In this engaging insightful and inspiring narrative Hermann Simon the world-renowned
management thinker consultant pricing expert entrepreneur and leading authority on the
hidden champions business model highlights the influences on his remarkable journey from
humble origins on a German farm to advising and sharing the stage with global leaders in
industry academia and politics. Born in 1947 in the rural Eifel region of Western Germany
Simon's coming of age parallels that of a country struggling to come to terms with the legacy
of World War II and reinvent itself as a new world power. His colorful anecdotes of a youth
spent in an agricultural community that in many ways operated as it had since the Middle Ages
reflect the establishment of core values such as trust focus quality and commitment that
served as an anchor against the accelerating pace of technological economic political social
and cultural change in the subsequent decades. Simon takesreaders on a journey through time and
space as his-and our-world transformed from isolated to connected local to global revealing
lessons learned from the extraordinary people (from Peter Drucker to Henry Kissinger) and
places he has encountered along the way through a career that has evolved from research and
education to management consulting to leadership and strategy development on a broad scale. His
particular interest in the Mittelstand or hidden champions the small and medium-sized
companies that exemplify the German business philosophy and served as the engine of its
economic revival becomes a powerful metaphor of his own experiences in blazing new trails
while staying true to one's roots. For anyone familiar with Simon's work and contributions
Many Worlds One Life reveals unique insights into the man himself and the origins of his ideas
on successful leadership and business strategy. But more generally readers in any field or
discipline will recognize howtheir own stories reflect their ties to the past their
accomplishments in an increasingly complex environment and ultimately their roads to the
stars.
