Insights from the top: A veteran of global finance reveals the principles that define success in an era of disruption.
Accelerate Your Experience distills decades of leadership insight from one of Europe’s most influential financial minds. In sixty engaging reflections, former Goldman Sachs Partner, Allianz CFO, and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bank, Paul M. Achleitner, offers a fresh perspective on management and navigating uncertainty in an era of rapid and disruptive change.
At a time when businesses face growing political and social pressures, Achleitner presents remedies to the prevailing pessimism in Western economies. Drawing on his extensive international career, he addresses the evolving demands of corporate legitimacy and executive accountability in a digital world shaped by social media and public scrutiny.
Accelerate Your Experience is a catalyst for a proactive and adaptable mindset. No matter what your status in the professional world, these concise and thought-provoking observations provide the tools to go against conventions and accelerate success in a fluid and unpredictable global economy.
Accelerate Your Experience distills decades of leadership insight from one of Europe’s most influential financial minds. In sixty engaging reflections, former Goldman Sachs Partner, Allianz CFO, and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bank, Paul M. Achleitner, offers a fresh perspective on management and navigating uncertainty in an era of rapid and disruptive change.
At a time when businesses face growing political and social pressures, Achleitner presents remedies to the prevailing pessimism in Western economies. Drawing on his extensive international career, he addresses the evolving demands of corporate legitimacy and executive accountability in a digital world shaped by social media and public scrutiny.
Accelerate Your Experience is a catalyst for a proactive and adaptable mindset. No matter what your status in the professional world, these concise and thought-provoking observations provide the tools to go against conventions and accelerate success in a fluid and unpredictable global economy.
256 pages | 5.98 x 8.98 | © 2025
Economics and Business: Business--Business Economics and Management Studies, Economics--General Theory and Principles, Economics--International and Comparative
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Conceptual Framework
The Legitimacy Dimension
The Prerequisite of Adding Value
The Definition of Societal Contribution
The Insufficiency of Corporate Purpose
The Dynamics of Stakeholder Influence
The Curse of Public Attention
The Ubiquity of Social Media
The Limits of Free Speech
The Process of Argumentative Progress
The Reemergence of Geopolitical Disruptions
The Primacy of Domestic Politics
The Rhyme of Historic Precedence
The Doom-loop of Precarious Outlooks
The Prism of Changed Perspectives
The Strategy of Tactical Agility
The Danger of Wishful Thinking
The Fertility of Black Swans
The Inevitability of Unintended Consequences
The Deceptiveness of Obsolete Experience
Benefits of Crystallized Intelligence
The Reliability of Human Stupidity
Overestimating Moral Hazards
The Resilience of Cultural Hubris
The Performance Dimension
The Illusion of Satisfactory Underperformance
The Deception of Sustainable Overperformance
The Privilege of Self-Imposed Pressure
The Supremacy of Strategic Focus
The Power of Excellent Execution
The Leverage of Controlling Access
The Fallacy of Conventional Wisdom
The Consequences of Being Wrong
The Opportunities of Well-managed Crises
The Perils of Organizational Complexity
Economies of Shared Experience
The Ineffectiveness of Planned Overdelivery
The Resurgence of Governmental Intervention
The Merits of Inclusive Diversity
The Shortcomings of Anecdotal Evidence
The Lubricant of Mutual Trust
The Profitability of Customer Loyalty
The Approach of Minimal Viability
The Effects of Exponential Growth
The Arrival of Artificial Intelligence
The Dynamic of Recombinant Innovation
The Scarcity of Artistic Operators
The Leadership Dimension
The Drug of Charismatic Leadership
The Seductiveness of Convincing Narrators
The Allure of Empty Promises
Controlling of Strong Egos
The Rewards of Intellectual Humility
The Magnetism of Interesting Personalities
The Fuel of Continuous Curiosity
The Impact of Personal Contact
The Temptations of Comprehensive Connectivity
The Primacy of Social Status
The Law of Requisite Variety
The Corrosiveness of Bureaucratic Evolution
The Inefficiencies of Remote Work
The Joy of Whitewater Rafting
The Poison of Instant Gratification
The Discipline of Deliberate Response
The Pain of Missed Gain
The Imperative of Personal Integrity
The Magic of Intelligent Intensity
The Reality of Muddling Through
The Art of Gracefully Exiting
Conclusion
Sam Walter Foss: The Calf Path
Rudyard Kipling: If
Mário de Andrade: My Soul is in a Hurry References Acknowledgements
The Conceptual Framework
The Legitimacy Dimension
The Prerequisite of Adding Value
The Definition of Societal Contribution
The Insufficiency of Corporate Purpose
The Dynamics of Stakeholder Influence
The Curse of Public Attention
The Ubiquity of Social Media
The Limits of Free Speech
The Process of Argumentative Progress
The Reemergence of Geopolitical Disruptions
The Primacy of Domestic Politics
The Rhyme of Historic Precedence
The Doom-loop of Precarious Outlooks
The Prism of Changed Perspectives
The Strategy of Tactical Agility
The Danger of Wishful Thinking
The Fertility of Black Swans
The Inevitability of Unintended Consequences
The Deceptiveness of Obsolete Experience
Benefits of Crystallized Intelligence
The Reliability of Human Stupidity
Overestimating Moral Hazards
The Resilience of Cultural Hubris
The Performance Dimension
The Illusion of Satisfactory Underperformance
The Deception of Sustainable Overperformance
The Privilege of Self-Imposed Pressure
The Supremacy of Strategic Focus
The Power of Excellent Execution
The Leverage of Controlling Access
The Fallacy of Conventional Wisdom
The Consequences of Being Wrong
The Opportunities of Well-managed Crises
The Perils of Organizational Complexity
Economies of Shared Experience
The Ineffectiveness of Planned Overdelivery
The Resurgence of Governmental Intervention
The Merits of Inclusive Diversity
The Shortcomings of Anecdotal Evidence
The Lubricant of Mutual Trust
The Profitability of Customer Loyalty
The Approach of Minimal Viability
The Effects of Exponential Growth
The Arrival of Artificial Intelligence
The Dynamic of Recombinant Innovation
The Scarcity of Artistic Operators
The Leadership Dimension
The Drug of Charismatic Leadership
The Seductiveness of Convincing Narrators
The Allure of Empty Promises
Controlling of Strong Egos
The Rewards of Intellectual Humility
The Magnetism of Interesting Personalities
The Fuel of Continuous Curiosity
The Impact of Personal Contact
The Temptations of Comprehensive Connectivity
The Primacy of Social Status
The Law of Requisite Variety
The Corrosiveness of Bureaucratic Evolution
The Inefficiencies of Remote Work
The Joy of Whitewater Rafting
The Poison of Instant Gratification
The Discipline of Deliberate Response
The Pain of Missed Gain
The Imperative of Personal Integrity
The Magic of Intelligent Intensity
The Reality of Muddling Through
The Art of Gracefully Exiting
Conclusion
Sam Walter Foss: The Calf Path
Rudyard Kipling: If
Mário de Andrade: My Soul is in a Hurry References Acknowledgements