Some things never change
In one of the last assignments of the semester, Ordrum’s Erik Mattsson visited Stockholm School of Economics Executive Education:
I have stood in many phone booths over the years. Now it feels like stepping into one again is like being in an old movie. As I stood there, I remembered the anxiety. The anxiety that I would run out of coins. The anxiety about everything I wouldn’t get to say. And then the quick dash to the tobacco shop on the corner to get more coins.
That was many years ago now. Technology developed: coins were replaced by phone cards, the dial became buttons – and then suddenly everyone had a mobile phone. The phone booths that had stood in every square disappeared for good.
But there are things that change very slowly, and some perhaps not at all. Leadership is still about building trust, being able to convey clear messages with passion and authority. It boils down to behavior. About standing and walking. About facial expressions. And most of all, it’s about self-awareness and actually daring to ask for feedback.
There was a lot of laughter and a lot of courage on display at the last “Chef och ledare” event of the spring. Thank you for trusting us to hold a workshop on the theme of “Capturing your audience.” And thank you, Johan Nordlund, for your excellent hosting.
