Three questions to Niels Christiansen

WHO IS YOUR LEADERSHIP HERO?

I don’t have one individual whom I would identify as my hero. There are certain skills and values that I find inspiring in leaders, and on that note I have picked up valuable learnings from many people over the years. Common for those are the ability to accomplish results in all stages of leading an organization: to be visionary, know how to articulate it, have the people leader skills to get organizations and employees onboard, and then, not least, to succeed in turning those visions into actions and actually make things happen. Without that last step, the rest is not worth much.

IF YOU WEREN’T A LEADER, WHAT JOB WOULD YOU HAVE?

In my younger years, I dreamt of a career as a pilot, but during my teens I grew well past the maximum height, so that wasn’t really an option. Instead, I set on being an engineer, and I am quite sure that if I hadn’t gone into the business world, an alternative career route for me would have been centred around creating and developing something that hasn’t been done before.

WHAT IS THE FIRST LEADERSHIP LESSON YOU LEARNT?

A very important lesson I picked up very early in my career: a strategy that is not implemented is worthless at best — in some cases even damaging. As a leader it is essential to be visionary and see where we need to go, for sure. But it is crucial to be able to make it happen.