Moving the needle - finding your direction
Compass Consulting assist clients to create value beyond profit, where risks management is embedded in business processes and leveraged to achieve strategic objectives.
During the October -21 newsletter we had the great pleasure of getting to know our corporate member Anders Ling, Managing Director of Compass Consulting. Enjoy reading about Anders’ interesting career from the Swedish Army to then deciding to start his own company after 35 years as an employee for one of the Big 4 management consultancies.
Hej SBC Member!
Anders Ling, Managing Director - Compass Consulting
Who is Anders Ling?
First and foremost, I am a husband and father of three lovely children. I consider myself being a Global Citizen. Let me explain, our family is like the United Nations, my wife is Japanese, our three children are all born and raised in Canada, I am Swedish, and we currently live in Dubai. On top of that I have been fortunate to travel the world for work (I have been to 109 different countries – but who is counting?) and made friends from Japan in the East to the US in the West, from South Africa or Chile in the South to Norway, Iceland and Canada in the North.
I have had three very different and very successful careers, or at least two, the third one is in making.
The first one was being an officer in the Swedish Army, where I had the privilege to educate, train and serve with some of the best people I have ever met. Both in Arvidsjaur, far up in the north of Sweden, to Lebanon and Bosnia-Hercegovina, which many still remain as my closest friends. It is the people to love for who I am, even if they have seen my darkest sides, some that not even my wife has ever seen.
The second career was with on the of “Big 4”, where I went from being a Manager in Sweden, to Senior Manager in Amsterdam, to Director in Toronto and finally as a Partner for the local firm here in the UAE.
My third career, as an entrepreneur and running by own practice is still work in progress. It is yet to be seen if I will be equally successful in this role as I have been in the other. But as I always say, “Nothing is impossible, it just requires a little bit more effort”.
Besides from that, some people say I am a bit crazy, they are usually referring to my daily routines. I am a long-standing member of the 5am club, which means that I get up between 4.30 and 5 am to exercise for an hour while listening to my favorite podcasts, before the day starts. That hour between 5 and 6 is my “me time” as the rest of the day is dedicated to family and clients. That “me time” is when I put myself first, it is all about me. Not only does it keep me fit, but from a mental well-being perspective I find it really important.
Ander Ling during his first job at the Swedish Armed Forces.
For over 11 years you served in the Swedish Armed forces as a Platoon Commander. What did you learn in the armed forces that you have applied to your business career?
Without doubt, leading people. I believe the best leadership “training” anyone can get is from the military or similar jobs whether police, fire brigades etc., where you not only get to train to act in a position before you are promoted, but more importantly where you may have to pay the ultimate price in case of failure. It is a really humbling experience when your team trust you with their lives and vice versa. It creates bonds that most people never get to experience.
I had the privilege to teach Leadership at the Royal War Academy (Krigsskolan Karlberg) to young cadets (2nd Lieutenants). It gave me a great opportunity with a couple of leadership theories including my own experiences. Most people know about Simon Sinek and his teachings about “why” the purpose. Back in 1992 this was one of the fundamental principles in Swedish Military Leadership. What I am trying to say is – for those that believe that being an officer in the military is just to give orders and the soldiers are required to follow. is a misconception. It is all about leading, motivating and inspiring people to go beyond what they may think is physically and mentally possible, and to do so in the most challenging situations.
Anders’ family, from left: Ken, Asako, Emma and Miki
In 1998 you moved into a different line of business and worked for KPMG. What are some of the learnings from working for one of the “Big 4”, management consultancies?
I tried to keep an open mind, that things were done differently. Decisions were made differently, sometimes by a “boss” who could not always explain or justify a certain decision. The “office politics” was something new to me. That people actually had their own agenda, thinking of themselves first and not the team or the wider organization.
I tried to be flexible, or as we say to today “agile”, and I think that was an important factor in my success. To apply my knowledge and skills where it was appropriate and at the same time remain open-minded. Goals and objectives can be achieved in many different ways.
Similarly, to many other people I had a plan, but then life happens. What I have learned is that it is great to have a plan, but do not get disappointed when you cannot follow the plan. “Life” has a tendency of throwing us “curveballs”. Something that we didn’t prepare for, and that is fine. It is fine to modify or change your plan over time – it is not a failure. Similarly, our goals change over time, it is normal and should not be seen as a failure that you abandon one goal for another. I have also learned, to see change as an opportunity (and this is where I must thank my wife who made me believe in that everything happens for a reason – you may not realize at the moment when it happens, but later in life).
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to follow a similar career path to you?
I am not sure I would encourage anyone to follow my footsteps, but what I tell anyone who is thinking about making a big change, such as switching career, or take the leap of faith, starting their own business is: the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side, it is probably just a different shade of green.
What I am trying to say is that making changes for the sake of making changes does not make any sense. Eventually you will run into the same issues that made you want to switch the career in the first place. You have to do it for the right reasons. I did not make any of those changes to be rich or famous. It has always been about reaching my full potential, fulfilling dreams, be a better version of myself, to challenge myself, and to utilize my capabilities, my experiences, and the skills I have acquired over the years to ultimately help other people and organizations making their lives and outlooks brighter and better. It may sound a bit “corny” or “old fashioned” to some, but that’s the way I am – corny and old fashioned.
Anders during his morning routine when he enjoys his ‘me time’.
Today you run your own consultancy firm in the UAE. What do you consider being some of the main challenges to grow?
It is harder than I thought it would be, and I am not solely blaming it on the pandemic.
In comparison when I was working for KPMG where I had staff and several different support functions that contributed to the success. Today I have to do it all by myself; IT support, Sales, Marketing, Research, Finance, Administration, you name it, and it takes time away from what I want to focus on which is service delivery, assisting clients. I haven’t yet reached the critical mass to hire someone to help with those things. So, for the time being I just have to be resilient and patient.
Secondly, even though the UAE is on the forefront in many aspects, in certain areas I still think it is a bit of an emerging market. The reason for saying that and remember that I work in the fields of Risk Management, Ethics and Compliance, is that the regulatory environment is still maturing. The level of oversight from regulators is not as strict as in Europe, North America or Singapore and Japan, which means that these areas may not be given the level of attention it requires, maybe with the exception of the Financial Services industry and certain Free Zones.
But I am optimistic, we just have to work a little bit harder – nothing is impossible!!!
Thank you Anders for sharing your exciting career and
giving many great advice to take with us.
Mr Ander Ling
Managing Director
Compass Consulting
LinkedIn
Email: andersling@compassconsulting.ae