Sustainable Leader: Mikael Öijerholm

What is your biggest strength as a leader?

"I think that it is that I genuinely care about each employee, his or her success and the success of the team. I am also open to the notion that what success is can vary vastly between different people and situations. I try to work without prestige and to realize that my purpose as a leader is to support the team to succeed; it is not their job to help me be successful."

In your opinion - what identifies a Sustainable Leader?

"Someone who always put their employees first, short and long term. It is someone who can manage a balance between driving performance, pushing and coaching employees to outdo and outgrow themselves while never compromising with the safety or wellbeing of themselves or their employees."   

What do you do to be a Sustainable Leader at Billerud?

"For my team I try to meet each member individually on a regular basis in a forum where they can set the agenda and drive the discussion. Where they can expect my undivided attention and their problems or challenges, large or small, to be taken seriously. It is also a great way to support their performance, not through taking on their problems, but to support, push and coach in the handling of them."

See also: 

• Sustainable Leader: Johan Bågling
• Sustainable Leader: Risto Hovi
• Sustainable Leader: Lisa Li