We create positive change by connecting separate worlds. Can’t think of a better reason to be in business.
Combining perspectives from different places – identifing strategies, positions and ideas that may surprise you
Analyses and Insights. What we read and write, share and think about
When Silence Becomes Strategy – Why Listening Is Leadership in a Volatile World
In an age of geopolitical unpredictability, the strongest response isn't shouting louder. It's listening sharper. Global companies now navigate a landscape where praise in one capital turns into backlash in another. But when the rules shift faster than you can react, survival depends not on noise – but on nuance. The real power lies in presence, precision, and the discipline to wait, read, and respond. Strategic listening isn’t inaction. It’s a deliberate posture: protecting what matters, hearing what others miss, and choosing your moment – because in a world full of noise, the quietest players often make the biggest moves.
When the World Gets Loud, the Companies That Listen Win
In Børsen, our CEO Kresten Schultz Jørgensen argues that in a world of political turbulence and shifting market rules, the strongest companies are not the loudest – but the ones that listen strategically. From Novo Nordisk to Ørsted and Arla, he highlights how global firms navigate crises by keeping a strategic listening position: maintaining trust, protecting core assets, and acting with patience. “Silence can be mistaken for weakness, and noise for strength. The art is to be quiet – but never irrelevant,” he writes.
A Balance War Is Brewing as Remote Work Retreats
In Børsen, our CEO Kresten Schultz Jørgensen warns that the debate about remote work has turned into a “balance war.” While companies like Novo Nordisk and Danske Bank push for full office presence, others – like Jyske Bank – embrace trust and flexibility. Kresten argues that the real task for leadership is not to count logins or mandate desks, but to build workplaces where trust and responsibility go hand in hand: “When culture becomes coercion, when efficiency is reduced to clichés, and when control is mistaken for leadership – that’s when the balance war begins.”
Forget the Experiments: AI Demands Leadership, Not More Side Projects
AI isn’t lacking in hype – or pilot projects. What’s missing is leadership. Until executives take charge, AI will remain a tool for marginal gains rather than meaningful transformation. In boardrooms across industries, the same mistake repeats: a scattershot of pilots with no real strategy, no clear bets, and no plan for reinvestment. The result? Cosmetic wins, shallow savings – and growing fatigue. But the promise of AI isn’t efficiency. It’s reinvention. Leaders who treat it as a core driver – not a departmental toy – have the chance to unlock something bigger: not smaller teams, but smarter organisations. Not automation for its own sake, but time and energy for what truly matters.
When Silence Becomes Strategy – Why Listening Is Leadership in a Volatile World
In an age of geopolitical unpredictability, the strongest response isn't shouting louder. It's listening sharper. Global companies now navigate a landscape where praise in one capital turns into backlash in another. But when the rules shift faster than you can react, survival depends not on noise – but on nuance. The real power lies in presence, precision, and the discipline to wait, read, and respond. Strategic listening isn’t inaction. It’s a deliberate posture: protecting what matters, hearing what others miss, and choosing your moment – because in a world full of noise, the quietest players often make the biggest moves.
After Innocence: What Novo’s Crisis Tells Us About Denmark’s Next Chapter
Novo Nordisk’s crisis isn’t just corporate. It signals a turning point for Denmark – a moment of lost innocence that demands a new strategic mindset in a changed world. For decades, we’ve taken pride in values-driven growth and quiet global respect. But when one crisis can halve a company’s market value and turn a national icon into a political target, reality strikes. We are no longer the exception to the global system – we’re exposed to its full force. Novo isn’t just a corporate mirror; it’s a national one. And perhaps the question isn’t how to protect the old story, but how to write a new one – with open eyes, strategic maturity, and the courage to lead in a world that’s no longer playing by our rules.
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We see who you are, your potential and probably also your limitations. We challenge you by connecting wisdom from politics, business and culture.
And then we find what you truly need.
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Welcome to Tom & Kresten
An intellectual cushion room for those who care about communication – or are simply curious about the world.
Every month, two seasoned advisors meet at the mic to unpack what lies beneath the messages of the moment: big ideas, subtle trends, and timeless thinking.
We meet once a month. And we promise: it’s never boring. Just necessary. Tune in – and think along.
The Year That Was. And What Comes Next.
The Year That Was. And What Comes Next.
In Praise of Good Language
In Praise of Good Language
AI and the Age of Strategic Nonsense
AI and the Age of Strategic Nonsense
Featured podcasts
Media, Power and Provocation on Q&CO
In conversation with Henrik Qvortrup, Kresten Schultz Jørgensen tackles media responsibility, image ethics, and the price of silence.
Media, Power and Provocation on Q&CO
Leadership Nuances Unpacked
Grateful to Børsen for a thoughtful panel on leadership, from loyalty to personal branding, with insights from top experts Claus Richter and Pernille Steen Pedersen and Kresten from SJ&K.
Leadership Nuances Unpacked
Was it cynical spin when the owning family behind Nordic Waste finally broke their silence?
Was it cynical spin when the owning family behind Nordic Waste finally broke their silence? Kresten comments in this podcast.
Was it cynical spin when the owning family behind Nordic Waste finally broke their silence?
Frankly, we are very few people – and we take pride in keeping it that way. We call it the inverted pyramid.
We know politics, business and culture. We write books and read a lot. You probably know us already.
