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Judith shows us how to apply a critically positive mindset in your career!

In the first few minutes of our conversation, Judith tells us that she is a kind of unifier at the personal and content level, aims to make an impact and is very curious. What does that sound like? Exactly, a real Ormit Talent! We immediately have a grin on our faces, which only gets bigger when she shares her stories, anecdotes and tips with us. Judith is a true generalist who knows how to beautifully combine and articulate the cognitive aspect and the personal aspect. In addition, we finally find out how it is possible that the Plantdog at IKEA is priced so low.

 

A cognitive and unifying strategist

And these traits are incredibly useful in her current position. ‘My position is that of Strategy Leader at IKEA’s franchisor. IKEA has five strategies. Actually, these are all connected across the value chain, but sometimes we still operate quite stand-alone. My role is to bring these closer together and integrate everything as much as possible.’

Interesting! And what does your work entail? ‘It’s a new role. Because of this, I’m busy setting up the process and how we can work together across the board. I’m working on what our strategy should ideally look like. What are our big issues and our priorities? In doing so, I look at how we can tackle these issues together, rather than dealing with them separately. I coordinate many topics with colleagues on a daily basis. I deal with presenting, listening, translating and addressing issues. We want to communicate the strategy widely, so that all employees see where our company is going and so that we can really inspire them with it.’

In the deep end, you get to know each other on a different level

Judith completed the Ormit Talent traineeship 16 years ago. Of course, we are extremely curious to know what her experience was like. ‘It was such a fun time. I got to do challenging assignments and had a close-knit team, with which I am still in touch, by the way. Because you are essentially thrown into the deep end during the traineeship, you get to know each other on a different level. As a result, we reinitiate that contact easily when we see each other again now. I enjoyed the Ormit events and was even part of the Hint myself. And, of course, I enjoyed the wealth of training. Being constantly working on your own development is what makes it a special time. I might not have even realised it then, but in retrospect I appreciate it all the more.’

But was the traineeship a bed of roses for Judith? ‘Definitely not! It was also a time of major learning. I confronted myself quite a lot because I was held up to a mirror. Ormit Talent provides a safe environment, which allows you to learn from those insights and discover why you do what you do. So it wasn’t all fun and lightheartedness. That very combination makes it such an enriching experience.’

Are there things today that you still take away from that time? ‘A sense of adaptability. As an Ormit Talent, you encounter a new environment with new people multiple times. And well, you’re only there for a few months. That’s why it’s essential to immediately properly survey and analyse the situation when you get there. Having been allowed to do that in this way, I can easily adapt, walk into somewhere with a critically positive mindset, analyse the situation and immediately see what actions need to be initiated.’ A critically positive mindset, we like that term. ‘Plus people’s profiles and preferred styles remain relevant. I still draw on the people skills I gained at that time. For example, when someone doesn’t speak up in a group dynamic, I don’t blindly assume that this means they agree. Sometimes different people require different approaches.’

Work as if you are already in the next position

After her Ormit traineeship, Judith made great strides within both Nike and IKEA. Of course, we are curious to know how she did it. ‘To be honest, at the beginning of my career I was in quite a hurry to advance and grow. At the same time, I also learned how important it is to do something you are good at and enjoy. In fact, I think opportunities are automatically created that way. It is precisely in that knowledge that I have found peace and confidence.’ Automatically created? What do you mean by that? ‘If you like what you do, you radiate that. You show an obvious drive. I think you stand out positively that way. If you get too preoccupied with where you want to go, it’s imbued with a kind of negative connotation. In my opinion, this doesn’t increase motivation.’ In short, it means being happy in your job? ‘Yes and, when an opportunity arose, I consciously raised my hand and indicated my interest.’ Sounds like it’s about finding the right balance between being ambitious and enjoying the things you like.

‘Exactly. Someone once said to me: Work as if you are already in your next position.’ Not quite sure we understand that. Can you explain? ‘The idea behind it is for you to approach your work differently. Let me give you an example. In my time at Nike, I worked with Ormit trainees. They had to work out three scenarios and present them to management, who would then make a choice. When they came to me with the presentation, I asked: What would you choose? They hadn’t included that idea. They then added to the presentation which scenario they would choose, plus a solid justification. That way you give management a very different presentation. It shows that you are already a step ahead in your thinking, rather than just doing the preliminary work and letting them make the choice.’ With us, the penny drops. Wow. What a good tip! ‘It is, isn’t it? So it doesn’t so much mean you have to be ambitious, rather it’s about tweaking your mindset a bit.’

You can leave your comfort zone more than you think

That Judith is cognitively strong and knows what she is talking about is clear to us by now. But how does this play into her leadership? ‘Content and knowledge really are my thing. That is precisely why I started working with a coach at one point, in order to re-examine my core values, for instance. During my career, I also earned an MBA, of which personal leadership was an important part. It was quite confronting at times, but you learn to accept who you are AND you know where your strengths lie.’

How is that related to the leadership aspect for you? ‘I really do include the personal approach in that. I think it’s important to be a role model, but I equally want to give space to others and focus on their growth and development. Connection is key here. I find that I know what is going on in a group and what it takes to get people on board. Besides, I believe in taking people out of their comfort zone once in a while; then they can secretly do more than you think.’ Does that relate to your Ormit time? ‘Absolutely. I have been on an assignment where I was unexpectedly asked to step up. It was very international; I had to travel a lot and give workshops for a group in English. And I was only 24. I found that quite suspenseful.’ How did you deal with that? ‘The support you get from Ormit Talent is great, of course. Besides, one of my team mates said very seriously: If you couldn’t do it, they wouldn’t have put you there.’’ Ha ha, very sharp! ‘Exactly! That’s the beauty of that team; you can lean on each other and occasionally give each other a little kick in the you-know-what.’

A sustainable approach without doom and gloom

Judith, rumour has it that you are quite concerned with sustainability? ‘True. Sustainability has long been one of the five components on the basis of which we design our products. There is a reason why our vision is: ‘To create a better everyday life for the many people.’

We also read somewhere that IKEA is unsustainable precisely because they produce a lot. ‘Hm, yes, this is a tricky question. Our mission is to be affordable, accessible and sustainable for the people and planet for three billion people. What we keep seeing in research is that many people think sustainability is important but few are willing to pay more for it.’ It does add up quickly… ‘Exactly. We have five components based on which we design: the democratic design principles. Sustainability is always one of them. For example, if you as a customer are purely focused on low prices, we will automatically give you form, function, quality and sustainability to go with it – because every product must reflect those five components.’

‘Certainly below a certain income threshold, we call it thin wallets, basic needs are essential and sustainability simply is not. We can achieve those prices precisely by achieving a certain production scale.’ So then they are affordable even for thin wallets, which automatically get the sustainability component “on top of” this? ‘Indeed. This is also reflected in our Swedish Bistro with its well-known hot dogs, for example. We had the meat version, of course, and then the plant-based version was introduced. IKEA then decides to adjust prices accordingly as well, meaning the plant-based version has the lowest price. This is how we hope to motivate people in a simple and feasible way.’

Imagine that someone is a young manager, team lead or perhaps a member of the board. What tips do you have for him or her to achieve sustainable change within an organisation? ‘I think it is good to work in a fact-based manner. There are so much data and so many reports available that could potentially help remove the emotion from the conversation. In addition, I also believe in positioning positively rather than out of fear. Try to turn your risk into an opportunity. I think so many simple steps can be taken without it having to be immediately bleak or discouraging. Use the facts to create awareness among people; I think that would be a nice first step.’

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