“Success is not about increasing money or power but inner and outer well-being and peace.”
Johannes Czwalina, CEO of Czwalina Consulting AG, a competence Center for leadership consulting, and author of the books “Market without soul”, “If I could start again…”, and “Career without meaning”.

When we met Johannes Czwalina on a Saturday afternoon in December 2004 in his home in Riehen, next to Basel, he was just coming back from a meeting with a person that was in a very desperate situation. Mr. Czwalina told us that exactly these situations are what makes him really feel good in life – the moments where he is able to help people just by listening and finding a way out of their personal and professional problems.
On this site we try to give you a short impression of what we talked about by giving you a selected set of Mr. Czwalina’s thoughts and a few facts about his work. You can read more about Mr. Czwalina’s interesting life in our book "MyImpact".

Selected quotations of Johannes Czwalina:
“Success in our society is often reduced to earning big money and increasing power. Health, family, values and visions are often sacrificed. Especially in the first half of ones career - just to try to buy it back in vain in the second half.”
“I often think about the questions: What was and is really sustainable in my life? What makes me happy in the long term?”
“Human beings are often driven by fear.”

“Success for me means to live in balance and well-being.”
“Only people that have created value for other people found a well-balanced, happy and peaceful life.”
“My vision always was to spend at least 30% of my time for people who desperately need help, but can’t afford to pay my services.”
“Winners in a market system often only end up being winners because they produce losers”
“Most of the significant decisions and learning that lead to a sustainable life are made in difficult and hopeless situations.”
“One should not define oneself only from the beginning of life and youth, but from the end. Only the consciousness of the fact that life is limited makes us think of the positive things we can do with our remaining years.”
“Profit maximization only makes happy in a certain time of life.”
“It is easy to think about being social when living in first world conditions; it is much harder when you are in a socially disadvantaged position.”
“I spent two years fighting with myself around the question whether leaving the capitalistic way of life was the right choice for me. Now, every time I can help somebody and see and feel his happiness and well-being, I know that I made the right decision.”
“The best situations in my job happen when solutions are made in moments when there seems to be no way out.”
“Don’t save anything for a special occasion. Every day you live is a special occasion.”
“Most people do not know where the journey of their life is going to - what and why they want to achieve -, but they know that they will be there very fast”
“Being asked: “What are your most important goals in life?” one client after thinking for a long time answered: “Once, as an old man, when sit on a bench in front of my house and a little girl passes and asks: “Old man, why did you live?” – I would like to be able to answer her in a way that makes her think: “It was important for other people that this man lived.””

Some facts about Johannes Czwalina:
Johannes Czwalina studied archaeology in Jerusalem and theology in Basel. He worked as priest for ten years, establishing several social and public institutions to help people, before consulting companies and leaders since 1990. He was founder of the Czwalina Consulting AG where he is part of a team of specialists consulting national and international leaders. He understands himself as coach for the top-management that wants to answer the question “how to lead successfully based on values and how to treat fellow men on life with responsibility. A part of his experience and knowledge is being passed on through his books “Was ich anders machen würde”, “Karriere ohne Sinn” und „Zwischen Leistungsdruck und Lebensqualität: Warum der Markt keine Seele hat”