They Put Me in Charge...and Told Me I Didn't Have a Clue
LEARNING TO LEAD BY LISTENING TO BOSSES, CO-WORKERS, AND SUBORDINATES
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“I am offering you the position of district manager in Denver, but before you accept, I want you to think it over carefully, because you have no clue what the job really entails.”
With words along those lines, Joseph L. Nicolato, president and CEO of Volvo’s North American operations, had confirmed the offer for me to take over the Denver district. I was willing to move from the D.C. area, where I worked in various positions for about eight years. Over that period of time, I started to feel comfortable with the dealers and my co-workers. The chance to run a district of my own was appealing, and Colorado also had its own allure.
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About the Book
How does a schoolteacher from Sweden turn out to become a fairly successful automotive executive in the United States?
This book will share some insights on leadership gained while making a rather unlikely career change. The people you will meet on these pages are not household names. The situations you will read about were never front-page news. The best lessons in leadership are often learned from bosses, peers, and subordinates, while dealing with successes, failures and a variety of challenges.
About the Author
Leif Bilen grew up in Sweden, only a few miles from the original Volvo factory. After completing his studies at the University of Gothenburg, he taught Swedish and English in the public school system.
After moving to the U.S. in 1974 with his American-born wife, Bonnie, he soon went to work for the Volvo Car Corporation. Leif held a variety of positions at Volvo, and at the time of his retirement, he was a vice president in charge of the Central Region.
Since his retirement, Leif and Bonnie have traveled frequently to Russia and Ukraine as volunteers with the International School Project working with teachers in the former Soviet Union. Since 2006, Leif has been writing a monthly column for the local paper.