You are the CEO of one of Veoneer's (formerly Autoliv) business units, how has the Corona pandemic affected your business?
Of course, this has affected the entire automotive industry, and most car manufacturers have had their production shut down for a period, which of course leads to lower sales for us. Since our production and customers are spread globally, we have, despite the tough situation in the world, had parts running all the time. Our development projects have also been running at full speed. Here, most of our employees have been working from home, and we have actually seen some teams that have become more efficient during this period than before. Today, we are up and running with most things again, and several car manufacturers have, despite the situation, had good sales during May.


In what way have you had to change your leadership now in Corona times?
My teams are spread globally, so we have always used a lot of digital tools. The big difference now is that we have many more digital events such as after-work gatherings, coffee breaks, "virtual" face-to-face meetings where we use video and mimic a "real" face-to-face meeting as much as possible – assignments for all participants to prepare before and present to build stronger teams, mix whole group and half group sessions and "go-fika" of course! I also think that close communication is key in these times. I do a lot of walk-and-talks with my employees even if we are in different countries and walking on our own.
I also think that as a leader, you need to spend more time on the well-being and routines of your employees when everyone is working from home and you easily get stuck in front of the computer and work all the time. I have given my employees assignments such as exercising every day – a simple home workout or walk during the day. We also use video calls so they actually have to jump out of their pajamas and comb their hair a little, etc. :-)


What tips and advice do you have for other leaders when it comes to maintaining employee motivation and cohesion when everyone is working remotely?
It requires much more of the leader when it comes to leading remotely. You must then actively ensure that everyone is involved and feels included, and you get less help from other participants than if you are in the same room and the social factor partially solves itself. A tip that I often use is to, in digital meetings, now and then throw out questions or comments that also include saying one of the participants' names. It can be things like "...that thing that you and I, Hanna, talked about last week..." or "...you too, Filip..." etc. This means that all participants must be engaged in the meeting and be prepared at all times. Then I think that the most important thing to motivate employees is the same whether it is remotely or not, and that is to see and listen and show your genuine commitment and honest interest in what they want, feel, and think at all times. We are all human beings and it is quite simple needs we humans have to feel good!