“THE WHOLE PROGRAM TAKES STENA as its starting point, what success factors we hav e and what is important for us to continue to be successful in the future”, says Eva Hansdotter, HR Director, Stena.
The program is divided into two modules with the first module focusing on business n linked to leadership and behavior. Both Dan Sten Olsson and Carl-Johan Hagman have participated and talked about Stena’s way of doing business and the philosophy behind it.

In the second module, the emphasis is on leadership questions, but still based on a business perspective. “A manager at Stena is responsible for three things – developing his business, his co-workers and himself. We want to make it possible for our leaders to develop their full potential. Here, it is not only a question of ability, it is also a question of what the person wants and dares and how much he or she is prepared to do”, says Eva Hansdotter.

During the course of the program, the 20 participants have to deal with actual business cases. These cases are selected by route managers and CEOs who are on People Board and one of the members acts as host during each training session.
“The leadership program is largely based on learning by doing and involves to a large degree reflecting on one’s actions and what they result in”, says Eva Handsdotter.

The networking aspects are another important component. All the groups are made up of participants from widely differing areas of the Stena Sphere, both geographical and corporate. In this way, networks are also created outside the participant’s own company, where he or she can get advice and support on questions involving leadership. The mix of participants and the discu-ssion about different business cases also clarifies the organisation and brings out the development potential existing at Stena.

“They all become role models in that they pass on what they have learn and act in accordance with the new insights they have gained. The goal is that the reflections on leadership and business acumen should permeate the whole organisation”.
Between training sessions, the participants are divided into small groups and given different group assignments to work on. These assignments are based on seven critical areas that have been identified by People Board.

“The group assignments carried out by the participants also contribute to developing and moving the company forward in several important areas”, says Eva Hansdotter.

REFLECTIONS ON THE PROGRAM

RON GERLACH, DIRECTOR OF SHIP MANAGEMENT, NORTHERN MARINE FERRIES

What has been best about the leadership program so far?

“It has been very rewarding to share management’s visions and thoughts about where our company is going. This creates a common direction in our everyday decisions. We’ve also been given other good tools to help us in our decision making”.

What does the program mean for your personal development?

“I think that it has increased my self-knowledge, taught me about my own limits and contributed to greater self-confidence when it comes to making the right decisions. It has also given me valuable input, which helps me to be more all-round as a leader. I’m looking forward to the next module”.

What is your opinion of the networking aspects of the program?

“They are really important, especially for those of us not working here in Gothenburg. Meeting each other like this makes visible the capacity existing at Stena and it will be much easier to contact each other later when we need advice in different contexts. It also increases the feeling that we are part of a larger family – I hope that there will be more opportunities like this throughout the company”.

GÖRAN HERMANSSON, GENERAL MANAGER LNG, STENA BULK

What expectations did you have prior to the leadership program?

“I hoped that I would leave here on Friday and feel that I had spent the time well and with a smile on my face – and that has indeed been the case”.

What has been the best thing about these days?

“Among other things, working together with people at Stena I didn’t know previously – there’s an enormous amount of competence in the company and the whole program has been a real energy boost. It was also very inspiring to be able to spend time with Dan and Carl-Johan and hear their visions about Stena’s future development”

What does the leadership program mean for you personally and how do you see your continued development at Stena?

“The leadership program has been both inspiring and engaging at the same time as it has given me new insights. I’m curious by nature and I hope to be able to continue to learn and develop at Stena. A year ago, I was made responsible for LNG at Stena Bulk after having been CFO at Concordia Maritime for seven years”.

ORLA NOONAN, HEAD OF TRAVEL UK AND IRELAND

What does the leadership program mean for your personal development?

”The program has been incredibly rewarding. One of my aims is to make my leadership style more intentional and strategic, as opposed to just re-lying on intuition. The structure and format of the program has enabled me to think differently, collaborate and by taking me out of my Stena Line comfort zone, it has allowed me to identify my strengths and also the areas in which I need to improve.”

What will you take back with you to your co-workers?

“Talking with Dan and Carl-Johan was extremely insightful. Hearing their views, learnings and approaches to situations, events and decision making was a great way to rethink and challenge your own thought processes. There were some really important learnings to take back: always know the value of something, have the facts so you know the risk, trust your judgment and always have a Plan B. Taking care of the money should also be in focus in everything we do.

PEDRO CANCHAYA, HEAD OF TRAVEL POLAND AND BALTIC MARKETS

What is your impression of the leadership program so far?

“That it’s fantastically well organised and designed. I thought it would be more like a normal educational pro-gram, but here the program contains both elements of surprise, which I can’t reveal until everybody has completed it, and it’s tailor-made to suit us perfectly”.

What is the best thing about the program?

“It’s the best inspiration you as a leader can get to be an even better leader and it takes an increasingly globalised world as its starting point. The timing is perfect and it has been truly inspiring to meet so many able leaders and sit by a warm fire discussing with Dan and Carl-Johan”.

What does it mean for your personal development?

“The program is designed in such a way that you find it very useful whether you have the ambition to move vertically or horizontally in the organisation. In my case, I feel that I’ve gained new perspectives I’ll be taking back with me and a stronger connection between the local and the global perspective”.