My 2009 in bullet points…

2009 has as any other year been an incredible year for me. One of those years where I have experienced things that if I would have known how tough they would be I would probably not have dared to experienced them all, however, looking back it is with an enormous gratitude that
I remember 2009 and look forward to 2010!

What tied it all together was my close relationship to majken, my amazing family, some incredible friends and a profound love to nature!

• Finalizing my masters and releasing my second book
I was very pleased handing in my thesis in the beginning of year, a process that at times was really painful, but in the end a great learning experience and result! Key discovery: Its not done until its done!

I was pleased that VDM was keen to publish it for me and that I have my second book available for sales, a lot better than the first one! Find it here

• Aconcagua
Our inexperience became the experience – an extraordinary connection with nature and a memory for life! Key discovery: nature makes me calm, cities makes me stressed!

• Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia
South America by bus – key discovery: what ever happens is the best thing. If it happens to me, I am equipped to handle it.









































• Learning Spanish
An initial love for language but also a reconnecting to basic learning! Key discovery: it is first when you dare to take a step back you really learn!

• Argentina & Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, the third city I can say that I have lived in. Key discovery: Argentina has the best meat, wine and ice-cream and is a perfect mix of Europe and South America


















• Geneva
Connecting with ambitious youth and reaching out to the world and the global humanitarian forum – the video from the conference is here! I have hesitated quite a lot to share this video, simply because I found it quite tough to see myself on the screen… with some distance though, the key is what learning I took out from seeing myself there and I feel content with what I could extract! Key Discovery: The power of guiding ideas

• Tallberg
Converging crises – complexity – solutions – very powerful and impactful four days! Sweden is beautiful. Key discovery: Welcome complexity!

• The Swedish Archipelago, Bornholm and vacation!
Two of the most beautiful places that I know of in the world – the Swedish archipelago and Bornholm! Every time I am there I feel so much hope, inspiration and compassion for what the world can look like! Key discovery: How a sustainable vacation can look like with sailing, swimming in the water, and being close to nature, family and friends!

• London
The fourth city I can say that I have lived in and currently actually really like to live in. Funny enough, my 2009 actually started in London. Key discovery: If you know what you want, you can find it here!

• Cadbury
My new learning environment and employer. Very promising, challenging and impactful start – I am keen to understand what’s emerging! Key discovery: interpersonal skills, v. e.g. marketing skills, very different, but mutually dependent!

• 2010
A new year, probably fewer events than during 2009, but I sense that I have an intense learning journey ahead of me! Important components as always: relationship, health, family, friends, learning and development!

Guiding ideas: Journey; Now; Choice; Within!














Happy Holiday!
Emanuel

About AIESEC – finally a well deserved good case practice

When I was in AIESEC I always had the feeling that the organizations was in between 5-15 years ahead of time… being a proud alumni I still believe that is the case and that is why I am still keen to monitor what the organization is up to!

The last few weeks have been amazing and almost emotional because AIESEC has achieved enormous results and being aware of them! Back in 2005 the organization created a dream – not a random dream, but a dream that was based on real events. The method appreciative inquiry helped the organization understand: when the organization is at its best, how is it and how can what it is, be replicated, every day! (read again if difficult to understand)

From when the dream was created, generation after generation have had clarity, consistency, determination and measurement in place to understand health and success of the organization and that has enabled AIESEC to double its impact in 5 years!

How many organizations in the world can say that they actually over achieved a 5 year vision? Maybe a few! How many can say the same, after having changed leadership every year during those 5 years? Very few! This is not only a good case practice for AIESEC, but for any organization…clarity, determination, consistency, monitoring and measurement have had a profound impact!

I am the first to admit that I was one of the people who did challenge some of these goals two years back… I asked if they were too ambitious? If they were still motivating etc! I am glad that some of my peers fought back!!! Thank you for doing that and for proving me super wrong then and also now!

Congratulations AIESEC – spread the word, what you have done is amazing!

Thank you 61 generations of AIESECers, but in particular, Brodie, Dey, Gabiza, Juan and Aman!

A proud alumni and a big fan!

Emanuel

About the way we reward behaviours…

Today we are rewarding un-sustainability… as a consumer it is always cheaper (in terms of what we actually monetary pay from our pockets) to buy un-sustainable products! How can we transform the way we reward companies aiming at sustaining ability?

It seems clear that our current way of doing is rewarding the wrong behaviour. Thus, what we really need to do is to transform the cost side of the production, i.e. ensuring that every single product contains cogs + real cost of production… if the cost side would fundamentally change it would be financially unwise for companies to produce unsustainable products…by rewarding the right behaviours, i.e. keeping social cost of production down, companies wouldn’t afford not to produce sustainable products…from a consumer point of view it would be cheaper to buy sustainable products and thus naturally the market would transform in the sense there would be no market for unsustainable products as it wouldn’t make financial sense to produce them… this seems super logical that this is how it ought to be, but its not…!

What an opportunity to change the guiding ideas for companies as they are innovating and developing on new products!

Rewarding desired behaviours, another piece in the puzzle…

Until next exchange

Emanuel

Are we living a prisoner’s dilemma?

Prisoner’s dilemma is a fundamental problem in game theory and it is a good way to articulate why it is so difficult to cooperate even if it is in everyone’s interest to do so! Maybe the COP 15 meeting in Copenhagen was from the start to the end a prisoner’s dilemma?

Our current guiding idea is that if someone win, someone ells has to loose. I believe there are no situations that has to end in a win-loose situation! Some could argue I am naïve and maybe I am – but I would argue again, that it only comes back to our guiding ideas….! Having been a quite ambitions soccer player I was taught that for me to win someone has to loose and it is actually first now, years after I have stopped playing that I am realizing how destructive that was for me, for my team and for sport… sport should be about uniting through competition and in the end, simply the fact that sport is existing and that games are played is a win-win!

I do appreciate competing, but the element of winning is not about making sure someone ells loose, but instead making sure we all thrive in what we are doing.

In the context of the world we cannot afford to continue to have a win-lose guiding idea, simple because earth is one and need to be treaded as ONE and if we want to be here we need to be one team, humanity in nature together as ONE...Our opportunity as a collective – shape and create new guiding ideas, an opportunity of a lifetime and it has never been more important that it is right now! Lets not focus on talking about the failure in Copenhagen and nopenhagen or whatever, but instead start creating and shaping new guiding ideas.. it can start NOW! In everything that I do I will seek win-win, as my fundamental guiding idea recognizing that there has to be such outcome no matter what I do!

Until later

Emanuel

the most important consensus of our time

the agreement (?)(framework convention on climate change) to be downloaded here

the last point emphasis 1.5 degrees C – which means according to 350.org 350ppm, i.e. the safer climate path, now what does it mean that it's not binding?

clearly it is just the beginning to what's needed in terms of a governing agreement, however, an agreement will never be enough and maybe not even the beginning! the people of the world came together the last few weeks and that can never be seen as a failure... in the end, our choice on what to do now will always come back to us and our guiding ideas for what it means to live a prosper life... is up to us and with that comes an enormous responsibility, but also an opportunity to shape the future guiding ideas of the world - i.e. the ideas that fosters our actions! It is an amazing time to be alive right now! we must grasp this opportunity because our situation really requires all of us to be great!