Last week we met Henrik, an extremely positive, energetic person full of lessons and insights. Henrik is currently working at Einride; a startup with the ambition to turn the entire global transportation sector upside down with the help of autonomous electric transport vehicles.
Read and be inspired by Henrik's journey below and how he made his way from B2B in the hardware industry to Einride. Do you have thoughts and experiences about career changes that you would like to share? Feel free to comment.
You have made an impressive career change from 20 years in the hardware industry to a management role in one of Sweden's most interesting startups. What gave you the courage?
After a fantastic career journey at Panasonic, where I was CEO for the last three years, I wanted to use my experience in a new industry. Over the years, I have wanted to try a new industry, but it has not been easy to make this move. Many companies and recruitment agencies assume that applicants must have experience in the same industry when hiring, but rarely challenge themselves by bringing in talent from other industries.
When I got the chance to join Einride, I thought one of the benefits was that they wanted to revolutionize their industry from the start. They were looking for people from diverse backgrounds to create an internal climate that would enable this goal.
What are your main learnings from working in a startup compared to a traditional large corporation?
Here, everything moves much faster. But most importantly, we don't clash internally with an existing business area - where both management and staff are constantly looking to compare new initiatives with the existing. Both financially and culturally, we have a "pioneer climate" within the company.
I myself have learned to become more agile, while at the same time learning to navigate through more uncertainty - which you can encounter a lot when creating something completely new. It has given me valuable perspective and experience.
What tips would you like to share with those looking to make an industry change like yours?
-Start by thinking about everything you want in a job and compare it to your current one. Are you in the right place? If you could choose a different industry and job, what would it be? Think about how you could add something extra with your experience and background in a new industry.
- Talk about your interest in a new industry in different forums. Build your network and contact recruiters who can help you further.
-Network within the startup sphere where there are a lot of interesting people and ideas.
-Be willing to change. As Gretzky said: "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take!"
Finally, I think more companies and their partners in the recruitment process should dare to be a little uncomfortable both internally and externally and recruit outside the usual template. Regardless of whether the person meets all the requirements for education, experience, etc. it can still be a very good recruitment. I think it can be an advantage if you as a company want to be competitive in a changing world and not just "manage the pound".