What's the worst thing former teacher Gunn Brigitte (49) knows? The answer is managers who believe they simply can't change. Change may be difficult, but it's not impossible.
By Rita Tvede Bartolomei
- I like to ask honest and direct questions. I want to challenge managers to look at themselves and their patterns of action. If you want to develop as a leader, you can't have a fixed mindset. No, I don't want to listen to all the different types of poor excuses. Such as "I'm just like that"," says Gunn Brigitte Danielsen, leadership developer at FRONT Leadership, with a twinkle in her eye.
Are you stopped by poor excuses?
Because it is, as she puts it herself:
- "You shouldn't give a bullshit answer like that to a teacher. That shows that you can't be bothered to even try," she says with a smile.
She confirms that some people are more suited than others to become truly great leaders. But really, it's all about effort and willingness to change.
- Even the managers who make excuses to avoid change know this," adds Gunn Brigitte.
The similarities between teaching and leadership development
The leadership developer at FRONT Leadership is originally from Kristiansand, but has lived in Stavanger all her adult life. She started her professional life as a teacher in secondary school. That's when she learned a lot about leadership.
- "Leading 30 secondary school students for a whole year is leadership in a class of its own," she says.
After many years as a teacher, it made Gunn Brigitte realize that she could use her experience to work with adults.
- "I wanted to make other people good, to help them achieve their goals and to believe in themselves. It's really exactly the same thing I did in secondary school," she says enthusiastically.
Yet there is a big difference between students and the leader. The difference has nothing to do with age and experience.
- "Students in primary school actually have to be at school. But managers are not forced into their jobs," she says.
Leaders have chosen to lead others
That's why you have to expect them to want to do a good job," she says.
- I'm very concerned about the individual's responsibility to make it work. No one can only be there for themselves at work, whether you're a manager or an employee. Although managers must help to create well-being, this also applies to employees," says Gunn Brigitte Danielsen.
In any case, leadership development also has a positive impact on employees: Successful leadership training changes how managers interact with their employees and what they demand.
- It also makes managers realize that they need to take tasks away from themselves. Too many managers think they should do everything on their own. This is not the job of a manager, even if delegating is difficult. You have to let go of control and give your employees the opportunity to grow and develop," says Gunn Brigitte.
From teacher to consultant: To 40-year crisis
Gunn Brigitte started working for herself as a consultant in 2007. The assignments were for both public and private companies. Mainly with topics related to the working environment, conflict management and employee involvement.
- "When the 40-year crisis hit, and all my friends started running half marathons, I started further education. My marathon was first a further education in interdisciplinary counseling, before I went on to take a master's degree in change management at the University of Stavanger," says Gunn Brigitte.
At the University of Stavanger (UiS), she was also able to contribute on the teacher side, where she has helped develop the course "Management as practice" to be more closely linked to practice.
- And with working methods that ensure that students are more active and learn by doing," she adds.
Missed the community as an employee
She discovered FRONT Leadership by chance in 2021. At that time, Gunn Brigitte was tired of working for herself and wanted to be part of a collective.
- "I'm a very social person, and the hardest thing about running your own business is not belonging to a gang - a community," she says.
So she started looking for jobs at various consulting companies. In the fall of 2021, she came across the ad that said: Are you our next leadership developer?
- FRONT Leadership had the same values as me. I quickly found that out. For example, that you have to train to become a good leader, and that development must take place over time," she says.
As a leadership developer at FRONT, she also felt that there was really room for her as a person.
- They provide space to be different. Which in turn makes it easy to be Gunn Brigitte there," she says candidly.
We talk differently about leadership, but...
The leadership developer points out that how we talk about leadership now in 2023 is very different from 30 years ago. How leaders actually "do" leadership - how they actually are leaders. No, that's a completely different matter:
- Unfortunately, too much is pretty much the same now as before. If you're going to do management, you can't just have meetings and sit in the office," says Gunn Brigitte.
She understands that it is clearly a challenge for managers, as they have so many other tasks that need to be done. Many managers therefore feel that they simply don't have the time to spend on their employees. This is the wrong strategy (at least if you want to succeed as a manager).
A good leader must be interested in people. They must want to get to know their employees, they must care, and they must spend time with the people around them. Employees being self-driven is fine, but managers need to show curiosity and be interested. Interaction is important. Both to maintain motivation and to ensure the best possible practice," she says.
Good subject matter expert, but half-bad manager?
Unfortunately, many managers continue to be what they were before the leadership role: Crackingly skilled subject matter experts. That doesn't make them great leaders.
- Many companies have very good technical specialists who are appointed as managers at some point. Then the companies lose their best specialist and get a half-bad manager in return. Being a manager is a completely different thing from being a specialist," says Gunn Brigitte.
Because it's a problem, says the leadership developer, that many leaders have built their identity around professional skills.
- To be the person who is asked by employees and who always has the oracle answers, who has the answers to all the problems," she says.
It is a misguided interpretation and execution of leadership:
- "The point of leadership is not to do all the tasks yourself. It's about creating results through others," she reminds us.
The worst leader
A manager who remains in the specialist role is, by definition, a bad manager. Nevertheless, it's tempting to ask Gunn Brigitte what characterizes the worst kind of leader.
- Is it the controlling tyrant? Or is it the vague, conflict-shy one?
A few seconds later, the answer comes:
- "The worst leader is the one who thinks he or she is fully developed. Because a leader is never fully trained," she says.
This is the leader who doesn't like people and isn't curious.
- Who simply don't want to find out how they affect others around them. For better or worse," concludes Gunn Brigitte Danielsen.
