Annie Seel
Annie Seel

Annie Seel is one of the world’s most qualified motor sport women who has participated in eight Dakar rallies, won a World Cup and holds a record of motorcycle on Mount Everest.

In addition to the rallying career, she is an experienced businesswoman who has been running her own business in events and marketing for 20 years. Annie is also an ambassador for the world’s largest female rally competition, the Gazelle Rally, and for the 1.6 Million Club (a Swedish health organization).

It is in her role as a marketing specialist that Nordic Interim has a partnership with Annie. We met her to talk about leadership from her perspective.

What are the demands tomorrow’s employees have on their leaders?

“First and foremost, I think the requirements vary greatly between different industries and how traditional they are. With the new generation, many young people will more generally question what they do and why. Therefore, leadership must contain a clear “WHY” – why do we do what we do. Communicating this “why” creates a context that I believe is important for engaging. In addition, feedback and confirmation are needed to feel that what you do matters and gives clear results. I believe that the new generation growing up with social media and computer games is triggered by “instant gratification”, so such reward systems and “gamification thinking” will increase. I’ve always been triggered by the competitive thinking myself and by cracking the code: how can I make this better, faster or smarter?”

The future leader is not a boss – what does that mean?

“For me, the leader shows the direction on the map, and then gives both confidence and responsibility to the team to make progress. At the same time, one must have a clear strategy and communicate it. To explain and gain an understanding of how the entire business is interconnected, and that each part is counted. The work of the individual is just as important as any other part.

I think as my international team in the Dakar Rally, we have a very clear “WHY” – we love our sport and want to get to the finish line! A few days before the start, everyone in the team, with their different skills and from different countries, will become a single organism – a family. For two weeks, we face tough challenges both mentally and physically.

It is really important that everyone in the team contributes and takes responsibility for both what you do and how you act towards the others in the team. It is the team manager who has the main responsibility, but all drivers, navigators, mechanics, ground service, etc. know exactly what role or task they have. Since everyone knows what to do, the team manager does not have to point with his whole hand for every task. However, he must ensure that all logistics and communication work within the team, also against the rally organization and other stakeholders. Communication can be a challenge during the competition as we often lack mobile coverage. Then all isolated units will still be doing what needs to be done and running towards the goals.”

What does empowerment throughout the organization mean?

“In the rally world, the teams consist of a mix of skills and personalities, some very experienced and others are beginners. In order to reach the finish line, you must be able to trust that every single team member does their part, is in the right place at the right time, performs the right service, etc. There are many individual decisions that take the team forward.

I try to see the different resources found in the team and who is responsible for what. How we can work together to get the most out of it and lift the strengths and thus the belief in our own abilities. I try to share my experience within the team, which is vital in, for example, the Dakar Rally. That’s the case for everyone, because everyone in the team will suffer otherwise. During the Dakar Rally, everything is at risk as small mistakes tend to grow exponentially because the competition is so difficult with long days, stress and lack of sleep. All your bad sides come to the surface after a few days…”

We see a new leadership emerge where self-leadership and democratization of decisions are becoming increasingly important – how do you as a leader get your team to take on more responsibility and leadership?

“As a leader, the transition to self-leadership is not that easy, because you partially relinquish control. It makes it easier for the individual and the team if you understand the whole “business” and thus can take greater responsibility in your field and also take your own initiatives to avert or resolve situations on the fly without stopping the business. In case of problems, as a leader, you can take help from the whole team and ask: how could we best solve, rescue or fix this situation? If you have built a good working climate where nobody in the team is afraid to raise problems early, and you get support, most people will be able to do much more than they think.”

What challenges do you see in ensuring delivery reliability in collaboration with subcontractors and partnerships?

“I think of teams also when I work as a marketing consultant. My partners and subcontractors are part of my “delivery team”. The challenge is to be proactive and anticipate things that can be a nasty surprise. To avoid this, I need to find out what they need to be able to deliver and try to give them a good foundation and conditions. Over the years I have built good relationships, and you cooperate better with those you like. I try to get the customer involved throughout the project to avoid missing the goal. Simply a chain where we are all part of the delivery.”

How will the new leadership work for the older generation?

“Change happens at different speeds in different types of industries. Some industries are more traditional than others and the older generation’s leadership can work very well if it is proven and clear. At the same time, space must be created for the new. One example is that we talk about intrapreneurship even in larger organizations in order to retain the creative and innovative skills that do not fit into old structures. It can be a challenge for the older group to balance their habits but leave room for the new. I didn’t fit in 25 years ago myself, which is why I started my own business. Today, organizations cannot afford to lose these capabilities if they want to keep up with the future.”