SURPRISE THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Take Your Capacity to the Zenith and Deliver Unparalleled Ideas and Results.

In wonderful Copenhagen, high-rise office buildings cast long shadows over streets filled with ambitions. Years ago, a young leader named René was promoted to a position at a respected and relatively successful company. He felt overwhelmed by the weight of the result expectations he took on his shoulders. He often questioned whether he had what it took to surprise his colleagues, inspire his team, and achieve what was needed or better. Occasionally, he felt sad about his team, which functioned more like a random group of individuals than a cohesive unit; they did not show genuine cooperation, lacked respect for one another, and missed the sense of being a part of a community.

On a Sunday morning, while scrolling through his social media feed, René found an intriguing note on LinkedIn about KFA's Master of Business Leadership (MBL) program. Drawn by transforming leaders into ‘Human Asset Developers’ and promoting a new praxis of leadership, operating in a flat organic network of projects—no hierarchy—he decided to explore further. As he examined the program's details, he discovered that it aimed to elevate leaders’ capacity above average, increase customer satisfaction beyond the 95th percentile, and enhance an overall business culture through intrinsic virtues, which created a good work atmosphere. Feeling hopeful, René enrolled in the program. Over the next two years, he engaged deeply with the curriculum, divided into four modules designed to sharpen his professional leadership skills and how to guide an elite team by emphasising the best aspects of their personalities and strengths.

The first module focused on discovering meaning in life. It encouraged him to reflect on his virtues, ‘human understanding’, and what truly mattered: embracing challenges, concentrating on one task at a time, and emitting intensity with foresight, initiative, and reliability. He recognized the importance of a leader consistently taking the initiative with unwavering dedication, promoting inclusivity, integrity, shared joy, and mentorship. He also realized that his desire to strive for and uplift everything and everyone stemmed from his passion for renewal and his determination to lead projects against all odds.

During the second module, René learned to foster collective creative intelligence and practice persuasion technology, transforming his team communication. Instead of merely directing tasks, he engaged in open dialogue, expecting his team to share ideas and express their concerns. As his teammates felt heard and valued, their well-being and comfort improved, and their throughput soared.

The third module focused on promoting a business culture that integrates the company’s core competencies as a ‘lubricant oil’ for every work process, project, and function. It also embraces employees’ convictions, attitudes, and behaviours, guided by a Code of Good Conduct, aiming to outshine competitors.?

With these new insights, René led his team to implement innovative processes that improved workflow and the satisfaction of every stakeholder. Customers began to notice the positive changes, resulting in glowing testimonials that left competitors scrambling to catch up.

The final module was a customised Mini MBA taught by esteemed professors from either IMD or CBS. René learned about three innovative business processes, which prepared him for future challenges. The new knowledge helped him develop a vision for mentorship that aligned with the company’s overarching purpose.

After six months of transformative learning and hands-on application of new skills through various enriching experiences, René evolved into a robust, humanised, authentic and empathetic leader. He motivated teams to embrace changes and revitalise work, creating a culture that buzzed with energy and opportunities.

Years later, he organised team evolution activities based on the "Service Profit Chain.” A concept from the Mini MBA program reinforced a concept called “Customers as Ambassadors.” As René reflected on the elite team’s supreme achievements and sublime learning experiences, he recognised that the KFA program had enhanced his mental capacity, professional capabilities, and personal life. He felt invigorated and capable of setting expanding goals for himself and all the elite project teams, realising that one leader who practices elitership efficiently quickly impacts 5.000 people.

The day he stood before the leadership team (120 people) to share the latest customer satisfaction score—now an all-time high—his whole body smiled. He remembered his initial doubts and how far he had to come—now executive. With each success story, he remembered the importance of humility, resilience, community, and the infinite possibilities ahead. With his modest and humble attitude, he gave everybody all the credit for his successes and postponed his reward – for the afterlife.

Eager to share his experiences, René (now 63) decided to mentor emerging leaders in the company, emphasising the importance of continuous learning and adaptation. Inspired by the evolutionary life process he has been through, he encouraged others to explore their opportunities as he did. He was convinced that every human has the potential to impress, inspire, renew, and deliberately cultivate success for all stakeholders. The legacy of Renés’ leadership style rippled through the company and beyond; it proved that leaders who act as ‘human asset developers’ create phenomenal outcomes for their teams, their organisation, and their customers.

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KF Andersen Leadership Academy Siegfried W. Andersen, November 2024