What matters in the end

Purpose of this book

Supporting someone to succeed and do a little better each time is a quality that is often encouraged, but not always complied with in today’s hectic society. Already in school age, work now increasingly goes towards group work and no matter how you see it, you always need someone who is available to show the way and (when needed) coach a friend who may be stuck on a task. Sometimes it’s a parent, a teacher or maybe your boss… We can see it in the world of sports, where communication is really something that often needs to be worn in as it rarely comes completely natural for our little ones that we actually get the best results when everyone succeeds together.The feeling when a child notices that the better we work together, the better results we achieve, is magical!

In professional life, we of course find several professions where you often work completely alone in the execution, but if we lack dialogue and planning, the result can be that 10 colleagues succeeded individually, but the common goal is not reached because we have not had a common and clear picture exactly where we are going. Imagine a company that has 100 products to sell and the requirement for delivery is that we have reached at least 10 copies sold for that particular product. Say that the company has 10 super-skilled salespeople who each manage to sell no less than 50 individual products each during a period.

In terms of the individual, it is a superb result and there will be many rings in the sales clock a week. But when it’s time for delivery, the delivery department discovers that not a single one of the unique products has reached the minimum limit for delivery, because all the sellers have managed to score different products. The result is that none of the customers can get their ordered product right then and certainly several choose to buy from someone else in the industry. This is where a guide is needed, a person who can both highlight the goal, but also be involved in supporting and guiding groups and individuals during the journey!

For me, leadership is precisely about the ability to support with clear goals, provide alternative tools to get there and above all continuously be there and coach each individual to create a result where we all succeed. When you find that collaboration when you have the courage to be confident with both your own commitment while you have confidence that your colleagues work in the same way, then we win together!

My first experience as a Team Leader began in the restaurant world when the owner of a place I worked at gathered us chefs and simply told me “now you are responsible for supporting your colleagues so we together become more efficient” (actually it was more in the style of ” now it may f “# ¤n be the end of the hassle, YOU (pointing at me) are responsible for I can no longer bear” but now it is my slightly kinder interpretation that may apply).

During the trip, I have since led a group of inside sales in the insurance industry, myself as self-employed (difficult discussions), been regionally responsible for several non-profit organizations and most recently led employees in IT and Leadership training both here in Sweden as well as in Finland and not very rarely anywhere else in the world, often at a distance.

In my books, I gather experiences during the journey, both personal but also new knowledge that I myself have taken in dialogue with partners, various educations and conferences I have participated in over the years. We are all different so each part may not appeal to you, but the hope is that you still found some gold nuggets that can support your journey! Thank you for taking the time to reflect on my thoughts !!

Colleagues who inspired

• John-Anders Pettersson, my oldest weapon bearer and godfather of my youngest son
• Patrik Sandqvist, one of the few who writes more emails than myself and a loyal travel companion over the years
• Fredrik Paring, who involved me as co-founder and partner in Cilbuper, now a successful entrepreneur!
• Anders Ferm, my first close CEO and a loyal friend since my first time as KAM at Informator
• Emil Robertsson, my old sales manager and later CEO who recruited me as Nordic education manager for Informator Tieturi Group
• Mikael Sigvardsson, my old coach colleague and head coach in best football team of Holmalund IF G99/00

Of course, I also take the opportunity to thank all the other colleagues, teachers and area experts that I have encountered over the years and worked with in longer and shorter assignments. You are all a source of inspiration and knowledge in different ways !! Finally, I hope that you who have read the book have found some suggestions and ideas what you can do yourself and maybe even try to avoid.

I dedicate this book to my patient wife Ulrika and my dear daughters and sons who have supported me all the way! //Tobias