Interview with Henrik Challis from PlanB after winning the DMR Management Award
Name: Henrik Challis
Company: PlanB
web: www.planb.dk
Interviewer: Christer Lidzélius
Henrik - congratulations with the price - can you tell us a bit of whom actually nominated you, who awarded you and the reasons for this?
Vestas Windsystems A/S nominated PlanB Consulting A/S for empowering their strategy implementation process.
The Danish Management Board (DMR), a trade association within the Confederation of Danish Industries (DI) awarded us arguing that "PlanB delivered a very important contribution to the execution of the corporate strategy "No. 1 in Modern Energy" within Vestas. The project has played a critical role in the creation of ONE Vestas cross units, disciplines, leaders and cultures."
Plan B - who are you, why did you come into being? What motivated you and what do you hope to achieve? What do you and is there anything that you think really distinguishes you form other consultancies?
Well I guess our name signals what we do. PlanB.
When we started our journey in 1999 we were determined to master the situation when plan A doesn't work and you have to renew, develop and turn around as an organization. We still strive for that mastery but now, almost ten years later, plan B seems to have become the natural modus operandi for many companies. What started out as a turn-around project, continued into another and yet another. Today corporate adaptability and renewal are a part of the regular strategic agenda. Plan B has become the natural state of mind.
We are a Scandinavian firm enabling, empowering and executing strategic change in organizations.
Our niche is not unique, there are many other firms working with similar aim. What makes us unique is our ability to work cross disciplinary and cross functional. Most of our consultant are trained in the disciplines of Project-, Innovation- and Communication Management. This unique combination together with our systemic approach creates an integrated profile where we handle the present challenge at the same time as we develop the clients capability to handle change without support from consultants in the future. A suicidal business idea if you are thinking short term and the only right thing to do if you are thinking long term.
And from that point of view what really makes us unique is our clients and their ability to change and reach new results.
Can you give us some examples on other jobs, clients and products?
Due to the sensitive nature of many of our assignments we have a non disclosure policy so I can't tell you much. I can tell you that we have worked with many international corporations, a lot of Scandinavian governmental organizations, regions and municipalities and some international NGO's.
Several of you have a kaospilot diploma - in what way would you say this education have supported you in the great work you do today?
I guess PlanB are the one company with the most employed KaosPilots around. So in many ways we rely on the school to continue to develop well integrated agents of change. In many ways the combination of disciplines (an systemic approach to Project-, Innovation- and Communication Management) we nurture in PlanB are strongly connected with the curriculum of the KaosPilots.
Actually the founders of the company, Ingela Sjölund and Åsa Dourén met each other at the Kaospilot outpost in San Francisco back in the nineties. Ingela was Director of Development in a municipality and went to the outpost to learn more about the chaordic principles of organization and her volunteering student guide was Åsa.
If you would give some advice to our current students on a) what kind of competencies, advantages etc that graduated KaosPilots can thrive upon and b) if you want to do great consultancy work - what are the most important things to remember/do?
Learn how to learn. Then thrive on this ability with humbleness and curiosity and continue to learn.
Remember that as a consultant you are trusted. Always safeguard the trust, trustworthiness is the key.
And finally a general advice and actually my credo...
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody is watching.
links to prize (both should be stated at the bottom of the web page)
- http://www.dmr.nu/home.asp?ContentID=525 (in danish)
- http://www.dmr.nu/english/home.asp?ContentID=403 (in english)