Publishing my first book
Post from 04th March 2023
It's a great experience to see your book published and now available almost everywhere. If you are interested to read it please just click on the picture below and the link will lead you to one of the book portals, where it is available.
In the last two years, I have started several projects that required me to leave my comfort zone. When I look back on my personal development over the last years, I have to say that without change and without new challenges, such an incredible development would not have taken place. I am mega grateful for all these opportunities. When you leave your comfort zone and you manage in the end to achieve your goal, then you are even more proud of yourself. So, here my little advice, if there are some things you fear to do and you don't know whether you are able to achieve them, just try it. You will never know whether you could have achieved them if you don't give it a try. So, just do it!
Merry Christmas
Post from 23rd December 2022
Another year has passed. Time for reflection, for sorting and realigning the inner compass. Again this year brought many of us great challenges that had to be overcome. It was not always easy. My own personal challenges made me realise once again: no matter how difficult the situation you are in seems to be, never lose focus on what gives you strength - be it professionally or privately. Don't get lost in the negative, in rigidity, but look for solutions, ask for help and recharge your batteries with the people who surround you and who can give you advice and hope with their support.
I would also like to use this time at the end of the year to thank my partners and clients for the trust they have placed in me. My work in the intercultural environment means a lot to me. The interpersonal energy I have experienced during my work is breathtaking and a wonderful engine to better deal with the challenges we face.
light & shadow - black & white - right & wrong
Post from 19th August 2022
Our lives consist of so much more than binary thinking. If you look closely, there is actually no right or wrong either. This is always only the perception of one's own reality based on one's own underlying values and norms, which have a completely different basis depending on the culture. What we Germans see as right can be perceived quite differently by the Japanese and vice versa. But having opposites is also good, because like yin and yang, moon and sun, polarity, on the one hand they provide energy and flow and at the same time create a certain balance. Things look different in the light than in the shadow. And in life, not everything is only black or white. There are so many shades of grey in between. Use this knowledge in your everyday life.
Do you feel misunderstood, maybe your counterpart feels the same as you? Try a change of perspective, sometimes a conflict can be resolved much easier and faster that way.
If you are not happy with your situation, think about whether it is really like that or whether everything feels so bad because of your own mental carousel. Try a change of perspective. Sometimes this helps to gain a completely new perspective on your own situation and to become clearer about one thing or another.
Post from 27th May 2022
Close to 300 people from around the globe took part in 40 sessions exploring the direction of our intercultural field and explored the diverse congress programme consisting of Re-Search Talk, Re-Tool Workshops, Resilience Talks, Workshops, Film Festival, General Assembly, Gala-Evening-Event, Keynote Speakers and Roundtable discussion.I was incredibly pleased to be able to enrich the diverse programme of the SIETAR Europe Congress in Malta with our Scavenger Hunt.
50 participants successfully participated in the Scavenger Hunt and used the activity to explore Valetta, deepen and expand their network and to exchange cross-cultural ideas between experts. Thanks to our Scavenger Hunt team, the participants were also able to learn a lot about Malta's culture, which our team taught them as living, interactive library.
In the end, 10 teams of 5 members each started the race, some of whom did not know each other at all. As the names of the teams they gave themselves show (e.g. The Hi Five, The Malti-Curious, The Happy Hour Rabbit Team, The Malticultural), the teams quickly developed a wonderful teamspirit between them.
The competition was taken seriously and at the end of the day, during the opening event, there was a small award ceremony for the winning team 'The Wondering Wonders'.
In addition to offering my own activity, I was able to use the time to deepen my own knowledge in different sessions. Besides enriching myself with new tools that I can use in my own trainings in the future, it was nice to experience other experienced trainers and their personalities. I was also pleased to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with most of my colleagues from the SIETAR Europa board who were at Malta. In all it was a successful event where I could expand my own network by meeting a lot of new people – other experts in the intercultural field. It was a fantastic exchange of experiences!
Post from 27th April 2022
XculturalWorking will support the SIETAR Europa congress in Malta by offering a Scavenger Hunt to explore Valletta, the capital of Malta, to enable you to see some of its beautiful sights. It is well known how intense learning through play is. So learn about Malta's culture by finding the answers in this scavenger hunt and get more background information from our "scavenger hunt team – the living library/experts" consisting of Viviana Premazzi, Lucrezia Baldo and myself (Linda Hagen). As the scavenger hunt is more fun in a team, you can also meet 2-4 other congress members and make first contacts while looking for the answers. The scavenger hunt takes 1.5 hours with a max. 3km walk and the winner gets a little prize.
Registration link: https://virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/#/event/2495/information
Post from 13th February 2022
As an intercultural trainer, it is important to regularly train and exchange in order to provide clients with the greatest possible benefit and support in their everyday intercultural challenges. This is one of the purposes of SIETAR's offers. For this reason, I am particularly pleased that I, as a member of the SIETAR Deutschland board, was able to make a major contribution by organising the SIETAR Deutschlands virtual BarCamp. The joint work with the entire BarCamp Orga team was already enriching and the event itself provided many more food for thought and impulses and delivered a wonderful exchange with experts. Here is a short review of this highlight for all those who
- do not yet know the work of SIETAR
- could not really imagine how the event works under the title BarCamp or
- like me, would like to regularly exchange ideas and further educate themselves with experts.
To watch the video please click into the picture:
Post from 20th December 2021
As a board member of SIETAR Deutschland and in therewith responsible for the organisation of the virtual Barcamp 2022, I am happy to announce the Barcamp for the 4th and 5th of February 2022. Thanks to the great support of the entire Barcamp Orga team (Heike Abt, Chiara Marchi, Agnieszka Vojta, Ghotai Sardehi-Nurzai, Marie-Kristin Gottlieb), we will host an interesting, interactive and creative event that is all about current issues and topics. The BarCamp is open to all interested parties (including non-Sietar members). With this BarCamp, we would like to open up the opportunity to give impulses on topics and trends that are currently moving the world and each and every one of us. The central theme of the event is 'Verantwortung - Responsibility - Responsabilidad - Ответственность - مسئولیت.'. In particular, it is about SELF-GROUP-GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY with comparative, intercultural and transcultural considerations. The climate crisis urgently requires new ways, Corona is testing us worldwide, the common coexistence across different generations is becoming more and more challenging, solutions for the care of seniors are needed, education should be accessible to all and at the same time everyone is the architect of his/her own fortune and has to take care of him/herself in the complex world. To what extent do we take responsibility for ourselves, others and the world? Who has what responsibility for whom and where, and what answers do different cultures give to these issues of our time? Interested? More information about the BarCamp at www.sietar-de-barcamp2022.de
What we think we know
Post from 23rd September 2021
Many strange faces and each has its own story. Where does it come from, where is it going. These are questions I sometimes ask myself at the airport when I'm waiting in the long line at the security checkpoint. What does the person in front of us, behind us, and next to us reveal to us - just by the clothes he or she is wearing, the hairstyle or the language you pick up. How quickly we think we know something about this person, from which culture he or she probably comes. And in the end, it is only tiny details that one learns about him or her, and maybe the assumptions about that person are even wrong. Each person's history and cultural background are often much more complex than we think. This should also be kept in mind during cross-cultural encounters, because people might react differently than expected because what you thought you knew about the person might have been wrong.
Post from 20th August 2021
To watch the video please klick onto the photo
To watch the video please klick onto the photo
Post from 16th June 2021
The ability to transform is a strength we should use! We are regularly confronted with transformation in some form or another. This can be changes in the professional and private environment, personal development or global challenges. In all situations, people show that they are able to respond to transformation and positively influence it within their field of action. Even difficult, conflictual situations can be transformed into energetic, creative solutions. Moments of despair and anger can be transformed into courage and strength, so that one is ready to leave one's comfort zone and embark on new paths. In the context of my personal experience in international settings, I have found that here too, if we really take intercultural relationships seriously, we use transformation to meet our counterpart with empathy. We are willing to go new ways, to gain new experiences and at the same time learn and question things about ourselves that we previously took for granted. Transformation can be used effectively and powerfully to positively influence circumstances and relationships in the immediate environment.
What has springtime to do with
intercultural encounters?
Post from 24th May 2021
To watch the video please klick onto the photo
Post from 12th May 2021
To watch the recording please click on the post:
Post from 2nd May 2021
It is so fascinating how easily things come to you when you love what you do. This dedication pays off, because time and again you come across new inspiring impulses in your work. Regular breaks in between encourage the creative flow. This weekend I was able to make great progress on my current projects (fine-tuning a new free online training concept, preparing a talk on India at Diversity Day, creating a project/event plan for a digital BarCamp, continuing my book on intercultural experiences). Love working in an intercultural environment!
Video from 10th April 2021
To see the video click onto the picture.
Cross cultural working
Post from 19th Mar 2021
Most people associate the term "work" with effort and often stress. But working in an intercultural environment is exciting, diverse and if you consciously deal with intercultural issues, you can often learn a lot about yourself. This week has confirmed to me once again that working and learning in an intercultural environment can be done with a certain ease and that learning content then can be processed much better. After years of Irish dancing, including local classes, I have developed a special love for Ireland and was very happy about the offer from YoungSIETAR and SIETAR Ireland to travel virtually to Ireland to dive deeper into the culture with the help of a virtual scavenger hunt through Limerick. I met very nice people and was able to further deepen my knowledge of Irish culture on this virtual trip, which was great fun.
An Adventure
Post from 19th Feb 2021
So many people are looking for a special challenge in life, an adventure. But like bungee jumping, free climbing or extreme snowboarding, does it always have to be about that special kick that can sometimes be life-threatening? Anyone who has ever studied other cultures in depth will surely agree with me that this too is often an adventurous endeavor, especially when it involves a culture that differs greatly from one's own. Just as the extreme athlete must prepare him-/herself physically and mentally for the thrill, so should the person - embarking on the adventure abroad – prepare him-/herself too to avoid stumbling blocks and pitfalls as much as possible. Experiencing a new culture is exciting and personally enriching. In many cultures, the search for such a sporting leisure kick is unthinkable, because there life itself is already an extreme.
A global network
Post from 27th Jan 2021
When I saw this beautiful snow roof of interwoven snow-covered branches, the thought spontaneously popped into my head that we are also similarly interwoven, networked and connected across the globe. The rapid spread of the COVID 19 virus has shown us nothing else. As I am a very positive person, I thought in the same breath that if the branches of the trees are strong enough to carry the snow, then we humans will also be strong enough, despite the restrictions, to maintain our relationships with our close circle of friends both locally and abroad and to strengthen them by all means, be it through emails, telephone calls or Skype dates over a joint dinner or a glass of wine. If we now transfer these findings to the economy, it becomes clear that healthy business relationships even across national borders have good chances of survival, even in such difficult times as now. But what makes a good business relationship? Is it merely the money generated by the cooperation or is it not rather the human factor? I know I'm not writing anything new in this post, nothing that everyone doesn't already know. Nevertheless, it is important to me to post this as a reminder, because under all the pressure of competition and success, the human factor is still sometimes neglected or forgotten in some companies. But entrepreneurial success is only possible through cooperation and cooperation also means building relationships and social networks. This is what makes a healthy business relationship that can overcome obstacles. We can all make our contribution to this!
Conscious and trustful interaction
Post from 1st Jan 2021
A difficult year has come to an end and we all hope for a better 2021! How much we wish to return to normality. But what does normality mean? Do we really want to go back exactly where we came from? Or aren't there some things we learned during the pandemic that we want to implement wisely in the future? I would very much like us to take something positive from the pandemic as well. The first lockdown has shown us that home office can work in many places and what a great positive impact the increased work in the home office and the limited travel activities have on our environment. For this reason, I sincerely wish that everyone and especially companies would act more consciously and take more responsibility. We have the power and the possibilities to do something. Of course it is important to see each other in the office and to exchange ideas. A visit to the foreign locations is also indispensable for good cooperation from time to time. Nevertheless, it is important to find the right balance. Home office is a good step towards reducing the burden on the environment. I would be very happy if more companies and enterprises would engage in this balancing act with the right measure and also the necessary trust towards their employees.
Since many people got tired of the topic of Corona, I thought for a long time whether I should write anything at all about it. However, the virus has now become a constant companion in our everyday lives and so naturally has a strong influence on the business world. Every day there is a new Corona update. The associated effects and restrictions can hardly be planned for.
International Change Management
Post from 15th Nov. 2020
Almost everyone has experienced a change management process in their professional career. Change management does not always have to be understood negatively in the form of restructuring with downsizing targets. Change management can also mean adapting the organisational structure to new strategies or market conditions. After all, in today's performance-driven society, the pressure is high for companies and especially for financial institutions.
