”It’s easier to be a leader in a Challenger company”

Sometimes it’s extra fun to work as a Challenger partner. For example, when I work with a company and immediately can see the huge impact of my work. An example of this is the telecom company Uno Telefoni.

A few years ago I was engaged by Uno Telefoni when the company was in a crisis. After many years of rapid growth and huge successes, internal problems had occurred. Departments complained at other departments. Key people were about to leave.

“We realized that we had built up the business as silos. Straight pipes with a manager at the top of each silo – but very little close cooperation between the departments, “says Andreas Johnsson, one of Uno Telefoni’s founders.

Andreas is one of the entrepreneurs who have been interviewed in my upcoming book “Challengers! Företagen som ritar om kartan”.

After hard work, the company’s new strategy was launched at a kick-off. Some of the slogans for the process to develop a corporate culture were: “No more silos!” and “Think for yourself!”. The point was, among other things, that the employees should have the mandate to act on upon the company’s values ​​and based on their own common sense, without necessarily running everything through their managers.

The new strategy had immediate effect, both on corporate culture and on the economy.

“Employees are having fun at work nowadays – the increase in responsibility creates pride. In addition, me and the other leaders are happier at work. This kind of organization makes it easier and more free to be a leader,” says Andreas today.

The new strategy contributed to the fact that Uno was able to deliver the best results this far the year after the kick-off. The development also laid the foundation for a whole new journey where Uno has recently been merged with another growth company in the telecom industry, and has become the new company Soluno BC.

Claes Knutson – Growth consultant, lecturer and founder of Tillväxtpartner