2022 for teaching women to powerfully negotiate for the pay they deserve.

----

Thank you to our incomparable host Sandra-Stella Triebl !

And a special shout out to Benjamin Bieber for the world-class Porsche 🚘 driving experience 🤩

Apparently, my speech on Emotional Articulation at the Association for Talent Development - ATD 2021 global conference had so much interest that they asked me to write a featured article for TD magazine!

Emotional Intelligence is a great concept -- but people can rarely apply it in real life.

Why?

Because 99% of people approach their emotions the wrong way.

Most people either:

🏃‍♀️Run from emotions

or

🤬 Give into their emotions.

Either way, emotions are running your life.

---

Instead, learning how to take the power out of emotions is the key.

Let emotions be what they should be: data points.

And nothing more.

Emotional Articulation shows you how.

https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/supercharge-your-eq-with-emotional-articulation

Supercharge Your EQ With Emotional Articulation | ATD Learning to better define your emotions can help to pinpoint solutions.

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." That's why today's Executive Coaching session with Georg Meyer (CIO of Bossard ) took place at the metal casting foundry Christenguss AG.

We need to stop *talking* about developing intuition.

We need to start truly *feeling* it instead.

Not thinking... doing.

Getting back in touch with our body. Using our hands. Producing something tangible.

Back to the basics. An ancient art, being done for thousands of years. Connecting across generations and time. A primal reconnection to elements of fire and metal.

Trying something completely out of the comfort zone. Feeling nervous and exhilarated and alive.

Out of the head, into the body.

That's what it means to experience being present.

---

This is the kind of coaching we offer to our clients - the memorable kind that creates a lasting impact.

Would you feel free enough to experiment and explore like this?

Hilarious video 😅 Funny because it's true! How helpful are your wellbeing programs really if you're not ready to address the systemic causes?

Here's what helps:

✅️ Set fewer & clearer priorities

✅️ Set clear boundaries for home time & holidays

✅️ Role model a balanced, healthy lifestyle

✅️ Reduce the pressure to be perfect

✅️ Speak openly and honestly about the pressures faced

Here's what doesn't help:

❌️ Just give a discount to a fitness club or offer a yoga class

❌️ Write PR messaging about balance and then role model the opposite

❌️ Tell employees to "speak up when they need something"

❌️ Host a wellbeing webinar (usually during lunch!)

---

It's your job as a leader to set the environment that makes it okay for employees to prioritize wellbeing.



https://www.tiktok.com//video/7091679054419528966

Ali Woods on TikTok They actually couldn’t care less 😂

It's okay to not be okay.

No more toxic positivity. No more grind until burnout. No more pretending you're coping just fine.

It's long past time to change the old mindset that mental health is a taboo topic.

Mental health should be a priority.

Join Ret Chairman of Microsoft Europe Jan Muehlfeit and me this Thursday as we share our personal journeys and provide tips for how to improve your mental health.



https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6929883649655865344

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Today I experienced something truly and unbelievably magical in a corporate culture: the leadership actually role modeled caring about employees.

I don't mean they talked about it in theory.

I don't mean they said they should do it.

I don't mean they wrote down values to hang on a poster.

I mean they did it.

(Even when nobody else was looking).

---

During a nerve-wracking meeting where employees had to present case studies for why they should be promoted, the leadership team agreed: let's put them at ease.

Let's smile and nod and encourage them as they present, with no interruptions.

Let's give them a smile and a friendly question to bring down their nerves.

Let's ensure all questions are asked with respect and curiosity.

Let's bring them small gifts to show how much we appreciate them.

These are our future talents, after all.

We WANT them to succeed.

Let's find ways to make them shine.

----

If only every leader could show this much care.

If only every culture could show this much care.

But most companies do the opposite.

Most companies "test" employees to see if they are "good enough".

Leadership from a place of fear will ALWAYS lose in the future of work.

After 10 adventurous weeks away, we are finally back and settled in Switzerland! The biggest personal & professional lesson I learned is this:

We are wasting far too much of our life ORGANIZING and PLANNING it -- and not nearly enough of our time is spent LIVING it.

---

When you live out of just one suitcase, you can only have a few THINGS.

And you realize you don't really need more.

With less STUFF, you have much less to decide, organize, or and manage.

You have more freedom to live.

Without the rush of getting the kids to school, getting them to extracurricular activities, getting to so many meetings, hosting the dinner parties -

we could just enjoy.

We re-discovered spontaneity again.

My husband and I never had so much time to ENJOY each other's company -- because our conversations weren't just focused on LOGISTICS and PLANNING anymore.

Life was just more enjoyable.

It was a real life again.

---

So over the next few weeks, I'll be cleaning out about half the "stuff" in my house.

I'll be cutting back on work that requires a lot of administration and preparation.

I'll simplify my calendar.

I'll stop SCHEDULING and MANAGING my life to the minute.

Because all that STUFF MANAGEMENT is causing me to miss out on my life.

It's not just about simplifying your life.

It's about choosing to LIVE it, instead of just ORGANIZING it.

The single greatest killer of human potential: Fear of Other People's Opinions.

I'm speaking at How To Handle FOPO (Fear of Other People's Opinions) on Thursday at 8pm CET with Jan Mühlfeit . Would you like to attend?

https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6924622558394761216

When Simon Sinek, Marie Forleo, and Marshall Goldsmith all give praise to a great new book, you know it MUST be good!

So excited to have Simon Alexander Ong as our special guest on our LinkedIn Live show this week with Jan Mühlfeit.

His new book ⚡ Energize ⚡ will help you to better manage your energy and show up at your best.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/muhlfeit_special-guest-simon-alexander-ong-author-activity-6919178083480604672-Mnig?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=android_app

Jan Muehlfeit on LinkedIn: Special Guest Simon Alexander Ong, Author of Energize Your energy Special Guest Simon Alexander Ong, Author of Energize Your energy is everything: it is the fuel that drives your success and it gives you the power ...

I took the day off work yesterday to bring my daughters to MoMA The Museum of Modern Art . That's giving them real education.

Coupled alongside reading "Excellent Sheep" by William Deresiewicz, I have a new theory about learning:

💡 School is actively doing damage to our society 💡

🚫 Kids don't need to learn that an expert has the "right" answers to give them.

✅ Kids DO need to learn:

👉 How to think creatively

👉 How to sift through complexity and create clarity for themselves and others

👉 How to discover the root cause of a problem in order to solve it

👉 How to be open to new ideas, people, and concepts

👉 How to learn

👉 How to unlearn

👉 How to speak up for their needs

👉 How to be empowered that they can proactively create, influence, and shape the world

----

💡 It's these exact skills I also attempt coach in organizations as 21st century leadership skills.

With varying degrees of success... 🙈🙉🙊

🚫 It's hard for us as adults to learn these lessons later in life.

✅ Much easier to build these habits in the young.

And that's why MoMA was our classroom this week.

Next week's lessons: Broadway 💃🎭

Hello NYC! 🗽 🏙 After 5 amazing weeks in Dubai, I'm now here for 5 amazing weeks in NY.

It is truly the city that never sleeps, and I love every minute of its energy.

Know anyone I should meet in NYC while I'm here? I'd love to be introduced!

Celebrating International Women's Day by focusing on our future generations of women: my daughters. Because when women thrive, humanity thrives 🙌

Photo taken at The Women's Pavillon at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The number one factoring differentiating those who are successful from those who aren't?

How many risks you're willing to take.

That's it.

Not intelligence.

Not connections.

Not money.

Not luck.

💥 Audacity 💥

Learn how to speak up and stand out tomorrow night with Jan Mühlfeit and me.



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Anyone else tired of hearing "I can't" or "it won't work"? 🙋

But the absolute worst person who says these things...
.. is you!!

🛑 STOP self-rejecting!! 🛑

--

I was once mentoring a University student who wanted a job at a top investment bank.

I told him to connect with the Managing Director on LinkedIn.

"I can't," he said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I wouldn't know what to say. Why would he want to connect with me?" my mentee asked.

My response? 👇

"Let him decide if he wants to connect. Don't make the (rejection) decision for him.

Focus on what's within your control.

Do everything within your power to make yourself interesting enough to him that he won't want to say anything but yes!

Believe in your power to be influential.
.. But then, let go of the results.

You can't control whether he says yes or no, but you can give your best to make the outcome you want the most likely option."

✅ I role-modeled what I meant by immediately sending a LinkedIn request to that MD, complimenting a recent news report about his work.

🎉 2 minutes later, my request to connect with him was accepted.

(and even if he hadn't, nothing would have been lost anyway).

---

⚠️ This example was a tiny and low-stakes action ⚠️
.. and yet! We are afraid to go for it.

Successful people are successful mostly because they aren't afraid to take the shots, low-stakes and high-stakes.

---

Remember: You miss 💯% of the shots you don't take.

Just do it!

Thrilled to be shaking things up a little bit! Greetings from Dubai, my home for the next 5 weeks! 🏙 ☀ 🌴

I'm excited to be serving clients in the Gulf Region in-person plus meeting lots of new amazing contacts for future potential expansion of Christen Coaching & Consulting GmbH.

🤝 Know anyone that I should meet with while I'm here? I'm always grateful for the introductions!

💥 PS For those who are curious, we took our daughters out of school for an extended homeschooling period and we are enjoying quality time as a whole family here.

✅ This is what it looks like to design a life you love.

I'm a free spirit at heart so when someone says "routine", I usually want to run 🏃 in the opposite direction asap.

But once you get past the "I feel trapped" or "that feels boring" ideas, you actually see that routines give you FREEDOM.

They give you MORE of what you want, not less.

Want to know how?

I'm speaking tomorrow with Jan Muehlfeit about The Power of Routines: How They Can Transform Your Life .

Details below 👇



https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6899641867261108224

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Have you ever had a book that literally changed your life? Completely re-shaped how you show up in your work and life?

Jan Muehlfeit and I have had many!

Join us live this Thursday on LinkedIn and YouTube to find out our must-read recommendations for leadership (and life!).

https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6888922558218018816

The shortcut to becoming a great leader? Self reflection. No other tool, assessment, skill or capability will bring you as far as self awareness will.

This year, I've picked back up on my habit of daily journaling.

Every morning, 30 minutes.

Just me, my pen, my notebook.

I let my mind roam free.

I set my intentions.

I explore my roadblocks.

I write down my dreams.

I admit my lows.

I re-connect with my purpose.

I find myself.

I design my life consciously.

--

I'm so thankful to count the creator of this journal as an inspiring client of mine.

I love Kintsugi. I love working with companies who share my values and mission.

They help us women:

✅ Find our voice.

✅ Find our purpose.

✅ Find our mental, physical, emotional, spiritual balance.

✅ Create our impact in this world.

https://kintsugispace.com/product/shape-your-habits-bullet-journal/

Shape Your Habits Bullet Journal - The Art of Beautiful Repair We are what we repeatedly do.’ ― Aristotle At Kintsugi, we know that what we do – and more importantly, what we repeatedly do – ultimately shapes our life. No one wakes up one day ready to run a marathon, or write a novel, these are goals we move towards by making countless decisions towards...

2022 Feeling... Blah? Instead, Let's Make It Your Best Year Yet! - https://mailchi.mp/f0e52029cb12/reflecting-on-the-power-of-summer-5084189

I'm so proud to work with amazing client companies like The Kusnacht Practice - The world's best luxury rehab centre. to holistically solve for mental health + wellbeing. Quick fixes don't fix anything.

Real work and real change require a journey, one that will absolutely transform your life.

Why crash before you realize you need help?

Why suffer a burnout before seeking treatment?

I love that Kusnacht Practice looks for sustainable practices to solve the root causes of the problem.

Personalised medicine, personalised nutrition, and personalised balance are the future of health.

Kusnacht Practice gets that, and that's why they're the best in the world.

Congratulations Eduardo Greghi, Geraldine Matthews, and the full TKP team for making strong mental health a reality.



https://www.forbes.at/artikel/luxurioese-gesundheit.html

Luxuriöse Gesundheit Eduardo Greghi, ist der CEO der Kusnacht Practice in Zürich. Der Chef der „exklusivsten Suchtpraxis der Welt“ setzt bei der Therapie auf neue Technologie und Daten – und verspricht seinen vermögenden Kunden, dass auch mentale Gesundheit eine Frage des richtigen Investments ist.

I'm far too much of a dreamer and an optimist to let 2022 be anything like 2020 and 2021. I can't stand by and let the s**t that's been happening the last two years hurt us anymore.

So this year, I'm designing my workload with new intention. 💫

I'm prioritizing working deeply with a few select clients who can have a global impact on changing the world 🌎 for the better.

I'm prioritizing clients for whom their work is a calling and a mission that is deeply aligned with my own personal values. 🙌

I'm prioritizing clients who have the grit, tenacity, vision, and resources to get big things done. 💪

I'm prioritizing already-successful clients who are ready to make history. 🚀

----

Is this you? Someone you know? I'd love to chat.

Sustainability, AI, personalized medicine, mental health, metaverse, entrepreneurship. Let's do it all.

Let's make the world a better place, together. 🌟

Let's make 2022 the year of greatness, unleashed. 💥

#2022

https://www.lisachristen.com/

Whenever I'm feeling lost, confused, overwhelmed, or lacking hope, I turn to (usually ancient) great philosophers for advice.

2021 was a great year... yet I can't help but take on the painful feelings of suffering most people have been battling over the last few years.

Weary. Weather-worn. Woeful.

So I turn to Seneca tonight, reflecting on his essay 📙 On The Shortness of Life.

🕒 “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.

Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested.

'When will vacation time come?' Everyone hurries his life on and suffers from a yearning for the future and a weariness of the present.

But he who bestows all of his time on his own needs, who plans out every day as if it were his last, neither longs for nor fears the morrow.

For what new pleasure is there that any hour can now bring? They are all known, all have been enjoyed to the full.

Mistress Fortune may deal out the rest as she likes; his life has already found safety."

---

➡️ Translated : we have a stupidly short amount of time on earth.

💫PLAN how YOU want to spend your time.💫

Don't let it fly by.

Don't waste it on the idle.

Don't do stuff other people want you to do.

Act like time is your most important asset.

Prioritize what's important to YOU.

---

🌟 That is my resolution for 2022🌟 : Make my time count.

Make my time mine.

"And so there is no reason for you to think that any man has lived long because he has grey hairs or wrinkles; he has not lived long—he has existed."

💥I intend to LIVE - not just exist.💥

Happy 2022!! Cheers to making this year one you really wake up 🙌 and live 🥂🍾

https://dailystoic.com/on-the-shortness-of-life-seneca/

#2022

On the Shortness of Life: Book Summary, Key Lessons, and Best Quotes In his moral essay, On the Shortness of Life, Seneca, the Stoic philosopher and playwright, offers us an urgent reminder on the non-renewability of our most important resource: our time. It is a required reading for anyone who wishes to live to their full potential, and it is a manifesto on how to g...

Yesterday was my birthday 🎉 I'm reflecting on the past year and thinking: heck yeah, that was the best year of my life (!!!!!!!)

What made it so special?

💫 I finally started being more ME.

💫 I shook free of the expectations others had of what I "should" be doing.

💫 I shook free of the definitions of what "professional" has to look like.

💫 I prioritized my mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

💫 I prioritized family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 - both quantity and quality of our time together.

💫 I took on projects and clients I LOVED and kindly declined those that weren't a perfect fit.

💫 I worked with these beyond-amazing superstar clients across the globe and watched them all blossom.

💫 I watched the ripple effect of my work effect impact that will change generations.

💫 I learned to ask for what my time was worth.

💫 I took on life-fulfilling dream projects (like giving an MBA commencement speech for University of St.Gallen!)

💫 I learned, unlearned, and re-learned continuously.

💫 I failed my way forward.

And most importantly:

💫 I surrounded myself with some of the smartest, most creative, most driven, most caring, and most wonderful people on the planet.

Thank you all for the beautiful well wishes and for making me so happy 🙌

🎂 My wish for this new year of my life is simple:

All of the same, and more!

PS yes, this is a sunset picture from my almost-daily walk in the neighborhood

Divorce. Resignation. Conflict. Never underestimate the power of appreciation -- or lack thereof.

Top learning from Day 2 of Harvard University Program on Negotiation:

There are only 5 human needs to consider when negotiating, and the EASIEST one that is often overlooked is appreciation.

Not just a thank you.

A real, true appreciation.

On a regular basis.

With 90% accuracy, we can tell which couples will get divorced.

How?

The amount of positive appreciation they're giving.

Shockingly, the amount of negative doesn't matter -- as long as its ratio of negative to positive is 5:1.

How much appreciation are you giving?

---

Runner up for best quote of the day: "When emotionally triggered, listening is the first thing to go."

"Great negotiators may or may not be great talkers, but they're always great listeners." Thrilled to be spending this week honing my negotiation skills with the Harvard University Negotiation and Leadership Program.

My biggest learning today: Avoid the mythical "fixed pie" trap. We want ALL sides to be better off!

(Studying the Prisoner's Dilemma is one of the best ways to improve your negotiation tactics).