Et portræt fra en podcast: Kim Bjørnstrup. Rules of living

We had author and lawyer Kim Bjørnstrup over for a podcast and we have made a summary of Kim’s rules of life and business.

Short CV

1984 Master in Law from Copenhagen University.
1984 Passed the bar at Oluf Lind & Partners.
1986 Head of legal, Lundbeck.
1991 Head of legal, Coloplast.
1992-2010 Multiple leadership positions culminating in 10 years as top boss in Octapharma.
2010 Partner in Xeltis.
2013 CEO for BPL in England.
2015 CEO Assistance HR Partners.

—

Personality: Kim thinks that things are easy. Put in another way he doesn’t seem to believe in difficult things. He believes that things can get solved. It shows on his face and the youthfulness and vigour of his body and mind. When he was partner and head of 4000 people he tells us that the first thing he would say to people coming to him with problems was: “What will you do to solve it?” Actions are solutions.

Kim’s motto could be: Take fate head on and it won’t stand a chance against you.

Kim has a strong sense of internal locus of control. Kim has a string of successes behind him including a turn around for Bane Capital and the success of Octapharma.

Somehow things just work out for these kinds of people.

People like Kim remind me of the scene from the Gary Larson cartoon with the guy whistling away carrying a wheelbarrow in hell two devils talking amongst themselves “you know we’re just not reaching that guy.”

Staying in the analogy he’d probably be able to make a turn around in hell making people want to go there.

Whatever the case there is a lot of “I can do” about him, and that’s probably why he is sat in Radio studio now being interviewed concerning three books he has written about an imagined terror attack in Copenhagen. Because – of course you can write books, right?

He is smiling over a cup of coffee and his English is impeccable but his accent is a bit peculiar. He says “no” a lot when finishing his sentences revealing that he has spent a number of years in Switzerland where that apparently is a thing. Considering that the classical Danish accent when speaking English sounds like somebody falling out of bed it’s just refreshing.

In the following you can read a summary of the podcast boiled down to rules of live and business success according to Kim:

Have fun

Hang out with ambitious people

Be an ambitious person as you grow older

Even when leading people in the army, shape your orders around the specific person’s personality

Take chances. All the accomplished people I know have taken big chances

Be forthright: Say it as you see it

Give people a decent chance

Be specific and concrete on the criteria for success

Be lucky

Pick fights over important things in business but don’t swear at each other

Ride the tiger: Don’t be scared

Be action oriented rather than just relying complex plans

When negotiating: Be aligned on all relevant issues in the team. Be prepared to leave the negotiation at certain points.

Anger is something to be transcended

Let colleagues blow off steam. Intermittently gently ask people as to the purpose of their anger.

Don’t be overwhelmed by other people’s status

Enjoy hard work

Never sell out in relation to time spend with children

Be more afraid of losing out on opportunities than making a wrong choice

Hire big egos, and manage them: At meetings let everyone speak uninterrupted for 10-15 minutes, before debating certain action points

Downplay your own ego. Think: “They know you are the boss”. That way you don’t have to spend energy defending something.

Seek out flow activities

Stay in shape