I am a business consultant, but a designer at heart. What does that mean?
As a business consultant I bring over 30 years experience from different areas such as finance, organizational and leadership development, quality management, business development and entrepreneurship as well as sustainability.
As a designer I am constantly thinking about new and better ways to do things. I easily see different perspectives and many possibilities to do business in a different and sustainable way.
To change the way we do business requires new thinking. New thinking is often challenging. This is why: Our brains are wired for efficiency and that means it runs on previous experience, it thinks what it always thinks and triggers familiar actions. I call this the autopilot.
Challenging my autopilot
25 years ago I started to challenge my autopilot. I had a successful career in business and at this time I was working as CFO for an insurance company. My work was oriented towards rational, logical thinking and compliance. I agonized everyday and breathed a sigh of relief when the work day was finally over, often late at night. It all ended with burnout followed by new opportunities.
To come back, I was paired with a coach who helped me rebuild my body, mind and emotional being. I was able to not only come back to myself again, but also find more of myself. I learned to disconnect the autopilot which gave me access to more of my inherent abilities. I became more open to different ways of reasoning, not just the rational and logical, which allowed new perspectives and more options to emerge. To put it simply, I got smarter! Over time more and more colleagues and business partners appreciated my new and more creative ideas. And it was fulfilling and energizing.
It turned out that I have great aptitude for strategic and innovative work. I can see the whole, as well as how different parts fit together. I have a vivid imagination, and this kind of work allowed me to use it to see opportunities that others might miss. I believe in people’s inherent potential and over time I noticed that I inspired others to learn and grow.
I had found a new way to contribute to business success and I wanted to offer these qualities. Over the years I have worked with a variety of organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit, young as well as mature business, large and small companies.
What I bring
I’m a firm believer in reshaping the business landscape to generate exceptional value for customers, shareholders, employees, and our world. My passion is empowering leaders to embrace unconventional thinking and action, and here’s how I achieve that:
Collaborative Solutions
I partner closely with your organization, crafting integral solutions that seamlessly align with your business plans and overarching goals.
Empathetic Listening
By deeply understanding those directly impacted, I uncover their needs and unique perspectives, tapping into their potential to contribute to transformative solutions.
Strategic Insight
I pinpoint critical success factors, pain points, and high-impact improvement areas that drive substantial change and growth.
Shared Clarity
I foster collective understanding of change dynamics and the outcomes they deliver, ensuring everyone’s on the same page.
Crystal-Clear Communication
I excel at conveying complex concepts with simplicity, ensuring everyone grasps the path forward.
Here are a few examples of my approach in action:
The hidden potential of the team
A young software company was stuck in its development. It had difficulty attracting new customers and at the same time the turnover was too low to invest in further development of the product. The mindset of the team was closed; they firmly believed that the company was too small and lacked resources to change its future. These limiting beliefs about the company’s capacity created a sense of insecurity and inertia.
My first task was to inspire and energize the team. I worked with clear goals for different horizons, in this case 6 months, 1 year and long term. In conversations individually and in group, I clarified what resources were available, both financial and skills, and how they were accessible to the team.
Together we explored different options for using the resources. By analyzing the alternatives and how each would contribute to the goals, we were able to actively choose those that gave the best results. By including the team in this process everyone was aware of and understood the chosen strategies and could concentrate on the implementation. This allowed for a shift in focus from worrying about the future to customer orientation.
This shift led to significant growth in the number of clients as well as revenues while maintaining stable profits, something that laid the foundation for future product development.
From individual conviction to shared clarity
One day I got a call from a CEO who asked for help to shape a clear strategy for organizational development. She had an idea, and was convinced that this was the right path to go down, but needed help to put together a clear and concise proposal to present to the board.
To succeed, the CEO’s idea needed to be fully aligned with the approved business plan and clearly contribute to set goals. Through conversations with the CEO, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of her idea and why it was so compelling to her. The conversations also provided insight and details about potential objections from the board and other stakeholders.
In addition to developing the original idea I also devised two more viable alternatives, one of which the board would likely prefer. For each of the three alternatives, I clarified strengths and weaknesses in relation to set business goals and produced a cost/benefit analysis. The final proposal contained all parts with clear connections to the goals laid out in the business plan and ended with a recommendation for the strongest alternative, which happened to be the CEO’s idea. The board approved the proposal without delay.
Does this resonate with you?
If my approach resonates with your aspirations, I invite you to explore further:
Explore My Blog: Insights & Reflections
Dive into my blog, where I occasionally delve into topics that resonate deeply with me—primarily the realms of change and sustainability. The following two articles provide a deeper glimpse into my mindset:
Develop you agility
Discover my take on breaking free from routine and embracing a mindset shift, paving the way for innovative thinking and proactive actions.
Design – The Key to Sustainable Business Development
Explore the significance of integrating sustainability from the outset of product development, as I unravel the potency of unconventional perspectives in driving substantial transformative change.
Feel free to browse these reflective pieces for a more comprehensive understanding of my approach.
Signature talks
I thrive on igniting conversations that propel growth, foster change, and spark innovation.
Think Differently
A dive into the challenges of thinking differently. Learn about different types of thinking and when they serve you best. Explore roadblocks to creative thinking and how to overcome them.
Do differently
Why is it hard to put new habits into action, even when we really want to? Delving into the interplay between the mind, body, and heart, vital in forging lasting change.
Email me at ann@hazika.se for more details.
Introduction call
Reach out to me at ann@hazika.se, and let’s embark on an introductory call, a platform for us to connect and explore how my unique approach can contribute to your transformative journey.