This volume distills decades of leadership insight from one of Europe’s most influential financial minds. In sixty engaging reflections, former Goldman Sachs Partner, Allianz CFO and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bank, Paul M. Achleitner, offers a fresh perspective on management and navigating uncertainty in an era of rapid and disruptive change.

At a time when businesses face growing political and social pressures, Achleitner presents remedies to the prevailing pessimism in Western economies. Drawing on his extensive international career, he addresses the evolving demands of corporate legitimacy and executive accountability in a digital world shaped by social media and public scrutiny.

The book is a catalyst for a proactive and adaptable mindset. No matter what your status in the professional world, these concise and thought-provoking observations provide the tools to go against conventions and accelerate success in a fluid and unpredictable global economy.

Praise for the book:

»Accelerate Your Experience arrives just as geopolitical shifts and technological breakthroughs are rewriting every leadership playbook. Drawing on four decades at the intersection of finance, policy, and innovation, Paul’s principles distill incisive insights that keep leaders effective, legitimate, and optimistic in a fluid world. Essential reading for anyone steering an organization through today’s uncertainty.«

ERIC SCHMIDT, former CEO and Chairman, Google

»For emerging leaders navigating complexity and ambition, the book offers something rare—clarity without prescription. These concise reflections on leadership, legitimacy, and performance don’t claim to teach experience—they accelerate it. This book is a thoughtful guide for those ready to lead with intention, curiosity, and courage. And I could hardly imagine a more suitable mentor for this journey than Paul Achleitner.“

REID HOFFMAN, Co-Founder of LinkedIn and Partner at Greylock

»A crisply written easy read, filled with wisdom. Dr. Achleitner clearly explains why performance is critical to every company, but has also to be viewed through the lens of ‘earning’ its place in every society it operates in … Legitimacy. That should be the purpose of an enterprise. A must-read for managers and leaders, especially in today´s turbulent world.«

INDRA NOOYI, former CEO and Chair, PepsiCo

»Well respected for his strength of character and bias for action, Paul Achleitner has been a towering figure in business, finance, and public policy for decades. In his book he distills his career observations into a set of essential principles. Known as Paul’s Principles, they equip all those who have to lead from the front to do so with clarity, integrity and purpose. Through this book Dr. Achleitner has done us all a great service.«

GENERAL JOHN R. ALLEN, USMC (Ret.), former Commander, NATO and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, past President of the Brookings Institution

»Accelerating Your Experience captures Paul Achleitner’s personal observations of the elements of success, derived from his own experience doing business globally and leading corporate institutions. But this is not only a business book. It is a book that teaches wisdom in life–if you spend time with Paul, as I have, you will appreciate his positive thinking, pragmatism, and solution-oriented approach to the challenges we face in today’s complex world.«

JOE TSAI, Chairman, Alibaba Group