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In this episode of The Speaker Show, Sean Pillot de Chenecey interviews Tonje Elizabeth Aaroe.

Tonje is a change-agent and ex-Googler who speaks about leading digital transformation alongside cultural & behavioural change in the workplace.

Tonje helps organisations engage their teams and people successfully – and through that helps to reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve quality & profitability through good leadership and a good work culture. Examples of her services include Team Leader Programmes / Culture, Vision and Behaviour workshops / Project Leader work.

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Episode #147

Digital strategy, lifelong learning and brand

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (00:11): Hello, this podcast is care of Speakers Associates, the global speaker bureau representing a select group of the business. World’s finest thinkers and thought leaders founded in 1999. Today Speakers Associates operate out of nine offices across seven countries covering the UK, Europe and Middle East. I’m Sean Pillot de Chenecy author of The Post-Truth Business and Influencers & Revolutionaries, which are being followed by The New Abnormal. In this series, I interview a range of fascinating individuals, proudly represented by the bureau. These change agents and industry experts give an update on their specialized areas of knowledge, and also on their motivations and viewpoints regarding the future of business.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (01:10): So today I’m really pleased to be joined by Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe. She’s an ex Googler with deep knowledge of how organizations can create a leading digital culture. She consults on consequences of the digital paradigm shift and Tonje helps organizations engage their teams and people successfully. And through that helps to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve quality and profitability through good leadership and a good work culture. Examples, service include team leader programs, culture, vision ha workshops, and project leader work she’s experienced in co-creating thriving work cultures and engaging people in the organization while going through change with a core capability in staff engagement. Recently, she was a change agent with the transformation lab Growthitude and change cor in Oslo who believed that culture is Brand on brand is culture with clients, including Paul, GSK, NHS Imperial College London, Toyota, Philip Morris, ESV digital and Durham university business school. She’s also recently joined the famous Franklin Covey and she has an MSC from Norwegian business school. So Tonje, hi, and how are you?

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (02:27): Hi, thank you so much for that kind introduction. I am great. How are you?

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (02:33): Very good. I say I’m in a rather gray Brighton if I a sea in England, but I gather that you are in a snowy village near Oslo.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (02:42): Yes, absolutely. We really had the winter Wonderland at least yesterday before UK shipped the storm over. So, and we still have snow. We still have snow. It’s all good.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (02:54): All good. Fantastic. So, I mean, here we are then 2021. There’s a new president in charge. And so, I mean, obviously the last year has been one that is, has been spectacularly disruptive in a whole array of areas and without getting to the sort of the really tragic side of that too deeply, I mean, certainly that’s had an impact on, on, on businesses across the world to, depending on which sector they’re sort of obviously linking into and which territory is they’re based in, in Scandinavia. Just talk us through perhaps some of the the impacts that you are seeing COVID have on businesses. And then we’ll, it’d be great to then talk through the background of your career, but yeah. So first of all, talk through the sort, the lie, the land now, how is it COVID impacting the world of business and indeed organizations in general,

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (03:44): It’s massively impacted the organizations you know, as well as people obviously here in the Nordics as well. We see that it’s really from, you know, the big stations who have who have had, you know, changes in how they have to run things. But then the small companies, the small and middle size companies, many of them are really struggling because they’ve used the buffer they had in regards to, you know, what they had as a cashflow, et cetera. And we are seeing that it will be interesting and maybe a rough ride continuing the half first half year of this year. Hopefully it will improve or, you know, we’re hoping that things will improve in the government, have in all and all the countries supported the businesses, but it is a challenge just as in, as evidence that is in the UK for, especially for small businesses and for people who are made redundant or are furloughed.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (04:55): And many people globally, I did a UN speech and last summer, and over then you had the numbers of 500 million people globally having lost their job. And obviously that number is, has increased a lot since then. So it’s definitely a tough time and it’s definitely a time for innovation and for organizations to look at. Okay. we also saw that, you know, we were delivering most of what we did face to face, and then we weren’t allowed to do that. You know, and so innovation and renovation and doing things in different way is definitely what is needed for all companies. Right. And I talked to a company like Deloitte, just the other day, we talked about how companies, you know, the, the five to 10 years project of change has now been compacted into one year. And that’s a big challenge for most. Yeah, I would say everyone, so everyone is going through some change or the other, and it has been a challenge for us all. Yeah, yeah,

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (06:12): Yeah. Yeah. I mean, very interesting that, that, that the point you’re making there about Deloitte and I think come I think it was delight to actually they put out a a report the backend of last year, just talking about I thing as they were mirroring what you were saying that, you know, for individuals and organizations large and smaller, like, you know, for some of the arts, it may be one of simply reframing their offer and the others, the reality will, will be simply a brutal right for survival. When decades long sectors have been shockingly undermined absolutely. It’s, it’s a huge, so just tell us Tonje, before we get into the issues of exactly how it is that you work and, and, and, and what you’re up to at the moment. So tell us, then take us through, up to your background. So they were at to the Norwegian business school doing or MSC, and then, so talk us about, so, so a talk through how that you know, what that environment was like what this, what the school was like, and then your career path since then

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (07:13): Absolutely I’ll take you on the journey. So what I really appreciated with that environment was that we were very much the kind of Guinea pigs and the, you know, test objects for the at that business school then. And so it was a lot of what you would call now lean and agile and testing things out, what worked, what didn’t. And so we got to really learn kinda entrepreneurship at that. And we got a lot of freedom in crafting what we were what we were, you know reading as as our subject manner and, and how we wanted that to be. So that was great. Very, you know, I, I think I speak for everyone that I also still am in contact with that that was great fun, and a lot of you know, good challenges.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (08:16): And we really grew a lot. So after that, I started with what could be called financial times equivalent of in Norway. So a financial magazine and newspaper and financial media house. And I worked there for a better part of like five years and learned everything about the, the digital space, because I worked on the digital services they had. So there most everything I could about the digital space and, and what worked, what didn’t, and helping businesses grow their revenue and helping them use that digital space. And then when I had kinda outgrown and I didn’t have any more growth to have there, I thought, well, let’s join an international compass. I can have some international experience. So I joined Microsoft and had great three years of just yeah, working with really big large companies like Oracle cloud.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (09:28): So it’s would be like Unilever as you know and and helping also in that digital space, you know if whoever’s listening is old enough to remember messenger and how, you know, Hotmail was the, you know, hot at that time. That was what I was working with. All the, all the, you know, cool things in message. It was just a blast. We created landing pages. I remember Pepsi was one of my clients. I really learned how to run big brands like that in a eco system, in a digital space. So that was, that was really fun. And then on the personal side, I had French B who we decided to, it was time to move to back to Paris after he had been in Norway going from Paris to small Norway is a, is a big ask for any permission, I think.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (10:30): So we decided to move to Paris. And this was in the middle of the, and everyone was like, well, you won’t get a job there. And I remember I was speed reading French and writing notes down on like what to answer when they asked me questions in the interviews. And I had it in front of me and I actually got two jobs before I even moved there, I hadn’t even moved there in the middle of the financial crisis in 2008. So, so I said yes to one of them, which was orbits worldwide and worked there for one and a half year. And it was really a great crash in culture, you know, culture difference. And I just got this culture shock, which I think everyone gets no matter where you move from. And to so many learnings, you know, I came there as the only non French in that office.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (11:35): And I was, you know, blonde and different, you know, different yeah. Mentality coming, having a kind of like team mentality from Microsoft. And there, it wasn’t so much, you know, team mentality, nothing wrong about Orbis worldwide, because I know they have team mental, but just then there, it was like, I was the outsider. So that was you know, steep learning curve in both in speaking French in the office, adapting to the French culture, adapting to working in the midst of Paris. I remember taking the subway to work and, you know someone would spit me into here and stuff. It’s just, you know, weird and wonderful things that you experience, but it was also beautiful. It was also this adventure of having moved to, you know, Paris in the midst of the financial crisis and, and having with colleagues as well.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (12:34): We had a lot of fun, you know, work 12 hour days. And, and even if the income was half of what it was in, in Norway, I was like, you know, it, it was a great adventure. Mm. Then, you know, sometimes the relationships don’t work. So I decided, okay, shall I move back to Norway? Or like, I want to, like, I’ve just kinda arrived in, you know, big, big world of outside Norway. I didn’t wanna go home. So I started applying for a lot of jobs in all sorts of countries. And I landed one job in Oracle in Dublin. And you might find this amusing and then one job in, in Elizabeth or in Geneva. And I thought, well, why go to, I really wanted to go work for for Oracle, because I wanted to go back to digital, you know space.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (13:37): But then I thought, well kind of like the only thing you can do, and I hope Dublin don’t, Hey, you know, call me or get me mad at me. But the only thing you can kind of can do in Dublin is kind like go to the pub and drink beer. And I don’t really like beer. I was like, well, I’m, I think I’m gonna go for Geneva and skiing. And, and Elizabeth Darden, even if it’s like makeup and I, I had no experience in logistics and anything. And so I kinda, well, I also had a cat, I kind of took the cat in the car and drove to Geneva started the, the I’m sure of working there. I didn’t know. I actually had to Google Geneva where Geneva was before. So when the recruiter said, you know, it’s in Geneva, right. The job.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (14:24): And I was like, yes, yes, of course. So if the recruiter hears this, no, I didn’t know where he was. And I then had to just yeah, get to know people really just make my way there, get friends. I had the time of my life other than, you know, having my kids. I have to say the time in Geneva felt like home is weird, how you can not know a place and then it becomes your home. So my take takeaways from that is that actually you can go through massive disruptive, you know, mind blowing change, and it can be the best time of your life. So that also goes for COVID may, maybe it’s not all, you know, positive, maybe it’s really tough. And, and we had quite, you know, tough year last year, which ill go through later.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (15:20): So, but that takeaways from that, and then, then I wanted to go back to the, to the kind of digital ecosystem again. So I got enough opportunity to work for Google after one and a half years. I was very uncertain though, cuz I really loved Geneva. I loved like going skiing every weekend. You know, you have sh you have Kuma, you have laun, you have so many ver beer. Yeah. And it was all just like a hour drive. So but then I remember my best friend July, she said, well, I won’t speak to you no more if you don’t take that job in Google. Because like at that time 2 million people applied and you had like a chance of 0.08% of getting in the job. So she was like, I’m not, wow, I’m not talking to you if you don’t take that job.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (16:13): Cause you, so just the kind of like humor side. I, I I said, yes. And I’m so glad, you know, that was to work for what I think is one of the best companies in the world to work for. Yeah. And just learning everything about culture and how, you know it is. And also seeing the differences from Microsoft because when I worked at Microsoft, that was the company to work for when I worked there in 2004, 2000 6, 7, 8. Right. So and now it was Google and to see the differences and to learn from that, see the differences in leadership. And after four years, I, I was and we became consultants for the clients and we became kinda like the McKinsey essential consultant consultants. And, and I thought, well, we need a leadership training for this. We need a leadership training that allows us to have that toolkit.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (17:14): So I initiated and sold in, I had to really sell in a, you know, a leadership training on change management and also all that consultancy toolkit. And that’s why I, when I met my business partner, Lindsey, Agnes, and I also met Carly hablan, which was at the time working with them with me in Google in EA. And I was like, that was the starting point of thinking, okay, I wanna work. Because I had up until then worked a lot with companies going through change and helping people and organizations shift, you know what do we do the next five years? And what’s the digital strategy and how do we need to shift, what do we need to do to change our products and serve and how can we shift the behavior in our organization to to reach the, you know, goals we have set in our strategy.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (18:19): Yep. So that’s why I decided, okay, now is a good time to quit the world’s best company to work for and to part on my own, because Googling Norway didn’t have any people ops people dev department. And I couldn’t, so there was no job like that in Google. It was a small office in, in a, so I just said to do that and to eventually also partner up with with Lindsey and Carly and to help organization, that’s what I’ve been doing the last five years. So helping organizations change you know, what do we need to change of, or actually create the behavior they want to see in the workplace, you know? Yeah. Shift, whatever isn’t working in. The culture, digital transformation is often the catalyst for this. So we, you know, we are installing some new it systems or we need to do some changes because things are happening fast and therefore we need to change the behavior in the workplace or can be leadership development high performing teams.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (19:32): How do we improve the performance in our teams? Yeah. So that’s what I’ve been doing in the last five years. And then at the natural crossroad, I have to say because of COVID and because of all the changes and my their partners, they would like to even retire because they are much older than me. And I really understand that. So I’m like, Hey, what, what’s the next natural steps for me? And so happy to say that I’m now decided that I’ll team up with the team in Franklin co and help the organization continuously develop their leadership and changed their behavior to to, you know, meet their strategy and to deliver on their strategies. So that’s the next step. So that’s a very long, short story on my background and where I’m at.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (20:30): Yeah, no, but absolutely fascinating. I think certainly the, the the point you’re making earlier on about you know, the whole change cor and growth side of things with, with that, you know, with the, with the consultancy ethos of, you know, brand is culture and culture is brand, and then you have Robert Whitman CEO to Franklin co famously saying, you know, everything about your company can be replicated except its culture. I think it’s fascinating that there’ve been, there’s been, you know, a lot of very interesting media commentary about one of the great problems of COVID has been the impact on precisely that the impact on company culture, for instance, in the advertising world, there’s a lot of talk about this, whereby a lot of them see themselves as, as generally speaking, the difference between agency a and agency B is purely their culture, cuz they’re both doing exactly the same thing and exactly the same way in terms of the products they put in front of clients, but in, in order to attract staff and in order to have some point of differentiation, it’s all about culture. So what are we asking therefore? So on a really practical level. So when you’re going into these companies now and when they’re really need to understand their culture and that companies are built on culture as Franklin co say, how does one get that going?

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (21:59): Yeah, it’s such a great question. I mean, we often start with a vision, you know, what’s the vision. And with the end in, as Steven co wrote in his famous book, seven habits of highly successful people yeah, yeah. Start with the undermine. So, you know, you have a vision often that can be revised with benefits. We’ve worked with companies that have had add values that people don’t recognize themselves in. And what’s the problem because you’re supposed to take the company values and deliver and take, you know, and, and deliver on KPIs in your job. You’re supposed to find the vision and what the companies about the vision, mission, whatever you want to call it. Yeah, as as someone else has said, but you have to have something that a company is about, why do we exist? And that had to give a, you know, sense of me to people.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (23:08): Because we it’s proven by research that if we find meaning in what we do, if we find that there’s, you know, that we are contributing to the bigger you know, picture and that we’re, and it, that what we do actually makes a difference, then we will do more. We will work better and we will work so model, we will be more efficient. And so it’s really important to start with the end in mind and like start with the vision. And, and maybe if you, if, and work on the vision in a most organizations do this, they have a good process for working on the vision. And if, you know, if an organization hasn’t had that, it would be good to have a workshop in our proper, you know, full day workshop working on that vision. Okay. Then when we’ve decided this is, we’ve done this in, in organizations where maybe the employees haven’t been a part of creating the vision, but then we engage them and we say, okay, how’s that vision for you, you know, 18 months from now, when you’ve reached that vision, what do you see?

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (24:21): What do you hear? What do you feel when you’re at, you know, work and in the workplace and what that mean in regards of behavior? What don’t you want to see? What don’t you want to hear? What don’t you want to feel of behavior from other colleagues or from yourself, like, what’s the standard that you put yourself and, or that you hold and others too, when it comes to that, you know, vision that meaning that you are going after in the organization. And so when you have people who say, oh it was in the UK actually. And I think it was I can’t remember the value exactly. I have to say, but it was something about being enthusiastic or it wasn’t exactly that word saying, but we’re not really that in the UK, like the word didn’t, you know, resonate with them, that’s a problem, right?

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (25:24): Value doesn’t resonate with your employee or employees, then, then that’s an issue. So really going with the end of mind, where do we want, why are we even, you know, why do we even exist as an organization? Do you ha when there’s a traditional organization that has gone through a lot of changes over the years, that, you know, reason for existing has changed it’s changing, you know, when you’re in the infancy of the life of a organization versus if you have a mature organization that, you know, vision of the organization changes. So all to say that it’s, it’s important to evaluate and revise that throughout the the lifetime of an organization, and to really look at, you have companies like idea who kind of re invented design thinking, and you have, for instance, the kitchen in San Francisco, they have their own vision and their own theme of the company vision that suits them in the kitchen. Right. So it’s about also, how can we in this department kind of tail and make the, the vision, so it suits what we are doing. So it can be mirrored in the KPIs and the everyday tasks that we are doing and our focus area and all that. So, so that’s important. Yes, I think I’ve forgot the second half of your question.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (27:10): No, no, fine. It was just say, I think you answered it very, very, very well. I mean, there’s this issue around again, I think linking into that point again, that, that the Franklin Covy thing that about, you know, what is greatness and how it does one and, you know, look at it through the outcomes of things you’re saying there. So, you know, sustain superior performance, intense intensity, loyal customers highly engaged employees and the distinctive contribution, these issues stepping sort of back from the sort of the corporate side and, and just looking at SU that are impacting society and culture right now, this, some of the other things either outside of COVID or, or that have been impacted by it. I think you mentioned it earlier on looking back a year, we’ve seen certain trends that we were talking about, let’s say this time, last year, certain trends speeding up other ones stopping or slowing down and other ones just effectively disappearing. So perhaps just talk us through some of the sort of social and cultural things that, that you find interesting, and that you are talking about when you, when you give your speeches and run workshops, et cetera.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (28:20): Absolutely. One thing is that you, in three years, 20% of what we know will be outdated. We have a gap between the development of technology and how we as human beings can adapt, you know, to that, to all the changes. And this has been massive you know, accelerated the last year because of all the changes. Mm we’re looking at a challenge, if you may, for all human beings around the globe, you know, not only are we having jobs being more insecure, but of COVID 19, but we’re also seeing a massive burst in technology development, which will of course create a lot of new jobs as well, but it will will force a kinda lifelong learning seek for everyone. We all need to constantly update ourselves and update our skills. Because if we think that within just three years, 20% of what we know today will be outdated.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (29:41): And that there’s a gap between how fast we can adapt and the technology development that’s kind of going like right up, right. That is something. And, and that we need to look at. And we and we have Eric teller from the moonshot factor in Google saying that how we need to do how we need to cope with this is actually learning smarter and govern faster and learning parter, by being curious, in one of the, is like being curiosity, enables us to learn faster. It enables us to look at things from different perspectives and not have assumptions about how things are, cause things are changing so fast that we need to constantly be looking at things like kind like the first time we’re seeing it in a way like, oh, okay. So how is it now? So that that’s one big thing that I see.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (30:48): And then there’s the other interesting, you know, fact in the political arena or in you know, the global society where it’s so many opinions and we are so divided. And so working on coming together and working towards, it’s kinda like if you have a big organization giving that example have a big organization and everyone has different opinions and we’re all pulling in different, you know? Yeah. Whereas if we could all, all kind of come together and pull in the right, you know, one you know, major direction and like we’re all working for everyone having a better future and, you know, taking care of the environment that we need to taking care of people, because they are going through a rough time, both with health and with economics and everything. So that’s another thing that, you know, it’s okay to have different opinions and can we agree to work on the important things and improve the things that will enable everyone to have a better future?

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (32:03): And so, so that’s another thing that, you know more of a kinda yeah, off organizational point of view. So, but when it comes to everyone, it’s like, how can we adapt as best as we can, as fast as we can, to the big changes that are going on, how can we, you know, thrive? How can we be in a good place and going through all this? And so I’m very, I’m very passionate about that part as well, helping people find find how they can have a, you know, good every day and really just up level wherever they’re at both as professionals and as individuals. So I’m sharing a lot about that in social media, like for instance the act of gratitude, how you can incorporate daily habits just to get yourself primed for a better day, really because

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (33:10): Oh yes.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (33:11): If you are always reacting right to the environment, that’s not a good place to be. So creating that awareness of how can you actually, Deconnect from everything that’s going on and set your course, and what’s important to you and how can you act on what is important for you and create your path there?

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (33:31): Oh, bad, absolutely. The whole things around sort of pathways and agency thinking sort of hope theory, et cetera, that thinks absolutely, absolutely fascinating. What about let’s say the issue of where you get your inspiration from, I mean, obviously you are a very, very inspiring speaker and sort of obviously renowned consultant, so yeah. So where do you look to to have your own inspiration or indeed motivation?

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (33:58): Great question. I, I have to say I have some sources that are more used than other sources for myself as inspiration. And I have to say, I also get inspiration from just colleagues competitors in a good way when they are, you know, experiencing victories and what they are going through. Like, because I, I kinda, I have a lot of friends and colleagues in the speaker world. I have great mentors. I have to say. For instance, Tony Robbins is a great mentor of mine. I’ve been to many of his seminars and his, you know, his mentors as well, like the late Jim Rome. And I read a lot of books. I listen to a lot of books on a daily basis. And as Tony says that his mentor and Jim RO also said that, you know, you can skip a meal, but you don’t skip feeding your mind 30 minutes every day. So so that’s really become my mantra as well. Lauren have that is my mentor she’s in that kind of personal growth and entrepreneur face as well. I, a good friend of mine, so I have mentors like that, that yeah, that I just really get a lot of inspiration from so good books, good mentors, both living and that that really give me inspiration.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (35:45): Very good. Very good, indeed. And, and what about obviously you’ve worked for some very dynamic organizations. When are you looking at at brands in general or organization general? Are there any particular ones that you are a real fan of that, you know, companies that you think exhibit, you know, best practice and you think now there’s a, a really, really well set up brand or on either a product or service level?

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (36:13): Yeah, I have I’m I have some personal I have to say apple has really done well in creating products that the consumers don’t know that they want, but, you know, when they get them out there, they just, you know, crave them. So all all kudos to how they have built something for their clients that create raving fans. Mm. I I have, I love Nike, I’m a, I’m a runner and I love the Nike app for instance, the running out up. And I don’t get any money from this, obviously, because I’m just the user of the app. And so just having, for instance, I think it’s so brilliant that you create running, you know, run runs, you can be 60 minutes. I there’s even like half marathons and all, all sorts of runs in there where you listen to audio whilst running, and then they’re pacing you.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (37:24): I think that’s just brilliant. I think that’s just amazingly brilliant. And and, and like a small brand that maybe not many know of that has really, I think, created lot of value in, in the last year when people have been homeschooling and working from home and yeah. Being, you know, cramped in their home is people like yoga with Adrian. I think it’s so important that you give value also through free stuff because that’s obviously a way for people to get to know you. And she also has great paid products and, and services and, and yoga. So I think that’s a great example of how anyone can build a brand and any agency can build a great brand by giving by giving a lot of value upfront before asking someone to pay. And I also, I also have to say, I think Franklin co does well here, cuz they have a great setting with podcasts and everything.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (38:41): A lot of value, a lot of, you know, well renowned leaders who are giving away their, their insights. And the last I want to mention is Gary VA avid follower of his. And I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Olo business forum kind of three years ago in 2017, I think. And all the value he, he gives, you know, speaking about the agencies, all the value he gives in all, you know, it’s, there’s no, I think there old channel he’s not in and he’s there all the time and he’s answering live on video, like 30 seconds after you tweeted him. That’s just, you know, that’s just insane insanely good. I have to say, it’s just, he’s just showing us really how, how branding is done and yeah. You know, he take, he took case with you know, sneaker, that was nothing. And then he branded it with his name and now it’s like sold out and it’s like sold for twice the price on eBay. So it’s just a prime example of how to give value on how to build the and

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (39:57): Mm, very interesting. Okay. And then what about in terms of where things are for you? So yeah, so talks about, so next big things in your life. So yeah, what’s coming up in the short two medium term future for you.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (40:12): Yes I’m. So looking forward to continuing, helping continuing, sorry. I’m so looking forward to continuing helping organizations in the Nordic with building, you know, developing their leaders with reaching the goals, especially now that everyone had to kind of redo their and redo their plans for the next year. So I’m help, I’m looking forward to help them with that. And on a personal level, I’m also looking forward to building a big house actually within the next years.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (40:54): Very nice.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (40:55): And also we have a, I have a fiance who’s living in the UK in Foxton. So we have a very untraditional living in two countries relationship, and obviously COVID is not making that easy. So I’m looking forward to things stabilizing and you know, moving forward into the new normal as we’re all talking about and, and and looking at how that is and creating a lot of value for, for everyone that I can really in that space.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (41:31): Very good. Well, I think we’re just about out of time, but so just for the last few minutes, just so we can have so that the international listeners from across the spectrum of speakers, associates clients, just so they can be absolutely crystal clear perhaps about some of the sort of key takeaway points that you’d like to leave with them. So someone is, is now looking to book you for a already dynamic event. Go on, then just remind us the sort of things that you’ll be talking about.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (42:01): Absolutely. So I, it’s so important to have that culture and to have that engagement from everyone, right? So how to build thriving high, performing to teams, how to lead through that digital transformation that you’re going through. I’m a certified change management leader, so I can help you with that giving inspiration and also helping you. What I love to do is actually make the keynotes also a bit interactive. So we’re actually to taking the insights and making a plan and engaging you through that keynote in really utilizing the insights that you get then and there on how to create the high performing team, how to lead through change, if it is through digital transformation, how do we do that? How to engage my, and how to thrive and how to create, you know, organizations that, where people thrive and where we have fun. But also we reach our goals and we create the results we want for the organization.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (43:08): All right. Nice. Okay. Next, last question then Tonje, and it’s been so interesting talking with you, so just so everyone’s aware of where they can track you down now. So yeah. Where are you on sort of a social media, et cetera, and also your new site?

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (43:23): Absolutely. So you can find me on LinkedIn, Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe. You can find me on Instagram, on Facebook. You can find me on YouTube. And my email, I think the best email you can reach me at tonje@growthitude.com. I will be looking at that email every day. So please you know, send me an email if you are on Twitter, I’m also there. So yeah, just reach out and connect with me, happy to connect, happy to have a chat about whatever is going on in your world. And it would be my pleasure if you connected.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (44:05): Superb. Well, that’s been really, really interesting. So well, the episode to Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe, the change agent ex Googler, who speaks on leading digital transformation and culture and behavioral change in the workplace. Thank you very much, indeed.

Tonje Elisabeth Aarøe (44:23): And thank you, Sean. It’s been my pleasure and I really enjoy this. Thank you. And thank you to everyone who’s been listening. I really appreciate your time and feel free to give me any feedback as well. So thank you.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey (44:45): Thank you for listening to The Speakers Show podcast. Please leave a rating on iTunes. We’d really appreciate it. And also it’d be great. If you could subscribe to the podcast itself, you’ll find it also on Google podcasts, SoundCloud, or your favorite podcast app. Thank you.

Podcast host

Sean Pillot de Chenecey speaker

Sean Pillot de Chenecey

Foresight strategist, author and podcast host Sean Pillot de Chenecey is an inspirational speaker, who’s also consulted for some of the world’s biggest brands.

Sean has a very deep level of knowledge regarding the genuine issues impacting brands from a cultural, social and business perspective.

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