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Pernille Spiers-Lopez, a former top executive was with IKEA for 21 years. During her tenure as President of IKEA North America (2001-2009), Pernille lead the fastest expansion ever within IKEA. IKEA US grew from a small 'niche' retailer with 15 stores to a nationally recognized 'major player' with 38 stores. Most recently Pernille Spiers-Lopez was the Global HR Manager for the IKEA Group and its 135,000 employees.
TLE: With the depth and breadth of your national and global experience what do you see as you think about leadership in 2012?
PSL: We need a spirit of hope, trust and confidence to address the never-ending challenges and problems coming our way. Today's leaders need to create an environment where people can discover their individual power, energy and personal responsibility, where human potential can be unleashed and we see our unlimited possibilities. We need leaders with strong personal leadership grounded in core values, high ethical standards, responsible ways of doing business and an authentic appreciation for people and their differences. After over 20 years as a business leader - this is what I believe is every leader's responsibility.
There have always been challenges facing us as individuals and as a society. Each era has required some specific competencies and leadership attributes. I believe that there are seven specific capabilities that are needed for 2012 and beyond.
TLE: Please describe these seven specific leadership capabilities for our readers.
- Communication: We live in a media and information cluttered world. We are all on information overload. This puts new demands on communication. Leaders need to have very simple and clear messages, which need to be communicated over and over again in order to break through the clutter. Information needs to be relevant, receiver-focused and transparent. There needs to be feedback and interactive channels. Leaders need to be present and available, communicate in person with the organization and the people to create meaningful dialogues. A critical component is constant, simple follow up on strategy and goals.
- Lead in ambiguity: It is not a question about how much comes at you every day, but how prepared you are to handle the complexity and volume with confidence and calmness. As a leader you need to surround yourself with the absolute best people, people who you can trust, involve and share responsibility. You need to create space and an appropriate distance to the questions to come to the right response, answer and decision. Many questions cannot be answered without further investigation, discussions and critical consideration. It is important to recognize the level of complexity, apply the right process and to feel comfortable living without a clear answer for some time.
- See possibilities: We need leaders who can dwell in possibility, bring people together to find new ways, new thinking, and create space and time for innovation and creative thinking. If we do things the way we have always done them, we can't expect different results. If everybody in the room thinks alike not much is being thought. Even on the darkest day, when we face the toughest challenge we always have a choice in how we decide to look at the situation. As humans we often choose to give in to our fear and hopelessness. It takes real leadership to turn every situation into new learning and possibility.
- Create an authentic, business driven diversity strategy: Diversity as an important business and competence potential has been a hot topic for years. What is new is to assume full responsibility and accountability as a leader to leverage it. Most organizations have been discussing this topic among HR professionals and diversity experts, but it is still not getting the right attention by the right people. Fortune 500 companies still have less than 5% women in CEO positions and still even fewer people of color. Only about 15% of management groups are diverse and the numbers are even smaller when it comes to boards of directors and critical political positions. To take a real step forward and create long lasting change, today leaders need to understand this opportunity. They need to challenge themselves and their organizations to develop a strategy, grounded in the business and company culture and with authentic commitment and full ownership at the top.
- Embrace, drive and implement change: Thinking about the rate of change in 2012 in all aspects of life is daunting. Leading and coaching change is critical for all managers and it is an important responsibility to create the right environment, process and structure to handle change successfully as part of every day life in any organization. Leaders need to become skilled change agents that successfully and effortlessly turn strategies into actionable plans and implementation.
- Empower and develop people through coaching and mentoring: We need to be good examples of humble learners. We need to recognize our own imperfection and the impossibility of knowing it all. We need to have an openness and authentic desire to be lifelong learners. Many people will change careers several times in a lifetime. Employee relationships have changed and reporting lines can be blurry. Leaders need to be skilled coaches and mentors and make connection part of everyday interaction with people around them, in their networks, in the office or located on the other side of the world. We have a responsibility to support the people around us, whether it is coaching towards mastering a job and developing performance or mentoring someone to gain their own clarity to navigate through life. We also have a responsibility to continue to learn and develop our own leadership and sharpen our skills.
- Create a sustainable way of doing business: Over the last few years , we have seen too many companies managed by immoral leaders, doing the wrong things that are detrimental to both the business and its customers. There are lots of examples of companies having little or no respect for the environment and community in which they operate; the collective impact on the world we leave for our children is frightening. Leaders have a serious responsibility for setting high ethical standards for themselves and all company stakeholders. We all have a significant responsibility for the world, community and system we live within. For organizational leaders there are even higher expectations for a responsible, sustainable way of doing business. There are many great examples of companies and individuals who are taking the lead on this. We can all learn from them. It is possible to be responsible and do things right and still have a successful business outcome. It takes real leadership to make this happen.
TLE: What do you see as the biggest challenge and opportunity for our 2012 leaders?
PSL:Unfortunately, with all the attention and discussion this past decade around diversity and the value it brings to any organization and business, little has happened. I think the reason is very simple. This hugely emotionally loaded topic has been delegated to HR professionals and diversity experts. We will only see real, lasting change when top executives take full ownership, put it on the agenda, hold people accountable and create a culture of real inclusiveness at all levels. We need to engage a whole new group, mostly white male CEOs, in open, honest and frank dialogue, so we can finally get a break through in leveraging the power of our diverse culture.
TLE: What about management responsibilities? It seems like the discussions are always about leadership. What is your take?
PSL: Everyone can be a leader. You can lead from any chair. I have seen people without formal management responsibility or a formal role take on great leadership responsibility and make a difference. I have seen managers with a formal role and title abdicating their leadership and doing the wrong things. I have seen managers creating "great" results, getting things done, but in a hostile and tough environment.
Managers and leaders need to do both. IKEA has a wonderful way of describing the difference. "Your management position has been given to you. You are a key person in the organization. Your authority as a manager means big responsibilities and puts high demands on you. Your leadership position is awarded to you by your coworkers, once they have accepted you as a leader. This occurs, when your management skills are put at test and demonstrated. An IKEA Manager is both a good leader as well as a skilled manager."
TLE: What books have you been reading lately?
PSL: I recently read A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. It is a story told by a boy soldier from Sierra Leone who is now living in the US. Although at the lowest possible place and time in his young life, he finds the inner strength to move beyond what for most of us seem hopeless and impossible. The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander is still one of my favorites, which is probably not a surprise to you, since I believe the ability to see possibility is a critically important leadership capability. I would also like to add Lois Zachary's most recent book, The Mentors Guide. Mentoring and coaching are such a big part of my leadership that I see her book as an important and much needed resource. |
