2009-04-24
Being a Chalmers student in the industry is quite special. Companies’ expectations are often great and many Chalmers students are appointed to lead their companies. But, being the managing director today is not a simple task. Surveys show that fewer and fewer in the coming generation of employees aim at leading a company.
Being the boss, what does it really mean? In a series of seminars, Magnus Björkholm and Tobias Larsson, consultants at Cordovan Performance in Göteborg, have helped Chalmers students, present as well as former, finding answers to that question. And now, it’s time for a new series.
”The art of being boss” was the name of the seminar series in three parts that was carried out in the autumn of 2008. And now, during the spring of 2009, a repeat is taking place. The seminars are performed in cooperation with Chalmers Career Service which prepares students for working life and the more personal and “soft” parts of being employed.
A starting point for the seminar series is that the position as head should be regarded more as a form of art than a form of science. It is, for example, much about understanding – of the market, the product, the personnel etc. The three part seminar had different themes:
- Manager/leader – a way to develop.
- Your brand – a way to be and be seen.
- Coaching – a way to lead.
Annika Orvarsson, head of Chalmers Career Service, says:
– Our goal is to bring new insights to the students, both about themselves and working life, so that they can make deliberate choices during their time of study as well as when they are entering working life. It’s important to try to give more balanced images of various fields. Working life is much about cooperation between people and, therefore, isn’t black or white. There is no equation that will give the answers to how people think and act. We work to give a complement to the technological part of the education by extending the students’ competence that will add to their personal development. We offer various activities that support this. One of these activities is seminars.
Some of the participating students say:
– Working life isn’t just about technology. Furthermore, we technicians are often picked for managerial posts with responsibility for the personnel. That’s why I think it’s important to have a clear image about this before you start working, or if you aim at higher positions in your career.
– I was really pleased with the three seminars. The themes are highly current, and the lecturers found the right level. They were right for me, who have already worked for several years, and for present students at Chalmers. The lecturers were competent, fun and “warm”. The study material corresponded well with the seminars content and is well worth keeping.
– It gave me a number of new thoughts and insights – above all, various ways to see what roles you might have in different situations, and how roles can converge.
– It provided food for thoughts and has given me the insight of how I’m being seen by others, as well as the tools to change it. Now, I know more about what coaching is – and, perhaps most of all, what it isn’t.
For more information, contact Magnus Björkholm or Tobias Larsson, tel. +46 31 761 92 00, or via 
or 