In this episode of Culture Crush, host Dan Dowman interviews David Manser, Market Manager at IKEA. David unpacks his leadership journey and reflects on his experience of starting as a trainee manager and gradually moving up the ranks within the organisation. He also discusses the importance of putting culture first and how he has learned to lead through empathy and authenticity.

David also addresses the challenge of high staff turnover and shares his approach to tackling the issue, including focusing on resource allocation and empowering leaders.

Culture Crushes

🧡 Samaritans: For their unwavering commitment to being non-judgemental. 

Takeaways 

✅ Leadership is about leading through empathy and authenticity.

✅ Leaders should focus on helping their people understand the why behind their decisions and actions. 

✅ Leading with empathy and authenticity builds trust and allows for honest dialogue. 

✅ Leaders should strive for both equity and clarity in their decision-making, treating people fairly and consistently. 

✅ Addressing high staff turnover requires a multi-faceted approach, including resource allocation, empowering leaders, and creating a culture of understanding and equity.

Sound Bites 

📢 "Never underestimate anyone's intelligence, never overestimate their knowledge." 

📢 "Lead with empathy and authenticity to build trust and have an honest dialogue with people." 

📢 "People want to be involved. Help them understand what we're doing and why we're doing it." 

Chapters: 

00:00 Introduction to Culture Crush 

00:23 David Manser's Journey with IKEA 

07:01 Leadership at Scale 

10:58 Culture Crush: Samaritans 

20:03 Leading with Equity and Authenticity 

40:06 Practical Takeaways for Leaders 

42:20 Conclusion and Wrap-Up