The right moment. A detail makes all the difference when it is brought up in the right moment. Bring it too early and we get lost and out of context; bring it too late and we lose our ground.

That I’m allergic to sesame seeds! It’s really important to me that I stay away from those nasty little things. Another detail about me is that I love fixing stuff! But I think the detail on sesame is still more important!

Keeping the team’s balance between its ability to think and its ability to execute. You lose this balance and you are off to a tough time. And we all know how hard it is to bring a project back on track.

A good level of freedom to choose what to work on.  This gives me the opportunity to work on stuff I have enjoy doing and I believe that I can only make a difference when I’m having fun.

Definitely, Minimalism. When there is so much noise around technology, the one thing that fascinates me is its silence! I am amazed by technology when it serves a purpose while being almost invisible. One silly thing that caught my attention was asking for a taxi at the  hotel or office reception in Dusseldorf – the person invariably and almost immediately answers: “It’s coming”. How did she ask for it so quickly? How does she know the taxi is really coming? How will I know if it’s my taxi or that other guy’s taxi? But it always worked perfectly! I was so curious that I had to peek in – every reception counter had a single-button thingamajig to call a taxi. I was left to wonder how could I apply that simplicity in what we deliver.

AL — My obsessive-compulsive disorder to go about all new problems with a map. I need to put all the new problem’s dimensions in order before starting to discuss solutions and details. Or maybe it’s an obsession to synthesis.