Lars-Johan Jarnheimer has learned that the most important principle in business is to stay close to the customer – and pay attention to even the smallest details. He believes that kindness is one of the greatest leadership strengths, but that real success also requires courage to act. Today, he says, speed is everything.

Lars-Johan Jarnheimer is a highly experienced business leader with a career shaped by some of the strongest value-driven companies in the Nordic region, including Ingka Holding B.V (IKEA) and H&M. Over the years, he has worked closely with major owners, CEOs, and boards, and today he continues to advise organizations through periods of transformation and change. Jarnheimer visits SHIFT Business Festival this May in Turku to speak about the secrets behind the success.

Customer comes first

– I think I’ve been fortunate to work with very strong leaders and owners, for example both at IKEA and H&M. What I learned from them is: always stay close to the customer. The moment you lose that connection, you lose track of the company, says Jarnheimer.

Even in the largest corporations, customer experience remains the true priority – and that mindset, rooted in simplicity and focus, became one of the defining lessons of his professional journey.

–I remember traveling with Ingvar Kamprad. The first person he often greeted in a store was someone working in the restaurant, washing dishes. When I asked why, he said: “When I’m here only once a year – or even once every five years – they deserve recognition. Because if the dishes aren’t clean, nothing else matters. It becomes a bad experience for every customer.”

“Kind people often make the best leaders.”

Jarnheimer says that the way Kamprad was thinking, starting from the basics, has been one of the most important turning points for him.

–Another reflection I’ve had over the years is that kind people often make the best leaders. People talk about managers who scream or act arrogantly, but the best CEOs I’ve worked with – at IKEA and elsewhere – have been kind. They bring people together and make them strive toward the same goal. That’s something I’ve truly changed my mind about over time.

Make the mistakes

Jarnheimer says that strength often comes from understanding that real transformation requires action. Too often, organizations support change in theory but delay decisions through endless analysis and discussion – until nothing actually happens.

– I always say: just go for it. Make the mistakes – we’ll correct them afterward. Because the alternative – not changing at all – is much worse.

“That’s what I’ve learned in the last ten years: dare to make changes.”

Jarnheimer is also the chairman of Telia. When he joined five years ago, the share price was struggling. When they hired a new CEO, Jarnheimer gave clear instructions on how to fix things. He agreed, executed it – and now the share price has almost doubled.

– That’s what I’ve learned in the last ten years: dare to make changes.

Dare to make changes

Jarnheimer struggles to name the most important person in his career and says that he has appreciated all the people he’s worked with.

– But of course, you get shaped a great deal during your first ten years when you are out there. That’s where you grasp everything – you are like a sponge. And I had the privilege to be both at IKEA and at H&M in my early stage. So I think it’s very much value-based, how they run their operations, and that formed me.

Speed is everything

– What would have I done differently in my career? One thing: I should have done things much faster. During the last twenty or thirty years, speed has been important, and transformation has always taken place in companies over time.

While companies once had years to adapt, today the window of opportunity is measured in months.

–That’s why I say speed is important – because you get overrun if you don’t move fast enough.