Jesper Brodin

Situational Background

Jesper Brodin led Ingka Group (IKEA’s largest retailer) from 2017 and is handing over to a successor in late 2025. His style blends warmth, humility, and purposeful thrift—keeping focus on affordability, sustainability, and simple solutions to everyday needs. Distinctive for servant leadership and community spirit, he makes change feel practical and shared. (Ingka Group)

Practical Leadership Principles

1) Purpose made practical.

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Tie big ideals to small, useful actions.

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Behaviours to model:

• Start meetings with “why this matters to people.”
• Deliver one tangible improvement each week.
• Tell the story of the impact.

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2) Humble, human tone.

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Approachable leaders hear more truth.

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Behaviours to model:

• Spend time on the frontline monthly.
• Ask, “What did we make easier?”
• Share misses and fixes openly.

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3) Thrift with imagination.

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Constraints spark creativity.

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Behaviours to model:

• Set lean budgets with bold outcomes.
• Reuse and simplify before adding.
• Celebrate elegant, low-cost solutions.

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Call to action

Pick one everyday problem to solve cheaply this week, involve the frontline in the fix, and share the before/after with your team.

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