Before and after photos. The same city. Decades apart. For most people, Berlin is a fascinating tourist stop.
But when I arrived this week, it was something else entirely.
In the 1980s, my family lived in West Berlin and I had the rare privilege of crossing into East Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie, back when it was tense, silent, and deeply unsettling.
The Berlin Wall didn’t just divide a city and its people.
It cut off ideas, innovation, and hope.
Walking past those same places this week, now alive with energy and connection, was profoundly moving.
It drove home a simple truth: what once seemed immovable can change. Walls, divisions, silos - they can all come down when vision and leadership come together.
Today, Berlin is vibrant and unified.
That transformation didn’t happen by accident.
It took courage, optimism, and a shared vision of what was possible.
It’s a testament to human resilience and leadership, proof that even the most entrenched systems can transform when vision and governance align.
The same is true in organisations.
Walls don’t always look like concrete. They show up as silos, competing agendas, and cultures of mistrust. Left unchecked, they erode trust and stifle innovation.
As leaders, we have both the privilege and the responsibility to create this kind of transformation in our organisations.
Because when we break down silos and foster true collaboration, we don’t just change companies.
We change lives.
Seeing this transformation in Berlin got me thinking about the invisible walls in our organisations - the silos, politics, and outdated systems that hold back innovation.
What walls do you see in your organisation, and what steps are you taking to bring them down?
governance Leadership Collaboration Transformation Berlin
