Johan Rosenberg, Regional Director CIS & Baltics for Oriflame, is telling us about his strongest competency - the ability to listen to people. He thinks that it is very important to let people express themselves, express their thoughts and to try to understand their reasoning. He thinks that a lot of very good suggestions often come from below, from people who know details and who know question on a different and deeper level that many of the higher executives.
1. What is your strongest competency?
I think what comes out when I do various tests or when people are commenting on me, I very often come out as a very good listener. I'm good with people. I'm trying to understand them, trying to understand the reasoning. Therefore, in interpersonal skills I'm trying to build the team and be in a team. I let people have their thoughts, trying to understand before judging with my opinion. That is something that comes out very strong.
2. How do you help your people to express themselves?
It's very often questions rather than answers from my side. Some people can think that it is that I'm indecisive or weak as a leader but on the contrary it comes out in a longer round than it is really on the contrary. By asking questions and there for getting understanding and getting the person to think what he or she suggests, "what do you propose", "how would you do that if you were in my shoes", "what do you need", you get the much more understanding, and very often the real knowledge is with the people who are actually dealing with issues on a day to day level. There are many of the answers that I don't really see from the top but by describing that and engaging them in that, the outcome usually very much more positive.
3. Did you ever have the problem of authoritarianism in the management style in your organization? I think there seems several aspects to this. One thing is that when I took over it had been a similar type of style, meaning a fairly open environment and a Swedish management which some of these things comes along with that. Another thing of course is the corporate culture and a company culture which has fairly strong values where we promote many of these things. From that sense people who don't like it or don't manage in that type of environment, they don't join or they feel uncomfortable and sooner or later will leave due to that. But of course anyway there pop-up personalities, managers who don't behave in that way. And then, of course, you have to coach them and tell them what the right thing in this company is. I think it's very much about leading by example and coming back to people very quickly on what was right and what was wrong and thereby guiding them. But of course we had problems with authoritarian style but in general it's not a problem.
4. Why do you think you don't really have this problem?
One thing is of course linked to our business concept because you can say we sell cosmetics but we very much sell as well dreams of people joining a company, building a network of consulters, and for them to reach their dream for themselves and their families. So, it's very much about empowering people, letting them decide, letting them do what they want. By regulating too much you lose that entrepreneurship and you lose the spirit, you lose the winning heart and attitude with people. I think this is also one of the reasons why we have an environment like that.
5. Is it right to ask your people for their opinion in some situations?
I agree completely. Even though I am very creative myself but I think you have to be that as well in order to stimulate others to also be it. I think many of the good suggestions really come from below and from the people who know details and know really the question itself on the completely different and deeper level than many of the higher executives.
6. Can you recall any situations when your people proposed something that helped you to achieve some goals?
Yes, there are areas, both in the sales and marketing areas, especially I would say. It could be ideas about certain sponsorship, certain advertising concept, certain changes to our catalogues, additions that has fallen very well out and that has really come from below and implemented thereby also by the same people with great heart and pride into it which also is an important ingredient for making it successful, and also copied around the world. Other ideas as well include various types of campaigns in the sales areas, various trainings, seminars that we have implemented based on suggestions from key employees.
7. Were there situations that were critical to achieving success?
Many of these things have played a big role, especially during the last couple of years. There was a point four years ago when we were actually far behind our main competitor but when we did certain changes and really listened to the people who were doing investigations about our consumers and providing suggestions for improvements, especially in sales and marketing areas which are drivers of our business, and we actually took on a lot of them. Since that time we have been outgrowing the competition every year, and this year we are likely to end as the number one in our industry.
8. How do you manage your meetings in order to have one decision?
Well, of course, we listen to all arguments, and then by listening to arguments, first of all you build an opinion yourself, and secondly it's very often that majority is with some of the views. You understand very quickly, and if you are the part of the majority, it's very easy to take a decision and go ahead. If not, then either we will discuss it further or we take it for another meeting, doing some more investigations. But at the end of the day very often we take a joint decision, it can be tough discussions at the management table but when the decision is taken then we all are backing that decision in the management team. I think that it is also very important when every manager is defending the decision, explaining it to his or her people, and we are not having any internal discussions going on in that sense.
9. Does it mean that you seek consensus?
We seek more consensuses but still, if I would be against the consensus then I would not take a decision for the consensus only just by that. I would need to be convinced myself. It doesn't mean that I'm right all the time and I can be with the consensus as well but it takes a longer time to digest. It's not a rule that we always take a decision for a consensus but, especially in Russian environment I would still say that we are very consensus oriented compare to many other companies. I think it's important because at the end of the day it's a team that has to deliver and very often a team is much stronger if it works together and plays together rather that if there are very talented individual players playing in very different directions. I think there are many examples of that.
10. Is it more logic or intuition that helps you to make your judgment?
I can say that it's a combination. Sometimes I'm very quick in taking decisions and relying on the guts which I think is also very important part of management and feeling of the situation. But I'm also seeking for understanding of the problem. When I have that understanding, if that confirms by my guts, then that's where we go as a team.
Prepared by Liza Barzova, Good2Work Intern, on November 25, 2008
