Last week we met Henrik, an extremely positive, energetic person full of lessons and insights. Henrik currently works at Einride; a startup with the ambition to turn the entire global transport sector upside down with the help of autonomous electric transport vehicles.
Read and be inspired by Henrik's journey below and how he went from B2B in the hardware industry to Einride. Do you have any thoughts and experiences about career changes that you would like to share? Feel free to comment.
You have made an impressive career change from 20 years in the hardware industry to a management role in one of Sweden's most interesting startup companies. What made you dare?
After a fantastic career journey at Panasonic, where I was CEO for the last three years, I wanted to use my experience in a new industry. Over the years, I have wanted to try a new industry, but it has not been so easy to make this move. Many companies and recruitment companies assume that applicants must have experience from the same industry when hiring, but rarely challenge themselves by bringing in talents from other industries.
When I got the chance to start at Einride, I thought that one of the advantages was that they wanted to revolutionize their industry from the start. They were looking for employees with mixed backgrounds to create an internal climate that would enable this goal.
What are your main lessons from working in a startup compared to a traditional large company?
Here everything goes much faster. But most importantly, we do not clash internally with an existing business area – where both management and staff continuously want to compare new initiatives with the existing one. Both financially and culturally, we have a "pioneer climate" within the company.
I myself have learned to be more quick-footed, while I have learned to navigate through more uncertainty – which you may encounter when you create something completely new. It has given me valuable perspectives and experiences.
What tips would you like to share with those who want to make an industry change like yours?
-Start by thinking about everything you want in a job and compare it with your existing one. Are you in the right place? If you could choose another industry and employment, what would it be? Think about how you could add something extra with your experience and background in a new industry.
-Talk about your interest in a new industry in various forums. Build your network and contact recruiters who can help you further.
-Network within the startup sphere where there are many interesting people and ideas.
-Dare to change. As Gretzky said: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take!”
Finally, I think that more companies and their partners in the recruitment process should dare to be a little uncomfortable both internally and externally and recruit even outside the usual mold. Regardless of whether the person meets all the requirements for education, experience, etc., it can still be a very good recruitment. I think it can give an advantage if you as a company want to be competitive in a changing world and not just "manage the pound".