The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving 596: Ex-Siemens & Alcoa CEO Klaus Kleinfeld on AI, Energy & Leading at the Highest Level
16 snips
Oct 22, 2025 
Klaus Kleinfeld, former CEO of Siemens and Alcoa, shares insights from his 40-year leadership career. He argues that energy management surpasses time management for performance. Leaders must embrace AI or face obsolescence, with skills like creativity and relationship-building remaining vital. Klaus highlights the importance of purpose in focusing energy and discusses practical steps for staying current with AI. He offers techniques for overcoming burnout and warns about the societal disparities widening between those who leverage AI and those who don't.
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Energy Trumps Time Management
- Energy, not time, is the fundamental driver of sustained performance in work and life.
- Energy management requires body, mind, emotion and purpose, not just better scheduling.
From Ultra-Marathon To Sprints
- A colleague challenged Klaus's marathon metaphor and framed life as sprints plus recovery.
- That shift led him to study high-performance habits and reshape his approach to work and recovery.
Habitualize Energy Routines
- Habitualize recovery and energy rituals so you don't burn decision energy on them.
- Build routines for sleep, exercise, breathing and small practices like gratitude to sustain performance.
