Karl Schmidt-Degen
Empowering Businesses and People Through Creative Consulting and Transformative Approaches
I support decision-makers in developing strategies, driving innovation, and actively shaping change. My approach is systemic and situational: progress begins in the here and now by leveraging existing resources, empowering people, and fostering personal growth. Change is an agile, future-oriented process that connects strategy, innovation, and leadership development.
​
How I Work
Sharp perception & mindful awareness – I listen attentively, observe with precision, and differentiate clearly—without judgment.
Pragmatic and solution-focused – I bring clarity to complex situations, helping individuals and organizations recognize their strengths and take action.
Opening spaces of possibility – By combining observational pragmatism with a holistic view, I create new perspectives and uncover hidden potential.
Keen analytical approach – I perceive nuances others might overlook, making patterns and underlying dynamics visible.
A balance between observing and acting – Knowing when to step back and when to intervene is key to sustainable progress.
Insights beyond the obvious – My spiritual path provides additional perspectives that help leaders gain deeper insights and unlock transformative opportunities.
​
Experience & Perspective
My professional journey has taken me and my family to Switzerland, China, and Singapore. I have worked with family businesses and large corporations across various industries from agricultural machinery and waste management to automotive technology and mechanical engineering.
​
This international and cross-industry experience allows me to understand entrepreneurial challenges in a hands-on way and develop future-oriented, practical solutions.
​
In times of disruption, I help organizations rethink their structures, workflows, and business models. Architectural innovation and transformation are key to staying adaptable—moving beyond short-term fixes to create sustainable, systemic change.
​
Who I Work With
I support family businesses, start-ups, and corporations in:
-
Recognizing their strengths
-
Navigating operational challenges
-
Thinking ahead with clarity, mindfulness, and a solution-focused approach
What My Clients Think
My Services
Discover my expertise
Transformation and Change
Expert Guidance
With years of experience I have the capabilities and expertise to help you to transform your enterprise to the next level. Together with my partners whom I carefully choose to support me in your change process, we combine our insights and skills with your company knowledge to change your processes and strategies. We’re proud to help shape and improve how your structure and manage our business.
Operational Coaching
Grow Your Business
Looking to develop your business but not sure where to turn? Need help planning or executing your next project? Let me guide you. Any organization can move forward with small incremental changes, but building for the future in today’s rapidly evolving environment means taking bold chances and making insightful decisions.
Leadership 4.0
Activate yourself
What does leadership 4.0 mean for you?
My unique approach is that I focus on developing leadership teams to be more resilient and able to create a purposeful environment for their teams. This is crucial to improve productivity in knowledge driven organisations. Often a clear starting line is required what I create with our diagnostic tools with my partners at IMO.
To embrace Industry 4.0 we have to have Leadership 4.0.
I coach you and your teams to transform yourself and be a leader in 4.0 organisations.
Get in touch to learn more about how this service can help you.
Architectural Innovation – Disrupt Yourself Before You Are Disrupted
How can organizations stay future-proof when established patterns no longer work?
​
Disruptive market changes present a critical challenge for companies. While radical innovations are often driven by new products or services, there is a more subtle yet equally crucial dimension: the transformation of organizational structures. In many cases, it’s not the processes themselves that are outdated, but rather the way they are interconnected.
Henning Vöpel captures this challenge perfectly:
“A paradigm shift means a future without experience and a present without orientation.”
What businesses need now is a re-engineering approach that enables adaptation without losing stability. Key aspects include:
✅ Embracing challenges proactively instead of waiting for change to force action
✅ Creating alignment and purpose for all stakeholders
✅ Reshaping the organization to meet future demands
✅ Establishing leadership as a foundation of trust and transformation
The key is to drive change proactively rather than reactively:
“Disrupt yourself before you are disrupted by someone else.” – Clayton Christensen
​
Would you like to explore how your organization can navigate this transformation successfully? Let’s talk!
My Network
Where the Passion Begins
Institut für Management und Organisation
We are standing for change management by sound consulting and diagnostics
We transfer scientific and academic research in applied approaches to the benefit of our clients.
We are an interdisciplinary team of social scientist, economists, phycologists and human resource and organizational experts.
Asian Leadership Institute
We take a mindfulness-based approach to leadership and team development that’s based on more than 35 years of coaching senior leaders at the top of their game. We create the conditions for new insights to arise and the mechanisms to create internal supportive cultures to reinforce that change.
Asian Leadership International Executive Coaching
We hold five fundamental beliefs about coaching.
First, coaching is fundamentally a relationship.
Second, coaching should provide tailored solutions to a client’s individual needs.
Third, clients hold the answers to their challenges.
Coaches should work in partnership with clients to help them access insight and their own wisdom. Fourth, coaches should bring a whole person perspective to their clients. Finally, client change is best brought about through a practice model to achieve transformation.
Contact Me
