The World Class Leaders Show: The CEO leadership podcast for leaders who solve big problems and build better futures. 093: Why Culture Should Be at the Top of Any Leader’s Agenda with Michael Hansen, CEO of Hempel
“Leaders create leaders by passing on responsibility, creating ownership, accountability and trust”
James Kerr - Legacy: What The All Blacks Can Teach Us about the Business of Life
In this episode, Andrea is joined by Michael Hansen, the CEO of Hempel based in Denmark. Michael talks about the role of sustainability in the future success of companies, his approach to people and the human element in being a CEO and also about the unique challenges leaders face in the workplace today including retaining talent. Michael and Andrea also talk in-depth about how important culture is to a company and what you can do as a CEO to influence it.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- It usually takes around 6 months for a CEO to learn the basics about a new organization, up to this point they are mostly learning and not making any big rash decisions.
- Hempel wants to ensure they are a leading industry enterprise and having this goal acts as a ‘lighthouse’ in difficult and more challenging times.
- Sustainability and how companies can contribute to their industries and their clients will determine the future success of many companies.
- People, financial robustness, customer-perceived uniqueness and giving back to society are the 4 pillars Michael believes you need for a successful company.
- Michael is passionate about understanding the realities of colleagues across the world and the differences in leadership style and other attributes to unleash the power to generate the best results.
- Michael has actively engaged himself to find out why there are so many challenges for women in his organization and what he can do to directly influence this.
- Asking questions and speaking to people directly, allows a CEO to get a true insight into the company culture, struggles and more.
- Hempel gives back to society in various ways including via their solutions and products and also by giving and supporting schools and by protecting biodiversity too.
- Attracting and retaining the best people is one of today’s most difficult tasks. The talented colleagues of today are always looking for the best opportunities for them and they have more options than ever. You have to work on building an environment where they thrive or they will leave.
- One formula doesn’t work for all employees but if you can instill the right leadership culture and environment, you can help retain good talent.
- A CEO has a huge impact on a company culture and this can be both negative and positive. A CEO can engage with many more employees by creating the right culture for them than they can by trying to talk to and lead every single one individually.
- Stay curious, always be open to learning from others, regardless of who they are.9
BEST BITS
“That was a deliberate choice in that we needed to continue to grow at an accelerated pace but in an intelligent way”
“We want to make sure we are among the leading 5 companies, that guide some choices”
“We should listen to our leaders, but we should also listen ourselves, closer to the frontline”
“It’s a very mobile workforce we have today, it’s a very ambitious workforce”
“Culture can drive performance, but it can also drive engagement in employees”
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Michael’s Book Recommendations:
Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us about the Business of Life
The Founder's Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth
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ABOUT THE GUEST
Michael Hansen
linkedin.com/in/michaelhansen75
Michael Hansen joined Hempel in May 2017 as Chief Commercial Officer and has delivered remarkable results as a central driver of the global transformation in Hempel. Prior to taking on the role as Group President and Chief Executive Officer of Hempel A/S, Michael was part of the Executive Group Management as Executive Vice President, Energy & Infrastructure.
Michael Hansen holds a degree from Copenhagen Business School, as well as an Executive MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain. Prior to joining Hempel, Michael Hansen worked 19 years for Maersk, where he held the position, among others, of Vice President, Global Head of Sales & Marketing in Maersk Line.
ABOUT THE HOST
My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.