THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD LEADERSHIP CAN BE APPLIED IN MANY AREAS

What is your top priority for HR going forward and how will you tackle this?

Wilhelmsen will be 160 years old in 2021, and one of the reasons why the group has managed to survive for five generations is its ability to constantly adapt to customer demands, new technology and new regulatory requirements. Like many industries, the maritime industry is facing a transformation and there are great opportunities for digitalization and within sustainability, zero emissions and not least renewable energy.

All the new and exciting things have to be balanced against the need to constantly improve and develop our core business. As a leader, this presents two challenges. We must lead in a time of great change, where change not only happens quickly, but also requires us to acquire new skills, new technology and new business models.

Some of the changes we face will affect the way we do business in the short term, while others will only have a significant impact in five to ten years, perhaps even longer. This means that as leaders, we need to balance delivering results in the short, medium and long term. For example, some of the things we do in digitalization or the development of an app in the short term will not create a significant boost to the top line or significantly reduce costs, but we must be involved in order not to fall behind.

Similarly, our investments in autonomous ships (through the company Massterly) and hydrogen (through the HySHIP project) will not provide solid cash flow in the short term. Nevertheless, we need to be involved if we are to create a future revenue base. This means that we need to attract expertise and allocate resources to work on these things today if we are to be in a strong position when opportunities arise in the future.

What are your main ambitions for development at your company?

The most important thing for us now is to ensure that we have managers who can lead and motivate the organization here and now. At the same time, it is important to think long-term and ensure that we are ready for the demands, expectations and opportunities of the future. With this as a backdrop, we started discussing the future of leadership development some time ago, and in October we launched our new program. Personally, I've never heard of such a leadership program, so we're quite proud.

Why is this program unique?

• Previously, our programs have run for a week or two with a limited group of selected leaders. Our new program reaches all 850 leaders we have globally.
• It's digital only, i.e. we have "live broadcasts" with senior leaders, e-learning modules and coaching over Teams.
• When the program was launched in October, we had only decided on two modules, the first of which is our leadership principles. All managers will get two to three modules a year, but the purpose of not having them decided in advance is that we want to be adaptable and develop the programs that the organization needs at any given time.
• For the first time, we have also divided all managers into peer groups. Here, three or four managers gather digitally in groups to discuss the various modules and work together to implement new knowledge in their everyday work, as well as discuss possible challenges and potential solutions. In this way, all managers get their own coaching group.
• We also use slightly unconventional means that include humor and other creative tools to create a little "wow factor". We deliver the modules in a slightly surprising way. We have achieved this through close collaboration between those responsible for strategic HR and organizational development in our various divisions and those responsible for communication and brand. Together, this has become a professionally strong delivery muscle.
• And finally, we place significantly more emphasis on the implementation of new knowledge, new thoughts or new behaviors than we have done previously based on the 70-20-10 principle. The leadership development program will also be closely linked to existing HR processes such as employee surveys, appraisals and succession planning.

Personally, I'm looking forward to having time in a hectic workday to discuss my strengths and development opportunities as a manager. It will be exciting to see how this is transformed into motivated employees and good deliveries on ambitious goals. I'm also looking forward to gaining new knowledge and hopefully gaining even more insight into how technology and digitalization will change the way we work with HR and organizational development. Last but not least, I'm looking forward to getting to know leaders in the organization that I don't work with on a daily basis. I think it will be both motivating and stimulating to discuss how we together will take our global organization into the future.

What have you done to further develop your own skills?

In addition to the management development programme, I try to be active in various networks with a focus on management and organizational development to gain inspiration and professional refreshment. I also broaden my expertise by taking on board positions and actively engaging in business development internally and externally. This gives me a significantly greater understanding of the role of HR and organizational development in ensuring that we have the right skills in the right place at the right time. Without the right people in the right place, we will not succeed in achieving the goals we have set ourselves - and they are not modest. Our ambition is to "shape the maritime industry" to contribute to sustainable global trade.

Who impresses you and why?

2020 has been a demanding year. And while it's tempting to give extra credit to the team that has developed a complex, comprehensive and, not least, innovative leadership development program, it feels right to highlight all our employees. I am immensely proud and impressed by their commitment and ability to deliver results. Right now, 65% of employees around the world are working from home, with very different opportunities to carry out their work as usual. Everything from the absence of wifi and internet to multiple generations under one roof has created challenges, but we have collectively managed to deliver great results in a demanding market. Our employee survey in October shows that engagement is higher than in 2019 and we have improved in all our focus areas. The survey also shows that managers have stepped up and shown both care and direction. A great combination in a demanding time.

What is the most important experience you have gained?

The principles of good leadership are applicable to many areas of life. It's about setting ambitions and succeeding in achieving them. Personally, I have used both our values and leadership expectations actively in my hobby. Setting high ambitions and putting together the best team to achieve that ambition is absolutely essential. At the same time, you have to work to ensure that everyone understands what is required of them and is confident in their roles and responsibilities. To reach the top of the world's highest mountain, I applied all these points, which I also use actively at work. Without a strong and motivated team, the ambition to be the first Norwegian couple (and one of the few in the world) to have climbed the seven summits (the highest mountains on the seven continents) and to have simultaneously walked to both the South and North Poles would only be an ambition. The parallel to work is clear - if management sets a strategy and an ambition, but lacks leaders who can motivate employees to deliver, then the management's strategic goal becomes nothing more than just that - a strategic goal. Because of this, leadership is not only incredibly exciting, but also essential if we are to succeed in shaping the maritime industry for generations to come.