Gerhard Bley, CEO of Norrmejerier and author and lecturer on the topic of empathetic leadership, will be appearing on stage at Packaging Plaza, Scanpack’s anniversary area. He knows a lot about a holistic approach and the positive forces it can create in an organisation. But the work doesn’t just get done by itself. It requires a mature leader who works on the basis of the soft variable, in order to create trust and a sense of security.

Good leadership! Nice words – but not always as obvious in real working life. One person who takes good leadership very seriously is Gerhard Bley, who is one of this year’s lecturers at Packaging Plaza.

Gerhard Bley has an extensive background in managerial roles in the business world, and since 2022 he has been CEO of Norrmejerier, Sweden’s northernmost dairy co-operative. Gerhard is also the author of a series of books on empathetic leadership, and he also lectures on the subject and is a valued mentor to managers and leaders in key positions within the business community.

Those sitting in the audience at Scanpack to listen to Gerhard can look forward to a description of what he calls good and empathetic leadership, built on a holistic approach based on physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual well-being; why it is important, and how you achieve it.

“Good leadership makes people feel included and needed. With such an approach, enormous forces are created with people who want to contribute, who become innovative, who manage changes and who become less stressed”, is Gerhard’s response to the question of why.

The inner perspective makes the difference

So what are the tools for good leadership, which is also so important for the skills supply within a company? Gerhard explains this as two fundamental areas. The first is referred to as the mechanical part of leadership, and is based on the knowledge of creating a clear strategy, making decisions, setting goals and following up. This is also what companies and managers often equate with being a leader, but the real difference in leadership comes from the capacity to use one’s inner abilities.

“The thing that makes the difference in the end is what I call the inner perspective of being a leader. Creating relationships through good self-awareness and being authentic. These qualities are the basis for trust and a sense of security in a workplace.”

It is this that Gerhard feels places completely different demands on a leader, requiring personal maturity, strong self-awareness and a genuine interest in other people, but also giving something back in return.

“It is something of a step in your personal development when you open your eyes to what good leadership is and the enormous power it can have in an organisation.”

A matter of two-way communication

The domino effect of good leadership is hardly difficult to predict: the positive effects produce satisfied and responsible employees, which in turn influences the results. With a palpably calm, pleasant and highly present Gerhard on the other end of the line, it feels safe to lay down the challenge:

“Of course, I mean, who doesn’t want happy employees who work hard and give that little extra, and where you as an employer can present a gold star to each of your employees. But today there are many applicants who perhaps already during the job interview give out signals to the effect of What can you offer me? Instead of What I can do for you. So, as a leader in this situation, to think empathy, compassion, offering personal development and adopting a holistic approach, how do we reconcile that aspect?”

Even at this point, the man on the phone, who perhaps possesses Sweden’s foremost knowledge of good leadership, gives a very sympathetic impression. He takes the question seriously and does not become defensive but rather shows understanding as he responds. Of course he is concerned about the way things look today. That the situation is unsustainable in the long term. That it is a matter of two-way communication.

“This is a very important question, and one that concerns me. I can also see that the idealistic core of doing things the right way and being grateful, with a great degree of loyalty and sense of duty, which in historical

terms is a basis of a nice society, is clearly something that the new generation to some extent does not have. It is a provocative situation, and the challenges are great.”

The importance of solidarity and community

Gerhard talks about the lack of self-awareness and how we are influenced by external stimulation in the image of what constitutes happiness and success. That good leadership needs to show what is most important in life.

“When it comes to those kinds of questions, my answer is that the most important thing in life is to be part of a collective. Alone you are weak. We are such individualists, we think that we can cope on our own, but I don’t think so. We should focus on sticking together, it is more important now than ever, and in this regard the workplace fulfils an important function.”

Gerhard feels that the expression we often like to throw around, namely that “work is not the most important thing in life”, is actually something of a misconception.

“Yes, life is bigger, but having something meaningful to do, which is what work represents for most of us, is an important part of life. We are on the way to losing the feeling of being dependent on each other, of showing respect based on a sense of solidarity and community.”

We draw a line in our discussion there, agreeing that it will be a pleasure to delve further into the topic – what respect for each other really means in a workplace – at this year’s Scanpack.

The packaging industry’s challenges and opportunities

Inevitably at an event like Scanpack, especially when it comes to a company leader with products where the packaging is an important success factor, it is natural to ask Gerhard for his views on the challenges and opportunities he sees in the packaging industry, based on the two important issues of packaging design and sustainability.

“In the consumer goods industry with its fast-moving goods, we know that packaging and design are absolutely crucial for sales success. If someone succeeds, all the other major players follow suit, and the packaging solutions can easily become very generic. I would like to see a greater challenge and diversity of design solutions. It would increase all our credibility and help build brands so that they become more unique and thus give us more loyal consumers”, says Gerhard, who then moves on to the question of sustainability.  An issue he says is “top of mind for everyone”, and which he would like to see in a greater context within his industry.

“In my opinion, reducing food waste is a bigger issue than necessarily changing the plastic on packaging. As consumers, we appreciate cosmetic solutions, we follow trends, we are quick to follow suit, and it can easily become polarising. It is a concern that we, as consumers, are not particularly well informed and thus unable to see the whole picture when it comes to sustainability issues.”

Perhaps there is actually a connection between sustainability issues and good leadership? Perhaps a wise and empathetic company leader, together with his or her employees, are better equipped to meet the challenges we are facing? Gerhard Bley praises the suggestion and once again highlights the favourable conditions that can be shaped with a holistic approach.

Would you like to hear more from Gerhard Bley? He will be speaking at Scanpack in October. Gerhard will be on stage at Packaging Plaza on 23 October at 12:45 and on 24 October at 11:00.

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Photo of Gerhard Bley: Elin Berge