Who’s got your back?

I'm on a mission to smooth the way for leaders and changemakers. So they can drive growth and innovation in a human way.

Hi, I’m Peter Schmidt – the leader’s guard and sparring partner. Because every leader deserves someone trusted in their corner.

If you’re navigating a transformation process and need a sparring partner to help you…

  • build a cohesive management team to drive collective goals together
  • transform your organization in a human way to overcome resistance to change and spark a cultural transformation
  • foster innovative thinking through mindset shifts that allow for deeper and more sustainable innovation

… you’ve come to the right place.

We’re in the midst of a leadership crisis

Just take a look at these numbers from the Gallup Engagement Index Germany 2023:

Only 14% of German employees are engaged and thrive at work

0 %

More employees than ever (45%) are open to or looking for a new job.

0 %

Lost productivity has cost the German economy up to 167.2 billion euros due to 19% of employees being actively disengaged.

0 %

In times of ever-changing circumstances, market disruptions, and declining employee loyalty, companies must take care of their leadership challenges now.

Leadership can be a lonely job

As a sparring partner and leadership coach, I help innovative leaders like you replace the old top-down management model with human-centered, collaborative leadership.

So you can –

.

»Our work with Peter is characterized by refreshing, strategic, and tactical goal orientation. His years of experience in marketing and communications are extremely important for our shared projects. And as a result, a healthy field of tension between creativity and rational planning arises. A great sparring partner.«

Erwin Filter,
Communications and Digital Health, Bayer Vital GmbH

My own journey to human leadership

When I was working as a marketing manager, the term “human leadership” wasn’t around. Instead, the company culture was: work hard, work late, perform – then do it again the next day.

Being a “good leader” meant working harder than anyone else.

So that’s what I did.

I often came home after 8 pm and didn’t see much of my family. At the time, I wasn’t aware of the consequences of keeping up this level of high-performance at all costs, or the toll it would take on my well-being.

A journey to India was my entry into a new way of living – and working.

It had always sounded fluffy to me when people talked about “change from the inside”. But getting the chance to actually hit pause and simply be with my thoughts and the parts of me that I’d neglected for the sake of performing, finally opened my eyes. I realized that my abandonment of self had negatively affected the way I showed up in my work, my personal life – everything.

Once I started implementing the inner process into my work – and saw firsthand how it benefitted both me and my clients – future-proofing companies through adopting a human approach became my mission.

If we want to leverage our true potential, we need to feel safe to be ourselves, at all times. This is what human leadership is all about.

During my years as a sparring partner and leadership coach, I’ve noticed how often we remain below our potential. The stress, pressure, and level of outside noise have dramatically increased, leaving us burned out and distracted. We try tools and quick fixes but often fail to see that we need to come back to a head, heart, and hands approach.

Today, I work as a sparring partner and leadership coach with organizations dedicated to making an impact (health, environment, food, service, non-profit). I help them expand their influence by tapping into their full human qualities and potential – a vital part of any transformation process.

Transformation starts with you

I used to think it was a baby boomer habit, to think there was no way out of the performance treadmill. But I still see so many people – of varying ages and backgrounds – struggling with it.

They become overwhelmed, unable to work at their optimal level, and feel disconnected from the company’s purpose. Eventually, they look for employment elsewhere.

It’s up to all of us to collectively change this. And that change?

It starts at the level of leadership.

Peter Schmidt, at a glance

Experience & Life

16 years of leadership experience

in marketing international pharma concerns (Germany, Turkey, and UK).

2 years experience as a coach and trainer

supporting leaders and teams of prestigious companies like Bayer, Henkel, Kantar, and Bad Heilbrunner.

Likes to question his mind’s limitations.

(“How can I run the half-marathon in 2 hours?”)

Gets goosebumps in workshops

when participants enter a state of flow and joy.

Enjoys experimenting with new, unusual baking recipes.

(Although, my eldest daughter was the only one convinced by my latest tahini tart.)

Gets behind the wheel of this VW camper van on the weekends

and heads for the sea. (St. Peter-Ording right at the beach is amazing!)

Skills & Training

certified Immunity to Change

facilitator

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

(MBSR) trainer

Dynamic Facilitation

(“all-in-one-spirit”)

Liberating Structures

(Holisticon AG)

Gestalt therapist

(Gestaltinstitut Köln)

Search Inside Yourself

(Mindfulness Training by Google)

certified Senior Consultant and Facilitator

of Potential Project

Systemic Consultant

(ISB Wiesloch)

certified for Versatility Index 360°

(USA, Europe)

licensed for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

(MBTI)

Dual Training as a certified Business Administration Assistant

as a certified Business Administration Assistant

Looking for a sparring partner and leadership coach who listens, inspires, and challenges you?

I’ve got your back. Meet me for a mini-sparring to get a feel for what I can do for you and see what teaming up together could look like.

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