Meet Neuland Toolmaster® Daniel Bartschat
PLAY. FAIL. REPEAT.
A lawyer who likes to translate abstract concepts into visual vocabulary. That can only be good! Right now, you should banish any preconceived notions you have about typical lawyers. Because they definitely don't apply to Daniel Bartschat. His biggest hobby is games. That's why, instead of books, he has over 300 board games on his shelves at home. And because he enjoys it much more anyway, he turned his hobby into a profession a few years ago and founded Playful Insights together with Dr. Sebastian Schwägele.
Lucky for us, because without this step, Daniel probably would never have applied to become a Neuland Toolmaster®. What makes these two so interesting? They combine play with visualization, helping people and companies solve complex challenges – all in a playful way, of course. Intrigued? Then, as an exception, you can take a peek at the Playful Insights Instagram account before the interview. Have fun browsing and, of course, enjoy the interview! 🙂
Dear Daniel, we'd like to introduce you to our community. Which three hashtags best describe you?
#wanderlust
#playfailrepeat
#nowitbeginsplaying
When did you decide to do what you are doing today… and why?
A turning point for me was definitely my training as a systemic coach and process facilitator. There, I discovered my passion for working with people and teams. This was complemented by numerous visualization techniques that can support work in personnel and organizational development beyond PowerPoint and the like. Even during this training, I gave up my job as a lawyer. After a few years at the Center for Management Simulation at DHBW Stuttgart, my colleague Sebastian Schwägele and I finally launched a startup: At Playful Insights, we support people and organizations with interactive and, above all, visual methods.
This rather unconventional path sounds impressive. Is there an experience in your life that has particularly shaped you? And would you be willing to draw it for us?
My travels have shaped me the most – I'm fortunate enough to have visited all five continents. It's especially worthwhile for us Germans to broaden our horizons and experience that many things in life can function without rules and pressure to perform. These moments are filled with lightness and joy. I always cherish the memories.
So you're an adventurer too. Back to your profession… What goes through your heart and/or hand when you hear the word collaboration ?
My first thought is: "Missing Piece." Collaboration means sharing and combining different perspectives and life experiences. There's always the potential for something new and great to emerge from this. There's a great video on YouTube that illustrates this beautifully – just search for "Where good ideas come from"!
Finally, we'd like to ask you a rather unusual question. But now that we think about it, it actually suits you quite well. You're in Neuland Playground with a bunch of kids. Invent a game for them.
Whether the Neuland Playground is the right place for a horde of children is debatable. I see this question as an invitation to think outside the box about all the possibilities this space offers. As an enthusiastic escape room player, I would transform the Playground into an escape room that uses visual puzzles and challenges, solvable solely with the use of pens!
The idea is so good, maybe we should rethink our concept. 😉 Just kidding. We're very grateful that you took the time for this interview and are really looking forward to working with you as a Neuland Toolmaster®, Daniel!
And if you would like to learn more about Daniel's partner, Sebastian Schwägele, you can also read his interview here .
