Follow your inner compass, or, How to lead

Marie Ehrling

Gen Y and leadership: Interview with Marie Ehrling

Marie Ehrling is only one of a handful of women to make it to the top in the Swedish business world, and she is the first to point out the absurdity of the situation, “Five years ago, I was given an award as the number one businesswoman in Sweden, and at my speech, I said I couldn’t believe that I would get this award, and that in five years we’d see a lot of women in CEO positions. Unfortunately, I was wrong.”

Ehrling spent a full twenty years at Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), of which she became the Deputy Chief Executive Officer before leaving to head TeliaSonera Sweden, the Swedish subsidiary of the billion-dollar telecom company TeliaSonera. She left TeliaSonera in 2006, and is now serving on a myriad of boards. In 2006, Ehrling was listed on Forbes’ List of 100 Most Powerful Women.

In Sweden, the mere mention of her name raises eyebrows. A favorite of the press and businesses alike, Ehrling is known as a strong and, above all, honest leader. Her integrity defines her. And, integrity is also what she values most in others. When she speaks it is with a natural authority, a genuine presence that exudes self-confidence…and calm. Ehrling is used to being listened to, and we were more than willing to oblige.

Read on to learn what Marie Ehrling believes it takes to be a business leader, and how Generation Y fits into it all.

What do you look for in people who work for you?

Ehrling: During the years that I have worked as a leader, I think that you realize more and more that in the beginning it’s about competence, all the hard facts, so to speak. But then, what really makes a difference between a good leader and not a good leader are the more personal things, your personality and how you handle other people. Because the most difficult challenges you have as a top leader are always connected to how people relate to each other. You have to change leadership, change an organization…that has a lot to do with what kind of confidence you build up in your own position. So that people trust you and believe in you. So that you can convince others and spell out your vision. To get people with you. I think that is very, very important. That means how you actually behave, how you communicate, and that you also care about people.

I have an expression for this: I look for an inner compass. People who have a firm opinion about their own values. Not necessarily the same values that I have. But that they have really been thinking through: What am I here for? What kind of values do I think are important? What do I think about human beings and how people should relate and behave to each other? It has to do with a lot of decisions that you have to take out there, ethical and moral decisions sometimes. And you have to do it instantly. You have to use your instincts many times, without making a lot of analyses or calculations or things like that.

And then you need people with drive. If you’re not results-oriented or if you don’t have the drive, you’ll never be a good leader. Because you have to inspire other people; you have to get them very much involved. If you’re not able to show this energy and get people with you, I don’t think that you will succeed as a leader.

You are on the board of the Center for Advanced Leadership Studies at the Stockholm School of Economics. Do you see new qualities in leadership for the future?

Ehrling: Yes, I do. Of course globalization in itself has influenced leadership a lot. Now, you really have to understand different cultures. And how to work with different ethnic backgrounds, different religious beliefs and so on. So, I think that it is becoming more and more complex in companies and organizations. You have to be more interested in what is going on in society. Leaders that are coming now, and also the present generation of leaders, I think they are taking a more active role in society. They see the company as a part of the society. And I think that is a good development.

I also think that your generation has seen a lot of disadvantages about how we have worked. And how we have spent a lot of time, too much time maybe, working on our careers— which has sometimes had a negative effect. I think that balance in life is more on the agenda nowadays than it was twenty years ago. It’s more natural for your generation to think through how you will actually work. And I think that you might also change the working patterns. It used to be that you had a position and then you would take better and better positions, and climb up, without any breaks. I think that, in the future, we will see a lot of good leaders, and very competent leaders, that maybe work five years in a top position, and then do something else for a couple of years. Maybe they work with politics, or with charity, or maybe they go abroad for a while, and then come back again, and take a new position. In my generation, that has not really been accepted.

Do you think there is a clash between the so-called Generation Y and the older generations in the workplace today?

Ehrling: Where I spend my time, in the different companies where I work now, I don’t see it as tensions. I see it as possibilities. I think that we can inspire each other. You give and take, so to speak. I get worried if you have companies where there are only 25-30 year olds. I think diversity in many respects, such as age, is very, very important. Somehow, you underestimate that to be a good leader, to have a lot of personal strength and handle conflicts, you need to have life experience. And you don’t have that at 25.

Then again, most of my colleagues have children who are around 20-25, and we can all see that they have something else that they are looking for. My son Jacob has taught me a very important thing, which is to enjoy life. Sometimes I think he’s too good at that! In periods of my life, I have worked too hard. You have a lot of things that you feel like you have to do all the time. But I have learned that you also have to be able to really do something good everyday. I think that your generation will be better in that respect.

Do you think that having a successful professional life and a successful personal life at the same time is possible?

Ehrling: I think that you have to be realistic. You cannot have everything. You can have a part of everything in life at the same time. It depends on what kinds of goals you have. If you’re going to be the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world, or if you want to be a political leader, you have to realize that it’s really very, very hard work. Of course you can’t be home at five o’clock in the afternoon and have four kids. It’s not realistic. Then you have to say, “well, maybe I will work for a small company and be flexible.” You have to make compromises. You have to be able to make compromises.

What advice would you offer young people who are hoping to enter leadership positions in the future?

Ehrling: I think that you really have to go to yourself. You cannot only do things because others expect you to do it. You have to have the drive in yourself. And you have to think through, “what am I good at?” You cannot force yourself to be someone other than the person you are. You also need a lot of experience. That means that you must be ready to work hard. You have to think through how you build up your platform, how you build up experience. When I look for people I think it’s a really good sign if they have a broader perspective. I think it’s good to have hobbies, have independent interests and so on. If you are a person who has a broad perspective, then you are a person who can handle different situations. If you’re only interested in one thing, then I get a bit worried.

You have to think through your values. I think that is getting increasingly important. Ethical and moral issues are getting more important…it can affect your brand. You can ruin your company for years if you make a wrong decision.

And then you need to work hard. There are no shortcuts, actually.

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Ehrling sets the record straight: there are no short-cuts. After all, let’s not forget what has gotten her to where she is– old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness hard work. Though we have done our fair share of corporate-ladder bashing (especially on our website www.thelatticegroup.org), Ehrling has convinced us that the part of the ladder imagery that symbolizes drive and perseverance is worth holding on to.