LEAD like a SWEDE by Jan Marklund

Book reviewed by John Teager

A guiding principle of Solution Focus (SF) is to find what works and do more of it. In the 2024 World Happiness Report , the Nordic countries are the happiest in the world (Finland 1st; Denmark 2nd; Iceland 3rd; Sweden 4th and Norway 7th) and they have maintained these high positions for many years.
Each year, Nordic leaders appear to be doing more of what works. Notably though, change is happening, as it always does. In all these countries except Iceland and particularly in Norway and Sweden, the old are now much happier than the young, which is a concern. So, what needs to happen?

In his new book, Lead Like a Swede, Jan Marklund presents a thoroughly researched and widely informed insight to Swedish leadership. It offers a fresh, solution-focused view on how current and emerging leaders in Sweden, as well as in other countries, might thrive in challenging and uncharted territories, characterised by changing demographics and by modern values of inclusivity and work-life balance.

No matter where you live, if you have been recently promoted into a leadership position, or have just joined a new organisation, - and you really want to make a positive difference in an ever changing world - this book is certainly for you. Equally, as a commentary on the relationship between leadership, culture and SF, this book is a valuable addition to any library.

The book first establishes context by talking of Swedish culture and leadership from national and international perspectives, then briefly covers notable historical aspects before explaining why innovation has for centuries been a cornerstone of Swedish business culture. It goes on to provide an excellent and succinct explanation of SF, using the ‘water the flowers not the weeds’ metaphor, before offering well-considered thoughts on how one might start out on a new leadership journey.

The third part of the book, Sections C to G, emphasises the importance of establishing relationships, building trust, and creating conditions for change, and includes a comprehensive suite of strategies and tools. The final part discusses how to track progress, which Marklund considers is what SF leadership is much about, and the book concludes with some suggested take-aways and a concise summary of the tools that had been described and illustrated in earlier chapters.

The more I read this book, the more I liked it, and the more it got me thinking. Overall, whilst Marklund is the principal author, it feels like he has allowed the book to be written by the Swedish business community for the community, and its analysis and messages are greatly enriched as a result.

The early chapter on innovation, whilst comprising just a few pages, appropriately emphasises Sweden’s long-standing focus on the critical importance of high quality early education as an enabler to innovation and eventual business success. Credit is also given to the Swedish government’s early establishment and ongoing support of game changing initiatives, such as a widely distributed broadband network and subsidised computer lending programmes.

Looking forward, the concerns expressed on the growing unattractiveness of teaching as a profession and the suitability of the existing school system to meet the emerging needs of the labour market should not pass unnoticed.

Having established context, the book turns its focus towards “what needs to happen next”, and it is a refreshingly energising read. Citing Salman Rushdie in Chapter 1, – “the only people who see the whole picture are those who step out of the frame” – Marklund follows that sage advice and, through extensive interviewing of multiple leaders born in Sweden or elsewhere, who now work either in Sweden or for Swedish companies overseas, garners honest and insightful perspectives of Swedish leadership and its fit, or otherwise, with other cultures.

There is no sugar coating; the Swedish leadership approach is generally effective, but not everywhere and not in every context. Marklund’s key point though is that Swedish culture and the Swedish leadership style align well with the SF approach, and many of their combined elements have potential global applicability, particularly where multi-cultural living and multi-cultural working is, or is rapidly becoming, the norm.

I particularly liked the book’s Section B, which focuses on getting started. Despite its brevity, it conveys useful counsel suitable for almost any organisational setting. Its four chapters – initial reconnaissance; haste slowly; orientation through conversation; and synchronise expectations - align well with the SF concepts of taking a beginner’s mind, noticing what’s working, building a platform, establishing trust, creating and refining a preferred future, and progressing through small steps.

At this point in the book, Marklund brings to the reader’s attention a sequence of nine interviews held with a broad spectrum of experienced Swedish leaders working in different contexts, in which he asks them, in terms of navigating new terrain, to specify:

• Four areas to focus on
• Three important things to do;
• Two things they need;
• One mistake they have made.
  

These vignettes, scattered throughout later pages of the book, create a link between theory and practice and provide an interesting, informative, and thought-provoking insight to Swedish leadership in action, and what needs to happen.

Sections C to G are a generous smorgasbord of logically organised, well-explained tips and actionable SF-styled initiatives, reinforced and enriched by relevant examples of real-life applications, supported by the respective leader’s feedback.

The clever use of a brief and relevant SF-style scaling exercise at the end of each chapter in Sections B to G, keeps the reader ‘action focused’ and asserts the book’s position and value as a regular reference workbook, rather than a single read text.
In his suggested take-aways, Marklund goes further and suggests the reader’s collaboration with a RARA (Reading And Reflection and Action) supporter, using the book’s content to inform and assist mutual mentoring. This encouragement to actively and openly share challenges, ideas, initiatives and findings is entirely in keeping with solution-focus culture.

Does the book meet its promise of offering ‘a fresh, SF approach that harmonises power with empathy, innovation with tradition, and individualism with collective responsibility’? Yes, I believe it does, and does so very well. To conclude with Ingemar Stenmark’s quotation from the book, “I know nothing about luck. The only thing I know is that the more I practise, the more luck I seem to have.” This book offers you an effective means to learn, reflect and practise.