It's all about the why

In Berlin Jesper Ek, Leadership Speaker, Futurist/Senior strategist at UP THERE, EVERYWHERE, presented some invaluable insights from his experience as a leader (and cyclist) and emphasized the importance of an Outside-in vision and Five Aspects as a common language. The bicycle on stage was there to represent the important parts of leadership as Jesper Ek sees them. The frame of the bike is the values, with trust, respect and fairness. The handlebar is whom we must steer towards to get to our “why”. What you are doing, based on these things, can be seen as the wheels. The seat stands for the environment at work and being happy in work and not just at work. Last but not least the momentum of the bike stands for focus and making sure you focus right. It all starts with people and engagement, Jesper Ek, says. Not only is it important to make sure we have the right parts on the bike. It is also important to make sure your team is eager to move in the same direction. This was a challenge Jesper Ek took on when he took over at Roche and managed to turn a team facing large challenges into one of the most motivated teams making profits that exceeded any expectations: