Ladders & Bananas
‘Survival kit for professionals
in change’
@CyrielKortleven
Chaos Common sense Too much
control
We’ve created a world
full of ladders
of working time is spent on
‘ladders’
[Personal questionnaire 500 people]
Increase of rules and management layers in the
last 15 years [BCG]
20 to 30%
50 to 350%


Tihs presetnantion can dmaage yuor eixsting
thiknnig patetrns. Tihs cnhage can casue an
uncfomrtoable fenelig and smoe ressitance. If you
suvivre tihs porcess tehn you wlil get acecss to an
abunadnce of iedas, an oepn atitutde and a new
wolrd of psosibiilites. And taht is jsut the
bengining. You hvae been wraned.
In 95% of our lives - use logical thinking
The
Yes And Act
mindset
We live in a VUCA world
Hey, it’s crazy out there!
Volatile - Uncertain - Complex - Ambiguous
Reactive
No
alternatives
Take no
risks
Pro-active Think in
alternatives
Take risks
Suspend judgement.
Dream big.
« Now look what you’ve done !! »
the 3 minute rule
•3 minutes no judgement.
•Everything is possible.
•Ideakiller = punishment of
coming up with 2 new ideas.
•After 3 minutes, select
(small parts) of the ideas.
Full Potential
Boldness
(Whythinking)
Time and effort
• Unlimited budget
• Lots of time
• Maximum support
‘GiGa-dream’
What are you willing to struggle for?
Look at the world from a different perspective.
Imagine.
≠ function
≠ organisation
≠ industry
≠ culture
≠ random
Crossing Borders (change perspective)
Marketing
Finance
Logistics
Human Resources
Health & Safety
Production
R&D
IT
Communication
Accounting
Customer service
Administration
Legal
Foreman
Quality control
Sales
…
Automotive
IT
Retail
Government
Agriculture
Construction
Fashion
Healthcare
Banking
Entertainment
Communication
Transport
Pharmaceutical
Sports
Oil & Gas
Gaming
…
Belgium
Italy
Australia
China
America
India
South Africa
Sweden
Singapore
New Zealand
UK
Spain
Canada
Mexico
Botswana
Afghanistan
…
X industry X randomX cultureX function X organisation
Public speaker
your first love
Opera singer
Harvard prof
Arnold Schwarzenegger
your neighbour
Teenager
Kung fu master
Grumpy granddad
Harley biker
street artist
bartender
Tattoo artist
surf dude
Todler
your worst enemy
…
Google
Disney
Coca cola
Federal government
Ikea
Ebay
Mac Donalds
DHL
Air Asia
MTV
Louis Vuiton
Facebook
Colgate
Red Bull
Nike
Spotify
…
Get into action.
Experiment.
Your plan
Reality
‘NaNo-action’
• Limited budget 

(max 10 $)
• Limited time 

(max 1 hour)
What’s the
first, small
step that you
can take -
within 48
hours - to
check if the
idea has
potential?
GiGa Dream: Give presentations in
New Zealand
NaNo action: Send a personal mail
to 10 people on Linkedin
And sometimes it’s a nearling!
“ A nearling is a positive
word for something that you
did with the right intentions, 

which has not (yet) led to the
right result. ”
Be proud of your nearlings!
1. You started an initiative
2. You learned something from it
3. You may have moved others
4. Maybe it led you to something that

was successful
5. You need many nearlings, for a

few successes
Let’s change the
world
Start with
your own
mindset
Imagine a Giga dream
Eternal happiness, wealth & love
(of at least a step in the right direction)
Look for alternatives
Nearlings are part of the path
Take Nano-actions
Say Yes And
Thank you
www.cyrielkortleven.com or www.cyrilshortlife.com

Ladders & Bananas