Work in Progress – People & Culture

What if the fastest way to improve business performance isn't fixing what’s broken, but amplifying what already works?

In this episode Morten Schou Andersen, Director of Sales at ISS Danmark, challenges the standard management habit of fixing weaknesses and explores how focusing on strengths delivers a far higher return on investment.

Drawing from his background in competitive swimming, Morten shares how treating strengths as a high-leverage business tool builds resilient, high-performing sales teams that win without defaulting to burnout. Together, we unpack how HR and commercial leaders can move past problem-fixing to build an ambitious, trust-driven culture.

In this episode, we explore:

• The ROI of Focus: Why fixing weaknesses drains energy, while doubling down on strengths accelerates results.
• The Ship Metaphor: How to categorize performance issues—identifying holes below the waterline versus cosmetic scratches versus sails.
• Post-Pitch Debriefs: Why the first question you ask after a client presentation sets the tone for confidence and learning.
• Power Dynamics & Trust: Unpacking "neutral" leadership questions, effective delegation, and designing sales teams around complementary strengths.

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Bad behavior is often tolerated in the name of “performance,” especially during fast growth. In this episode we sit down with Britt Bargfeldt, VP of Group Talent and HR Development at Stark Group, to challenge that trade-off and show what it looks like to scale results without sacrificing decency. Stark has in recent years grown from 5,000 to 20,000 employees across Northern Europe through major acquisitions, and Britt shares the practical people strategy choices that helped the organization keep moving and keep its standards.

We get specific about how culture becomes measurable: a clear leadership model, engagement survey follow-up, performance talks that include how people thrive, and real consequences when leaders act against values. Britt explains why “decency” is not soft, it is a prerequisite for sustainable performance, retention, and credibility. We also unpack why Stark runs with a small group headquarters, what autonomy really means in practice, and which HR elements stay non-negotiable so data and expectations stay consistent across countries.

Then we go deep on Stark’s leadership development program “Future Fit” designed to close the gap between leading 5,000 and leading 20,000 in a volatile world shaped by AI, economic shifts, and cross-cultural complexity. Expect a candid look at emotional intelligence, trust, leading upward, learning agility, and how to design training that actually sticks through cohorts, coaching, mentorship, and real exposure to the business. Subscribe and share this with a people leader who cares about the “how,” and leave a review with the leadership behavior you think should never be rewarded.

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Calling it HR can quietly shrink your job down to contracts, policies, and paperwork and that’s exactly the trap Nina Carøe wants to break. From Zensai’s Copenhagen office, we sit down with Nina, Chief Human Success Officer and “scale-up evangelist”, to unpack why her team chose the name Human Success, and how a simple shift in language can change what leaders expect, what gets prioritized, and how the people function shows real business value.

We dig into Nina’s path building business credibility in the people space, and how early exposure to revenue, customers, and outcomes shaped her view of modern HR strategy. From there we get practical about the real bottleneck: many organizations have decent people operations and an HRIS, but still can’t scale employee engagement, performance management, alignment, or learning and development beyond spreadsheets and annual rituals. Nina shares how Zensai thinks about making “people signals” visible early, using people analytics responsibly, and connecting emotions and experience to company performance without turning it into a surveillance mindset.

Then we go straight into the future of work: AI is changing product development, sales, marketing, and the internal operating model, which makes workforce planning and forecasting wildly harder. Nina explains how they analyze which roles will change, where skills gaps will appear, and how organizations will flatten when 600 people most likely become 200 people with AI.

We close with sharp advice for people leaders interviewing for new roles: Set clear expectations, assess whether leadership will make you successful and solve the biggest people pain point so your function becomes a need-to-have.

Share this conversation with a people leader you believe will benefit from listening in - in our opinion anyone in a people role will!

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If you enjoyed this episode, please share it on social media. For more resources on people, culture, and modern leadership, visit getsession.com.

Sustainability stopped being a side project the moment it began shaping risk, resilience, and growth. In this episode we speak with Mette Søs Lassesen, an executive leader and board member with roots in law, the UN, Rambøll and several advisory roles, to unpack why ESG belongs at the center of business strategy and how HR can move it there. From global frameworks to day-to-day decisions, she shows how the conversation has shifted from reporting for regulators to building capabilities that win markets.

We trace the journey from CSR storytelling to investor-driven ESG, the rise of data-heavy reporting, and the EU’s omnibus simplification that gives companies breathing room. Mette explains why that pause is an opportunity, not an exit ramp: time to embed sustainability in operating models, align incentives with responsible outcomes, and turn circularity, decarbonization, and biodiversity into product and service advantages. Boards are already reframing the agenda in terms of risk, value creation, and supply chain resilience, and HR can translate those goals into skills, roles, and behaviors.

You’ll hear concrete ways to hardwire ESG into people systems: hiring for scarce capabilities, upskilling teams, redesigning incentives so innovation and sustainability pay off, and using clear metrics to prove impact. We talk talent attraction and credibility, why purpose must show up in the work itself, and how HR can speak the language of risk and performance to move the sustainability agenda to the center of any business discussion. We also make sense of SDGs, CSRD, and emerging EU rules, focusing on what’s next and what truly matters for the business model.

If you’re ready to move beyond check-the-box reporting and build resilience that lasts, this conversation is your playbook. Subscribe, share with a colleague who owns a piece of the ESG puzzle, and feel free to leave a review!

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Hvad hvis personlig udvikling ikke handler om at vælge en karrierestige, men om at gøre udvikling og læring til en del af hverdagens opgaver?

I denne episode dykker vi ned i initiativet 'SOL' (Styrker og Læring) hos Styrelsen for Grøn Arealomlægning og Vandmiljø – et projekt, der vandt Dansk HR's Pris 2025. Vi taler med en del af teamet bag initiativet og får indsigt i, hvordan de flyttede udvikling ud af kursuslokalet og ind i det daglige arbejde.

Baggrunden for SOL- initiativet var, at der i organisationen blev fremsat et ønske om at kunne tilbyde nogle gennemsigtige karriereveje og udviklingsmuligheder i styrelsen. Fremfor “blot” at rykke på det ønske uden yderligere refleksion,  iværksatte holdet bag det, der blev til SOL,  en grundig analyse af behov og muligheder for udvikling for medarbejderne. Det viste sig, at bedre dialoger, daglig sparring, løbende feedback samt muligheden for at bruge styrker i opgaveløsningen i langt højere grad kunne imødekomme de behov for udvikling, som en moderne styrelse står med, end fastlåste, klassiske karriereveje ville kunne. Med solid data og opbakning fra direktionen skabte HR udviklings-teamet dernæst et fælles sprog, konkrete værktøjer, et træningsmateriale, samt ikke mindst et helt nyt MUS koncept, der mulig gjorde at læring og udvikling fremover kan finde sted i dagligdagen - fremfor “blot” når man tager på kursus eller rykker opad på en karrierestige. 

I episoden beskrives det: 

• Hvordan et lineært karriereblik blev erstattet med et fokus på styrker og energi.
• Hvordan konkrete værktøjer som styrkekort og energidagbøger kan hjælpe med at spotte udviklingsmuligheder + energidrænere og gøre plads til en bedre opgaveløsning.
• Hvad indholdet og filosofien er bag de træninger og workshops, hvor lederne og medarbejderne bliver introduceret til selv at skabe læring i hverdagen.
• Hvordan initiativet har skabt en stærkere feedbackkultur og større modstandskraft under omstruktureringer og forandringer.
• Hvordan tankegangen nu er integreret i alt fra onboarding af nye medarbejdere til et helt nyt MUS-koncept.

Del episoden med dit netværk og find flere ressourcer om People & Culture på Session's hjemmeside.

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What if the real competitive edge with AI isn’t faster automation but smarter collaboration? In this episode, we sit down with Professor Jacob Sherson, founding director of the Center for Hybrid Intelligence, to unpack a people-first blueprint that turns generative AI into a true advantage. Instead of chasing “AI-first” hype, Jacob explains how to design workflow assistants, build learning cultures, and create interfaces where humans lead and AI assists. The goal: protecting and amplifying firm-specific human capital, the tacit expertise your competitors can’t copy.

Jacob walks us through the 4P maturity model—Projects, Platform, Policy, and People—and explains why People is the multiplier that unlocks everything else. We dig into practical wins: a bank that used a brave, fail-fast pilot to boost employee advocacy by 35%, and an industrial company that leveraged disciplined one-pagers to map workflows and embed AI touchpoints in days. You’ll also learn the FERC method—Frame, Explore, Refine, Commit—which keeps authorship, judgment, and accountability squarely with the humans, while still tapping AI for speed and breadth.

Jacob challenges the “San Francisco consensus” predicting the end of cognitive jobs and shows us how markets still reward authenticity. Customers value products with a human touch; over-automation risks commoditization and price pressure. Guardrails, phased rollouts, and bias dashboards make ethical practice part of the interface. Most of all, Jacob makes the case for HR to step up as the engine of AI innovation—potentially as a chief hybrid intelligence officer —translating mindset shifts into new business model lines, not just efficiency gains.

Follow this link to support the growing hybrid intelligence movement and stay informed about supporting material, events, and collaboration opportunities.

If you add “WiP-podcast” and how you learned about the Hybrid Intelligence Center to the sign-up form, the team will also send you the slides from a recent HR-conference keynote that covered similar content.

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If you enjoyed this episode, please share it on social media. For more resources on people, culture, and modern leadership, visit getsession.com.

Hvordan skaber man en arbejdsplads, der ikke kun er førende inden for cirkulær økonomi, men også inden for socialt ansvar? For Dansk Retursystem ligger svaret i deres dybe engagement i "mangfoldighed" – et begreb de bevidst har valgt frem for "inklusion".

I denne inspirerende samtale med HR Business Partner Berit Eschricht dykker vi ned i, hvordan en virksomhed dedikeret til genanvendelse er blevet en frontløber for mangfoldighed og medarbejder-empowerment. Med adskillige priser for deres sociale indsats byder deres tilgang på værdifulde lektioner for enhver organisation.

Berit deler virksomhedens rejse fra implementeringen af CSR til en virksomhed med en strategisk forankret mangfoldigheds-dagsorden. Hun forklarer, hvorfor de i Dansk Retursystem bevidst bruger det bredere begreb mangfoldighed fremfor begrebet inklusion, og hvordan de har skabt værdifulde partnerskaber med kommuner for at åbne døre for “dem på kanten af arbejdsmarkedet”. I podcasten folder Berit ud, hvordan netop det at se udenfor egne rammer og lede efter mulige samarbejdspartnere i omgivelserne kan være det, der skal til, for at man selv kan lykkes med at løse sine kerneopgaver bedre. 

Ud over at være en inspirerende historie i sig selv om hvordan man kan skabe en mere mangfoldig arbejdsplads, så går Dansk Retursystem også forrest ved at vise, at de formår at forene sociale initiativer med stærke forretningsresultater. I stedet for at se effektivitet og mangfoldighed som modsætninger har Dansk Retursystem bevist, at et mangfoldigt og empowered team kan være ekstraordinært effektivt. Successen afspejles i imponerende medarbejdermålinger, hvor hele 96% er stolte af virksomhedens bidrag til samfundet.

I samtalen kommer vi også ind på den praktiske implementering - hvordan skaber man en effektiv mangfoldig arbejdsplads i praksis? I Dansk Retursystem har man under paraplyen “empowerment” arbejdet bevidst med at lægge et større ansvar og autonomi ud til medarbejderne -  inden for klare rammer. Dette har boostet motivation og medarbejdertilfredshed. Lederne har fået træning i at “slippe kontrollen” og i at se mennesket før processen. Alt sammen via konkrete redskaber, så empowerment ikke ender med at være et fluffy begreb ingen helt ved hvad indeholder, men snarere en konkret måde at gå til ledelse og medarbejderudvikling på.

Uanset om du er leder, HR-professionel eller blot nysgerrig på, hvordan man forener formål med profit, tilbyder denne episode dyb indsigt i at skabe en arbejdsplads, hvor mangfoldighed og partnerskaber kan blive drivkraften for succes.

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Imagine a world where meetings energize rather than exhaust you. Where decisions are sharper, connections deeper, and everyone's voice matters. Bastian Overgaard, keynote speaker and author, has spent a decade showing organizations how to achieve exactly this through one surprisingly simple yet radical tool: strategic silence.

In this podcast episode, Bastian reveals how his journey began with a television segment challenging social norms, which led to a profound discovery about human connection. What started as creative experiments evolved into a methodology transforming corporate meeting cultures across industries. Bastian’s approach is creating pragmatic business results through "facilitated silence."

The numbers are staggering: we produce about 9,000 words (equivalent to 22.5 written pages) of mostly unedited content in a typical one-hour meeting. Without intentional pauses, we force our brains to multitask constantly, diminishing our decision-making capabilities and draining our mental energy. As Bastian eloquently puts it, "A meeting without silence is like a typewriter without a space bar."

What makes Bastian's method unique is its rhythm – similar to high-intensity interval training, alternating between focused discussion and restorative silence. This creates a dynamic flow that enhances communication rather than interrupting it. The result? Meetings become shorter yet more inclusive, decisions improve, and participants often leave with more energy than when they arrived with.

Implementing these practices isn't without challenges. Resistance often stems from what Bastian describes as a primal "fear of social rejection" – particularly from those who dominate traditional meeting formats. Success requires courage, proper framing, and ideally a group of enthusiastic "ambassadors" who can demonstrate the value of these practices.

Ready to transform your organization's meeting culture? Connect with Bastian on LinkedIn and check out his book "Noise-Free: Rethinking How We Talk" on Amazon and his newest book (so far only in Danish, though) called “Mødelagt - 7 møderegler, som giver mere tid, fokus og arbejdsglæde” to discover how strategic silence might be the leadership superpower your team has been missing.

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In this episode Louise Hoe Nielsen & Majken Juel Heskjær join the Work in Progress Podcast to share how they created a Danish LinkedIn group with the name "HR Rethought" after recognizing patterns of burnout and structural challenges facing HR professionals and employees overall in many organizations of today. Their conversation with host Pernille Hippe Brun digs deep into why traditional HR practices need fundamental reconsideration rather than mere rebranding, so that “HR rethought” can benefit everyone employed in businesses of today.

Majken and Louise explain how HR has evolved from administrative functions to strategic partnership but in essence very often remained a support function. "HR moved into leadership teams, becoming more the tool for leadership," Maiken explains. "We have been supporting business for profit. We haven't developed the business for the people itself." This positioning creates inherent tensions that affect both HR professionals and the organizations they serve.

The discussion challenges several sacred cows of HR practice. Is performance management with numerical ratings truly beneficial, or does it reduce humans to metrics? Should we call it "HR" or "People & Culture," and does changing the name matter if the practices remain unchanged? And how can HR professionals drive meaningful change even when they're not in positions of authority?

Both guests offer practical wisdom for anyone looking to create more sustainable HR and business practices. Louise advocates working from the business inward rather than imposing HR processes outward, while Majken suggests a shift from "chief" leadership (pointing toward the future with your back to the organization) to "shepherd" leadership (guiding from behind toward a shared purpose and future).

Whether you're an HR professional feeling the strain of contradictory demands, a leader wondering how to better support your people function, or simply curious about the future of work, this conversation offers fresh perspectives on creating organizations where both people and results can thrive together.

Connect with the HR Rethought movement on LinkedIn to join this growing community of professionals committed to creating more sustainable people practices. You find the group here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10141644/

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Every organization wants to develop high-performing talent, but what if our traditional approaches to talent management are fundamentally flawed? In this thought-provoking episode, I speak with business psychologist Dion Sørensen, who brings clarity to the real challenges of developing people in modern organizations.

Dion speaks from unique experience: At an early age, he was granted the title "top talent" by Berlingske Media, while also developing talent programs at the company (Saxo Bank) he was employed at at the time of this nomination. Dion’s conclusion: Traditional talent programs often create more problems than they solve. When organizations elevate a select few as "talents," they can inadvertently create entitlement in those chosen while disengaging everyone else. Dion advocates for a more inclusive approach that recognizes everyone's potential for growth and puts the leader on the spot as the one responsible for ensuring everyone’s potential is seen, nurtured and put to play.

As Dion puts it, talent management is about leadership fundamentals. "Leadership cooks culture for dinner," as he explains, highlighting how critical it is for leaders to set clear expectations, model desired behaviors, and provide consistent feedback. His practical examples – from transforming meeting culture through three simple steps to navigating organizational growth cycles – demonstrate that effective leadership isn't complicated, but it is demanding. Being a leader involves taking tough decisions as well as conversations, and some managers might not like this part of the job, rather, shy away from it. But that’s not ok, and it is doing no one a favor. 

Whether you're developing talent programs, leading teams, or working to improve your organization's culture, this episode provides actionable insights that go beyond typical leadership platitudes. Listen now to discover how to create an environment where talent can truly flourish through authentic, courageous leadership.

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