The Only Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Trainer of Trainers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia Teaches at NEWTON

Most organizations still try to solve complex problems through endless meetings that rarely lead anywhere. At NEWTON University, we believe in a different kind of innovation, one you can actually build. Meet Leonid Kushnir, the only officially certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Trainer of Trainers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who helps people learn how to think with their hands.

Leon’s path toward efficiency did not begin in corporate boardrooms, but much earlier, in primary school, where he realized that traditional rote learning often suppresses individual strengths. Today, he translates his background in technology and process management into hands-on workshops that reshape how teams think, collaborate, and make decisions.

Leon, at NEWTON you teach students how to find effective solutions. Were you always clear about your own direction as a student?

I remember realizing in fifth grade that what I enjoyed most about school was learning itself, improving and developing my knowledge. At the same time, I struggled with subjects that did not align with my strengths. Not because I could not handle them, but because they left little space for what I was naturally good at.

That was when I began to understand the difference between working hard and working smart. Since high school, I have consistently chosen the second approach.

You have worked across technology, project management, and business processes. How did that shape your view on efficiency?

Every new technology or skill has always felt to me like a game, almost like Super Mario. You move forward, overcome obstacles, and gradually reach the next level.

From a change management perspective, business transformation always stands on three pillars: technology, processes, and people. The challenge is to find the right balance between them. They cannot be separated, and each influences the other two. Whether a company is small or global, it is always trying to find that equilibrium.

“Change management and business efficiency are built on three pillars: technology, processes, and people. The goal is to find the right balance between them.”

Who is Leonid Kushnir?

• The only certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Trainer of Trainers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, certified under Professor Johan S. Roos
• Expert in change management and process transformation
• Focused on optimizing technology, processes, and teams across global environments
  

Many students feel pressure to choose a single career path early. You have moved across several fields. Was that intentional?

I do not believe in limiting oneself to a single direction too early. On the contrary, I encourage students to explore as many disciplines as possible.

During my studies, I intentionally worked across fields such as history, arts, economics, and innovation. I also explored unrelated interests like origami and languages such as Chinese and Hebrew. Not to specialize in them, but to gain different perspectives on the same problems.

Each role I have taken on since then has built on what came before. There is diversity, but also a very clear continuity.

How did your journey connect with NEWTON University?

I wanted to share my experience and show that combining study with practice can lead to highly innovative approaches even during university years.

With NEWTON, everything clicked quite naturally. After several seminars that received very strong feedback, I knew I had found the right environment.

When did you shift from process optimization to LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®?

Even in large-scale transformation projects, I have always believed we are first and foremost working with people.

While leading procurement process implementations across 13 countries, I reached a point where the system worked perfectly, but felt repetitive. After the seventh successful rollout, I decided to step away from established templates.

I wanted to find a way to make collaboration faster, more effective, and more engaging. I had been observing LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® for years before the right moment finally came to fully commit.

“I wanted to make processes faster, more effective, and improve how teams collaborate. That was the moment I decided to move toward something still underestimated in our region.”

You are the only certified Trainer of Trainers in the region. How demanding was that process?

Becoming a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator is one level. Becoming a Trainer of Trainers is a completely different one.

Beyond interviews, motivation letters, and a business development plan, you need to prove at least 100 delivered workshops with real clients, along with extensive references. You must demonstrate the ability to design workshops across strategy, team dynamics, and change management.

The final stage is an intensive training in Billund, Denmark, where you are assessed directly by Professor Johan S. Roos.

For me, it represents responsibility. Not only to deliver quality work, but also to help develop other facilitators in the region.

How do executives react when LEGO bricks appear on the table?

I have learned not to convince anyone. The process itself does the work.

What matters is clarity before the workshop begins. You quickly see who is genuinely open to change and who is not. Some expect LEGO to “solve everything” on its own, which is not how it works.

The method is powerful, but only when participants understand what they want to get out of it. Otherwise, it remains just a tool. With the right mindset, however, it unlocks insights that are otherwise difficult to access.

Why does “thinking with your hands” work better than discussion alone?

Traditional meetings rely heavily on analytical thinking under social pressure. LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® removes that pressure and engages the whole cognitive system.

When people start building, they activate multiple neural networks at once. Brain activity increases, and ideas emerge more naturally and faster than in purely verbal discussions.

This is rooted in constructivist learning theory, which suggests that we understand concepts more deeply when we physically build representations of them.

Often, people realize what they think only after they see it in front of them.

“The connection between hands and subconscious thinking is so fast that ideas often emerge before we can consciously articulate them.”

Today, there is a lot of talk about digitalization and corporate transformation. How can physical model building help managers deal with something as intangible as designing digital processes or shaping a company vision?

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is primarily about visualizing a system we are all part of. Everyone has an equal voice and equal space to express themselves. There is a significant difference between a simple meeting summary and a sense of personal responsibility for the “model” I am actively helping to build with my colleagues. At that point, it is no longer just a slogan, but a genuinely emotional engagement from start to finish.

Language is inherently abstract. When you say, “We need a better strategy,” everyone imagines something slightly different. But when a team builds a physical model of that vision together, the abstract idea suddenly gains a tangible 3D form, color, and structure. Our memory systems then anchor this information far more deeply and effectively.

Are you results-oriented? How do you measure whether such a creative workshop actually delivers what a company needs for its growth?

It depends largely on what we agree on with the client. Whether they are focused on specific KPIs, or whether their goal is to clearly define a direction they want to follow after the workshop.

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is not typically used for problems with predefined answers, because the outcome is not known in advance. We never know where the group will end up or what insights will emerge.

However, after every workshop, we collect feedback on overall satisfaction and understanding of the topic. Most importantly, every session ends with clearly defined action steps that participants take forward.

What do you see as the biggest difference between problem-solving approaches here and abroad, where you have also gained experience?

This is a very broad question, and strongly influenced by cultural context. Running a workshop in the United States is completely different from running one in Japan.

I am cautious about making high-level generalizations. Within LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, we always return to a shared foundation: everyone wants to be heard and given space to express themselves. Only the form of respect and communication differs depending on context.

Change in organizations is often difficult. How does your facilitation help people stop seeing it as a threat and start co-creating it?

It comes down to engagement, a safe environment, and clearly defined boundaries that apply equally to everyone, from the CEO to interns, all of whom have a voice and are heard.

Hierarchies and established structures tend to dissolve through the externalization and physical construction of ideas. Suddenly, even introverted participants have time to reflect and express themselves, while extroverts naturally create space for others.

It is a balance between process and people, where participants begin to answer a key question: what does this mean for me?

“Hierarchies and established structures tend to dissolve through externalization and building. Even introverts suddenly have space to speak and be heard.”

At NEWTON, you meet many ambitious students. What is the one key skill everyone should master to succeed in today’s fast-moving world?

It may sound simple, but it is the ability to ask neutral, well-formed questions. This allows people to reach meaningful answers much faster.

This skill also unlocks other essential competencies of the 21st century that are widely discussed today: creativity, communication, curiosity, critical thinking, and collaboration.

If you had to make career decisions again today, would you do anything differently, or did those “detours” lead you to your current expertise?

I have always lived with a very clear mindset: I do not regret my decisions, because I always made the best possible choice based on the information and context I had at the time.

I strongly believe that future steps will continue to bring valuable experiences that expand both my perspective and expertise.

If you were to build a LEGO model symbolizing NEWTON University, what would it look like?

I imagine a rising staircase leading to a transparent tower of knowledge. It is a place that is accessible to everyone. You simply climb upward and gradually develop a wide range of skills.

What advice would you give someone who feels stuck in their career or within their company?

I have learned not to give advice without proper context and understanding of the individual situation. Most advice without context simply falls into the category of unwanted recommendations no one asked for.

Instead, I would ask:
“What led you to this situation?”
'From there, we can start building understanding and possible next steps.

What three tips would you give future facilitators?

1. A facilitator is like a quiet presence in the process  invisible, yet appearing exactly where needed to help the group move forward. It is not about ego, but about enabling others to perform at their best.
2. Do not look for compromise; look for true cooperation that leads to better outcomes.
3. Learn a process or method thoroughly, and then practice it repeatedly. Mastery comes through repetition  practice truly makes perfect.