PEOPLE: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

In spring 2025, we hosted a fireside chat with Sofia Wiker, People and Culture Manager, and Stefan Långström, Chief People and Culture Officer. Our conversation covered FORCIT’S HR policies, training initiatives, and the impacts of global events on their personnel, influencing both policy decisions and proactive measures. We also discussed what it’s like working in the explosives industry today and in future.

The chat was hosted by Timo Rantanen, a sustainable professional and writer.

INTERVIEWER: Can you describe recent initiatives in leadership development at FORCIT?

SOFIA: In the past year, we’ve invested significantly in leadership training, particularly at FORCIT Sweden, where we’ve conducted four comprehensive training sessions. These sessions started with the management team, including full-day workshops from lunch-to-lunch formats, incorporating PI profiling, personal assignments, and follow-up discussions. Recently, we’ve emphasized communication skills, and we’ve developed specific improvement plans to revisit in our next session. This has substantially advanced our leadership development in 2024, and we plan to continue these efforts into 2025.

INTERVIEWER: How important is leadership training, especially for newly appointed leaders?

SOFIA: It’s extremely important, especially for individuals promoted within their existing teams. Transitioning from a team member to a leadership role requires specific support. Leaders must inspire, engage, and represent the employer’s interests clearly in every interaction. Our training equips managers thoroughly with the necessary mindset and practical skills to effectively fulfill these responsibilities.

STEFAN: Absolutely. We’ve clarified the leadership role and the expectations around it, leading to clearer and more effective leadership overall. Our employee surveys reflect positive outcomes, showing significant improvements in leaders’ communication and feedback capabilities. Generally high ratings indicate leaders are effectively providing constructive feedback and maintaining open communication. Here we also have some room for improvement, since especially growth and changing environment can also bring challenges for managers to be as close to their team members as they would like to be.

INTERVIEWER: How do you define effective leadership at FORCIT?

STEFAN: Effective leadership at FORCIT is fundamentally service-oriented. Leaders exist to facilitate their teams’ success by removing obstacles and understanding team dynamics deeply. Essentially, leadership is about being close, supportive, and responsive, often referred to as “servant leadership.” Leaders need to genuinely assist and engage their teams, fostering an environment where everyone can contribute effectively and feel valued.

SOFIA: Exactly. Our leadership training programs provide tailored resources based on each team’s needs, enabling managers to develop targeted improvements for 2025.

INTERVIEWER: Could you elaborate on what “value-based leadership” specifically means at FORCIT?

STEFAN: The core of our value-based leadership approach is being close to and supportive of each other. It’s about leaders actively helping their teams, being engaged, creating continuous value, and embodying trustworthiness: “walking the talk.” Actions must match words, reinforcing credibility daily. Reliability and trustworthiness also translate into safety-conscious behaviors. Leaders must have the courage to address issues immediately, never compromising on safety.

SOFIA: Indeed, courageous leadership is critical. Leaders must transparently address issues as soon as possible, rather than avoiding challenging situations. This proactive stance ensures continuous improvement and maintains high safety standards. Equally important, leaders should proactively acknowledge and reinforce positive behaviors, identifying and nurturing strengths within their teams to achieve strategic goals effectively.

INTERVIEWER: Can you give an example of leadership modeling this behavior?

SOFIA: Certainly. Our CEO, Joakim Westerlund, exemplified this during our recent leadership training day at Arlanda, Stockholm. He personally participated, sharing his own PI profile and emphasizing the importance of safety and health. Joakim illustrated this by referencing his own desire to return home healthy and energized to his children each day. He linked personal well-being directly to our corporate sustainability strategy, reinforcing that our rigorous safety standards and supportive leadership practices are fundamentally about caring deeply for one another.