What if hell is your organization?
Dante didn't know he was lost until he stood in the middle of the forest. So it is with leaders who have stopped learning. A reflection on psychological safety, vulnerability trust and what is actually required.
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When we stop asking questions
On March 6, 1986, sixteen soldiers lost their lives in an avalanche during a military exercise in Vassdalen. The incident has since remained a painful memory in the Armed Forces. At the same time, it reminds us of something fundamental about leadership: Organizations learn from experience – but sometimes experience is costly.
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Leadership as an existential choice
When war is everyday life, leadership is not a choice – it is a responsibility.
After listening to Alexander Negrov share his experiences from Ukraine, and reading his book Leadership in Ukraine – Studies During Wartime, I am left with one clear insight: In extreme uncertainty, people do not seek authority detached from relationship, but leaders who combine clarity and decisiveness with trust, meaning, and community. This is transformational leadership: not as an ideal, but as a practical necessity. -
Being aware of one's own leadership philosophy
Developing or being aware of their own leadership philosophy is something that all leaders should do. But why? Can't we just give them the right leadership tools and send them…
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Ibsen's The King's Themes: A Timeless Lesson for Leaders
Yesterday I saw Trøndelag Teater's interpretation of Ibsen's The King's Themes. A four-hour tribute to the Ibsenian idea of the king. This play by Henrik Ibsen still stands as a timeless source of insight into…
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The Air Force is building the organization's ethical capital.
We are in a crisis of values. In light of what is happening in the world, reflecting on our values takes on a serious undertone. Major General Folland points out that we must take stock of…
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Does firing the coach contribute to increased team performance?
The board of Rosenborg has just fired Kjetil Rekdal from his coaching job at Rosenborg. "The board has therefore concluded, after a thorough evaluation, that the club needs a change" (Rbk.no). After 11 games, 13 points and 7…
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Reflection as a management practice
I cannot teach anyone anything, I can only make them think. (Socrates 469-399 BC) Reflecting on one's own and others' behavior is important in a developmental perspective. Through reflection…
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Being present in the moment (read: leadership)
In today's society, it may seem like people are more concerned with standing hunched over a cell phone than raising their eyes and looking around. Instead of meeting…
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Unleashing human knowledge in the organization
Genuine care for another person is the best aid to growth and self-realization– Milton Mayerhoff Knowledge production and knowledge processes as phenomena are as old as the oldest civilizations. Knowledge is such a…
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The Wisdom of the Leader – Handling Tyche with Phronesis.
When I look out of my office window today, I observe cadets at the Air Force Academy practicing. Practicing practical leadership. Preparatory Crisis Management Exercise supposedly… They probably make a plan and…
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The letter to myself
What happens when you confront the thoughts you had about your own leadership a year earlier? "Letter to Myself" is a simple reflection exercise inspired by Marcus Aurelius and used in leadership development.
