Most reputations don’t fail. They drift.
This is what I’ve observed working closely with CEOs over time.
Jens Heitland
CEO, Heitland Media Group
What people believe about you often matters more than what you say.
In 2019, I was Global Head of Innovation at IKEA Centres.
On paper, it was exactly where I was supposed to be. Senior role. Global scope. Constant movement between boardrooms, cities, and decisions that mattered at scale.
One evening, returning from Copenhagen to Malmö after a late flight, I found myself standing on a crowded train, tired and distracted. I put on a podcast by Seth Godin, more out of habit than intent.
He spoke about how organizations and leaders often accumulate insight without ever integrating it. How information is gathered, strategies are written, but meaning is left unexamined.
It stayed with me.
Not because it was new, but because it articulated something I had been observing quietly for years. In leadership, clarity rarely disappears all at once. It erodes gradually, until responsibility remains but conviction does not.
That realization did not lead to an impulsive decision. It led to months of reflection, difficult conversations, and a reassessment of where I could contribute most meaningfully.
Stepping away from IKEA Centres was not about leaving something behind. It was about moving closer to the work I believe matters at the highest level: helping leaders be understood with precision, consistency, and trust.
Podcasts
Long form conversations with leaders on decision making, responsibility, and how innovation actually unfolds at scale.
Short reflections on leadership, reputation, and how CEOs are interpreted when visibility increases.
