Rising Leaders participants and AmCham members were joined by Thomas Enstad, Managing Partner at Hudson Nordic, who provided inspirational insights and tools for presenting oneself while evaluating motivating factors.
Enstad began the discussion by enlisting participant opinions on the qualities that make a good leader. He went on to explain the process that his team undergoes to identify and accentuate the best traits in leaders, enabling them for success.
Executive presence is the combination of personality and character traits that make a dynamic executive. It’s the ability to inspire others to be assertive in their roles through the consistent demonstration of confidence and clear leadership.
Executive presence can be defined in three aspects: the ability to build trust (Character), establish credibility (Substance), and drive execution through others (Style). Enstad expertly explained the facets of each, then asked Rising Leaders to reflect upon areas they recognized in themselves, where they felt challenged, and how they could improve.
Thomas Enstad
Managing Partner
Outlining a “Personal Development Plan,” Enstad encouraged participants to unleash their true potential by creating opportunities to think about personal goals and ambitions in a structured way.
Organizations are observing a generational shift in leadership; whereas leaders traditionally have focused on external stakeholders, there is now an altered perception of leadership and how we create results. “Within the current great resignation, the more traditionally led organizations have been the hardest hit,” said Enstad. The focus has transitioned to become much more human-centric, focusing on employee well-being, with Enstad noting that female-led companies are better able to retain talent. Further, the pandemic has also contributed to an increased focus on work-life balance.
Rising Leaders, a joint AmCham-US Embassy initiative, brings together entrepreneurs, young professionals, and student leaders in an innovative program that promotes diversity and connects promising talent. Through the program, participants engage international business leaders, learn about AmCham member companies, explore careers, and gain business and leadership skills.
The 2021-2022 Rising Leaders class – comprised of 18 women and 10 men between the ages of 22 and 35 – bring with them experience from healthcare, classical music, urban planning, organizational psychology, immigration, engineering, communications, technology, teaching, economics, finance, and marketing. All 28 program participants have demonstrated leadership, entrepreneurial, and/or business excellence in their educational pursuits and careers thus far.
For more information about the program, or to learn how your organization can get involved, please contact Madeleine Brekke.
For the last afterwork of 2022 and the program finale, Rising Leaders participants and AmCham members had the opportunity to visit hybrid gaming company and Norwegian unicorn, PortalOne’s brand new offices at Aker Brygge.
Rising Leaders and AmCham members gathered at Airthings’ Oslo headquarters in November. CTO and Co-Founder Erlend Bolle kicked off the meeting with a candid, humorous retelling or the Airthings story, highlighting key moments in their incredible journey from Norway-based startup to international scaleup.
Rising Leaders participants visited Yara International’s headquarters where they were welcomed by Senior Vice President of Food Systems Transformation, Pablo Barrera Lopez.