Permission to Break the RulesWhat Cologne’s Carnival teaches us about AI interaction
Find highlights in DE and EN at the end
Welcome to your fresh DesignChange edition, delivered every 2nd Tuesday at 8am!
Kölle Alaaf! 🎭
This week, my neighbors dress as pirates and ask their bosses uncomfortable questions. Banks close. Work stops. The fool gets to tell the truth.
Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin called this “carnival consciousness” - “the space where normal rules don’t apply and real change becomes possible.” His insight? “Great changes are always preceded by a certain carnival consciousness that prepares the way.”
🌿 The Question Leaders Won’t Ask Out Loud
“What if I don’t actually understand how this AI tool works?”
E.ON’s Bastian Kipp shared in a LinkedIn post how the 4 Cs framework gave him permission to experiment with AI tools “in a playful way without the pressure of becoming an expert.” He captured what carnival consciousness looks like in practice: “AI gives answers, but humans give meaning.”
That’s the space where real learning happens. Where you can ask questions. Stay true to common sense. Where experimentation matters more than expertise.
💡 What’s Coming
Speaking of transformation: Like Cologne itself this week, DesignChange is getting a makeover. New website. New resources. Same human-first coaching.
I’m also working on the Actionable AI-Sceptic’s Playbook 2026—with step-by-step instructions—for leaders who want AI impact and orchestration. And MirandAI, my AI coaching companion,will get a re- launch soon.. Think of it as your carnival space between our coaching sessions—where curiosity matters more than credentials.
How does an executive coach end up building AI tools? I ran a VR/Metaverse coaching startup and learned that technology works best when it extends human wisdom, not replaces it. That experience shapes everything I do now; from MirandAI to the 4 Cs framework.
🤝 Leading AI Adoption Without Losing Your Mind?
If you need someone who understands the tech (startup founder, VR/Metaverse experience, AI keynotes), the human side (International Coaching Federation (ICF) PCC accreditation, 25+ years, 3,000+ coaching hours), and how to connect both—let’s talk.
Book a free 20 minute exploration call!
🎭 Your Carnival Moment
Cologne gives itself permission to break the rules this week. To ask questions. To try on different roles.
What if you gave yourself that same permission with AI? Not forever. Just long enough to learn something new.
With warmth (and carnival spirit🤩),
Karla Schlaepfer and the DesignChange team 🎉
Innovation needs fools. MirandAI is yours.
DesignChange Highlights
Carnival consciousness: Bakhtin’s wisdom, great changes require permission to experiment first
E.ON insight: “AI gives answers, but humans give meaning” (4 Cs framework)
Coming soon: Updated website, Actionable AI-Sceptic’s Playbook 2026, MirandAI relaunch (April)
Virtual Reality background: Startup experience shapes human-first approach to AI coaching
Coaching: Navigate AI adoption with both tech + human expertise, book 20 minute call.
NEU! DesignChange Highlights auf Deutsch
Karnevalsbewusstsein: Bakhtins Weisheit;große Veränderungen brauchen zuerst Erlaubnis zum Experimentieren
E.ON-Einblick: “KI gibt Antworten, aber Menschen geben Bedeutung” (Bastian Kipp über 4-Cs-Framework)
Demnächst: Neue Website, Actionable KI Playbook 2026; mit Schritt-für-Schritt Anleitungen, MirandAI Beta (April)
Virtual Reality-Hintergrund: Startup-Erfahrung prägt menschenzentrierten Ansatz für KI-Coaching
Coaching: KI-Einführung mit Tech + menschlicher Expertise navigieren – Gespräch buchen