I was very lucky to conduct an interview with Michael Aagaard Andersen, a world-class brand builder who was my best leader ever at the beginning of my career at LEGO. I never experienced such an outstanding level of empathy, motivation and support. What an example to follow. He is sharing his view on some extremely important questions about leadership. Enjoy the start of the year with the thought-generating answers of Michael.
What three leadership strengths do leaders need to be successful?
So, Krisztina, in my mind, leadership is quite simply the capacity a person has to influence the behaviour of others toward a goal, and to do things they would not otherwise have the skills or motivation to achieve.
Hence, to be successful as a leader you need the ability
– to formulate an inspiring vision,
– to secure alignment, and
– to coach the team to deliver on strategic goals.
Besides the above, the leadership skill that I believe has helped me the most in my international business career, is my intercultural sensitivity and self-awareness – or as you prefer to call it at LPA, my capacity for self-reflection. Only if you know yourself fully, can you be a great leader.
What was a moment in your life when self-reflection helped you to achieve a breakthrough?
I’ve made a habit of performing self-reflection almost daily, in connection with my exercise regime. Whether going over a hill on my mountain bike, cross-country running or kayaking, as soon as my body begins to release the feel-good chemicals, dopamine and endorphins, I start reflecting on the issues facing the businesses that I am involved with. Often my most profound breakthrough ideas have come to me in connection with self-reflection during an exercise high.
What stands in the way of self-reflection for most leaders?
I can only speak for myself but a lack of time can be a road-block. Also, as an active board member and advisor, I have seen “not invented here” and even arrogance stand in the way of this important leadership skill. But the biggest self-reflection “killer” is the inability to listen, and not being open to feedback. I have come across this problem both in early-stage startups and established enterprises.
Leaders suffering from this inability need to come and see you and your team and get on your world-renowned LPA program to open their minds!
What role do the skills of unlearning and relearning play in the development of a leader?
If leaders are able to un-learn skills that don’t serve them any more, this makes space for new, necessary behaviours. Then, these new habits and ways of working can be re-learned in a better way.
Today, what do you think is the primary reason people are leaving their jobs?
Krisztina, we have long known that employees do not leave their jobs – they leave bad managers – managers with low emotional intelligence, that micro-manage, exhibit a closed mindset, that play favourites, that bully, blame, and steal credit. And the pandemic has only accelerated this trend.
Today, what is the best way for leaders to remotivate their teams?
If the past 2 years have taught us anything, it’s that employees crave focus on the human aspects of work. Employees are exhausted. They want a renewed sense of purpose in their work. They want meaningful interactions, and they want to feel a sense of shared identity.
To achieve all this, today many senior executives are being challenged to rethink and reimagine how they lead. Now is the time for leaders to unlearn and relearn how to best perform in a post-Covid world – and that’s something I know you people at LPA really excel at helping them to achieve.
Thank you Michael for your thoughtful response to our questions.