Influence Without Authority: How to Lead in Nordic Flat Hierarchies
Imagine stepping into a meeting with your team, ready to introduce a game-changing idea. You’ve done your research, gathered data, and structured your proposal. As you present it, you expect engagement - excitement, even. Instead, you’re met with polite nods. A few people exchange glances, but no one jumps in. The meeting ends, and days later, nothing happens. No objections, no resistance - just… silence. If you’ve experienced this, you’re not alone. Many leaders, especially those coming from more hierarchical cultures, struggle to exert influence in Nordic workplaces, where titles don’t automatically grant authority. In Denmark and Sweden, leadership is based on trust, credibility, and the ability to inspire action, not on position alone. So, how do you get people to follow your lead when you don’t have formal authority over them? Why Authority Alone Doesn’t Work in the Nordics John Maxwell, one of the most influential leadership experts, says: "Leadership is influence - nothing...
Struggling to Gain Buy-In? Four 🔑 Keys to Get Your Team’s Support
Picture this. You’ve got a bold vision. A new initiative, a process change, or a strategic shift that could create real impact. You step into the meeting, present your plan, and… nothing. People listen. They nod. But instead of excitement, there’s hesitation. Some ask for “more details.” Others say they’ll “think about it.” Weeks pass, and despite your best efforts, the idea stalls. What went wrong? You didn’t have buy-in. John Maxwell’s Law of Buy-In states: “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” Before people commit to an idea, they need to trust who’s leading it. In flat Nordic hierarchies, where employees expect collaboration over command, gaining buy-in is essential. So how do you get people on board before you even walk into the room? 1. The Power of “The Meeting Before the Meeting” Maxwell teaches that the most important conversations happen before the big meeting - one-on-one, informally, behind the scenes. Why? Because people rarely buy into something...
How can you use Emotional Intelligence to stand out as a leader?
In a business world where strategy, data, and efficiency drive competition, the real differentiator for executives is not just technical expertise - it’s emotional intelligence (EQ). Leaders who master EQ don’t just manage teams; they inspire, influence, and create lasting impact. But how exactly does EQ help you stand out? And how can you develop it? Let’s break it down using the four key components of emotional intelligence: Self-Recognition, Self-Management, Social Recognition, and Social Management. 1. Self-Recognition: Mastering Your Own Emotions Before you can lead others effectively, you need to understand yourself. Self-recognition is about being aware of your emotions, triggers, and patterns of behavior. How This Gives You an Edge: You make better decisions under pressure because you recognize and regulate emotional impulses. You understand how your emotions impact your leadership style, helping you adjust and refine your approach. You exude confidence and authenticity,...
Cross-Border Collaboration: Leading Remote Teams Across Countries
Remote work has become the norm, but when your team is spread across borders, collaboration takes on a new layer of complexity. Time zones, cultural differences, and varying expectations about communication can create friction - or they can be opportunities for innovation and growth. As a leader, how do you bridge these gaps? How do you create cohesion when your team is scattered across continents, operating in different languages, cultures, and work environments? Daniel’s story shows how cross-border collaboration can thrive when approached with intentionality and understanding. A Tale of Two Offices Daniel led a product development team split between Copenhagen and Singapore. He described his team as “two ships passing in the night.” Meetings were a struggle. His Copenhagen team was direct and task-focused, while his Singapore team preferred a softer, relationship-driven approach. Emails often led to misunderstandings, and deadlines were missed because assumptions went unspoken....
From Resistance to Results: Guiding Your Team Through Change
Change - the very word can make some leaders squirm. Yet, today, change isn’t just inevitable; it’s essential for survival. In a world where technology advances daily and competitors never stop evolving, staying still isn’t an option. But how do you lead a team through it without causing resistance, confusion, or burnout? Let me take you back to a project I worked on with David. David was a senior engineering manager at a growing tech firm. His team was tasked with integrating a new AI-powered system into their existing infrastructure, a shift that promised to improve efficiency but required dismantling processes they’d perfected over years. The first time I walked into David’s office, the tension was palpable. Charts and diagrams littered his desk. His phone buzzed constantly with questions from his team. David’s frustration showed as he explained, "They’re resisting every step of this! It’s like they don’t even want the improvement." As we unpacked the situation, one thing became...
Above-the-Line Leaders, Below-the-Line Results: Bridging the Gap
Let me tell you about a conversation I had with a senior leader not too long ago. We were sitting in a bright, glass-walled conference room overlooking the city skyline. The room was quiet, except for the hum of the air conditioning and the faint tapping of a pen against the table. “I don’t get it,” he said, leaning forward, frustration written all over his face. “I’ve done everything right. I’ve laid out the vision. I’ve communicated it clearly. But my team… they’re just not getting it. They’re stuck in the weeds, and it feels like I’m pulling them along rather than them stepping up.” I could feel his frustration—it’s something I hear often. The Frustration of the Gap Have you ever felt like this? You know where you want to go. You’ve mapped out the path, you’ve shared the plan, and yet your team seems to be moving slower than you expected. You don’t need someone to tell you how to lead—you’ve got that part down. What you’re facing is something I call the leader-team gap. It’s that...
5 Questions to Kick-Start Your 2025
As I sat down at my desk one chilly December evening, the soft glow of the lamp casting long shadows across the room, I felt a familiar sense of anticipation. The year had been a whirlwind—full of challenges, successes, and moments of growth. With a hot cup of tea in hand and my notebook open, I began my annual ritual: asking myself five simple questions to reflect on the past year and prepare for the next. This isn’t just a routine exercise for me. It’s a way to integrate the learnings from 2024 into my 2025. Over the years, these five questions have become my compass—guiding me to reset, refocus, and make intentional choices about where I spend my time and energy. Let me walk you through these questions, along with some personal reflections from this year. Perhaps they can help you find clarity as well. 1. What do I want to stop? The first question forces me to confront habits or commitments that no longer serve my goals. It’s about saying goodbye to things that, while once useful,...
One word for 2025
Every December, I take a quiet moment to reflect—not on resolutions, but on one word. One word that will guide me through the next 365 days. I’ve embraced this tradition for years, and it has proven far more impactful than any fleeting list of New Year’s resolutions. John Maxwell first shared this idea with me many years ago. At the time, I didn’t fully grasp its power. But later, especially after seeing what it did for me and for others like Eric, I came to appreciate its transformative potential. In 2019, when I pivoted from my corporate career to pursue leadership excellence as an entrepreneur, I was all over the place. I transitioned from having a boss to being my own boss. There were so many things to do, and my efforts were scattered. That’s when I was reminded of the word of the year. In 2020 (yes, the year of the COVID pandemic), my word of the year was "strategic." Everything I did that year had to align with my focus areas. It became my filter for decisions, actions, and...
It’s beginning to look a lot like… reflection time
As the first snowflakes fall and the smell of freshly baked pepparkakor fills the air, I’m reminded of how quickly the year slips away. The season of lights and gatherings is upon us, but for leaders like you and me, it’s also a season that whispers: Pause. Reflect. Learn. If I’m honest, reflection has never come naturally to me. Like many leaders, I thrive on action. Movement feels productive. Planning for the future feels exciting. By this time of year, I’m already sketching out my goals for 2025—new ideas, new opportunities, new horizons. But here’s what I’ve learned the hard way: if I don’t slow down to capture the lessons of 2024, I risk carrying old mistakes into the new year. And that’s not leadership—it’s just motion. A Lesson in Reflection Let me take you back to a December not too long ago. It was a crisp Nordic winter, and my calendar was packed: workshops to wrap up, projects to finalize, and holiday plans to coordinate. The smell of glögg and cinnamon wafted through the...
Mastering the 3 Pillars of Effective Performance Management
Performance management is often perceived as a rigid process: setting goals, checking boxes, and moving on. But the reality is far more dynamic. At its core, performance management is about fostering alignment, driving growth, and unlocking potential—not just for the individual but for the entire team. However, one of the most common challenges leaders face in this process is addressing underperformance. Too often, the gap between what leaders expect and what their team members deliver isn’t due to lack of effort or capability—it’s a lack of clarity. In this article, I’ll outline the three foundational pillars of effective performance management: clarity, feedback, and support. By mastering these, leaders can bridge expectation gaps, tackle underperformance constructively, and empower their teams to thrive. 1. Clarity: Setting Clear Expectations Imagine starting a journey without knowing the destination. That’s how many team members feel when expectations aren’t explicitly...
From Pleasing to Challenging: The Leadership Shift That Drives Real Growth
Not long ago, I had a conversation with a manager in the tech industry. Let’s call him Adrian. He led a high-performing engineering team, the kind of group where expertise ran deep, but so did the resistance to change. Adrian shared his frustration over a coffee break. “I don’t get it,” he admitted, his voice laced with weariness. “I do everything I can to keep the team happy. I approve their ideas, stay out of their way, and avoid any feedback that might come across as harsh. But it feels like we’re stuck. The team isn’t hitting the goals we need.” He paused, searching for the right words. “I feel like I’m on their side, but it’s like they’re not on mine.” Adrian’s words hit on a common struggle: the tension between being a leader and being liked. Why Pleasing Doesn't Work Many managers see themselves as advocates for their team, and there’s truth in that. A good leader does support their people. But when the desire to be liked takes priority, it comes at a cost. When we need...
Why Your 1:1s Might Be Missing the Mark (And How to Fix Them)
When I started my career, I expected my 1:1 meetings with my manager to be insightful, growth-focused, and engaging. But what I got instead was far from that vision. We didn’t meet often—weeks, sometimes months, would pass without a conversation. And when we did sit down, the focus was solely on the projects. What was on my plate, where the bottlenecks were, and how close we were to deadlines. I never felt like the conversations were about me. My challenges, goals, or development were never on the agenda. Worse, my manager always positioned himself behind his computer screen, typing away as I spoke. That screen felt like a wall—literally and figuratively—blocking real connection. I didn’t know what he was writing, and I never saw any follow-up. It felt less like a conversation and more like an evaluation. It was frustrating. I wasn’t being coached; I was being monitored. That experience stuck with me. And when I became a leader, I promised myself I’d never let my team feel the way I...
Winning the Room: What Every New Leader Needs to Know
I recently worked with a leader who had just stepped into a challenging new role. Let’s call him John. John was excited. He had inherited a high-performing engineering team tasked with delivering a critical product launch. But the honeymoon phase didn’t last long. John had big ideas and a clear vision for how to lead the team. He was eager to make his John. However, in his enthusiasm to get started, he skipped an important step: understanding the team dynamics before walking into his first big meeting. The result? A disaster. The Meeting That Went Sideways John’s first team meeting was meant to set the tone. He walked in confident, ready to share his vision and expectations. But almost immediately, the atmosphere shifted. A few vocal team members hijacked the discussion, steering it toward past frustrations. Their passive-aggressive comments weren’t overtly disrespectful, but they undermined John’s authority. Other team members sat quietly, arms crossed, offering little engagement....
How to Give Feedback That Drives Real Change
I remember coaching a team leader who was struggling to get results from one of his engineers. Let's call him Marcus. Marcus led a small, high-performing team in a fast-paced tech startup, but one team member wasn’t pulling his weight. Let's call him Johan. Deadlines slipped, details were missed, and frustration was bubbling beneath the surface. Marcus had tried addressing it in their weekly one-on-ones, but nothing changed. “I feel like I’m saying the same thing every week, and it’s just not landing,” Marcus told me during one of our coaching sessions. Sound familiar? Feedback is one of the most powerful tools in a leader’s arsenal. But if it’s not delivered effectively, it can feel like you’re speaking into the void—or worse, like you’re creating tension without results. Let me share the approach I coached Marcus to adopt, which helped him turn things around with Johan. The Problem with Most Feedback The truth is, Most feedback fails because it’s too vague or too personal. Think...
Bridging the Motivation Gap in Leadership
Picture this: You’re leading a critical project during a major organizational shift. Deadlines are moving targets, new priorities emerge daily, and your inbox is overflowing with “urgent” updates. You’re pushing hard, expecting your team to do the same. But instead of the energy and focus you hoped for, you sense hesitation. You think, Why aren’t they as driven as I am? Don’t they see what’s at stake? From the team’s side, the view is very different. They hear you emphasizing urgency, but to them, it sounds like noise. They see priorities constantly shifting, but not a clear path forward. They think, If everything is important, nothing is. The result? Frustration builds on both sides. Work slows. Motivation dips. And the gap between your expectations and their actions widens. This is the motivation gap—a disconnect between leadership goals and team performance, often fueled by uncertainty and overwhelm in times of change. But here’s the truth: this gap isn’t a failure. It’s a sign...
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