{"id":376,"date":"2025-03-18T18:58:48","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T01:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/?p=376"},"modified":"2025-05-03T20:30:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T03:30:09","slug":"from-rat-race-to-retreat-explore-workplace-harmony-in-norway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/?p=376","title":{"rendered":"Retreat From The Rat Race: Explore Workplace Harmony in Norway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>From the Rat Race to the Heart of Hygge: I&#8217;m co-creating a Norwegian retreat to help American leaders experience a different way of working, leading, and living<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most U.S. CEOs are raised in a highly competitive, highly individualistic culture. The rat race.&nbsp; The quest to get ahead and win at all costs. And there have been costs. Operating with a cold,&nbsp; callous ethos has come at a steep price for leaders and employees alike\u2013a price that has been rising. A recent study found that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessolver.com\/news\/businessolver-2024-empathy-study-55-of-ceos-say-theyve-experienced-a-mental-health-issue-up-24-points\/\">55% of CEOs<\/a> have experienced a negative mental health issue within the past year \u2014 a 24-point jump over 2023. More than half of those same CEOs\u201352%&#8211; admit their company&#8217;s culture is toxic. Other research has shown that unhealthy workplace cultures lead to <a href=\"https:\/\/aflcio.org\/reports\/death-job-toll-neglect-2022\">120,000 U.S. deaths a year<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It doesn&#8217;t have to be this way. I&#8217;m the rare American executive who has experienced first-hand the positive power of more collective, caring, cosy cultures. Yes, I said, &#8220;cosy.&#8221; While living and working in Norway for a decade and marrying a Norwegian, I was exposed to the focus on solidarity, trust and warmth in virtually all aspects of Scandinavian life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Hygge&#8221; in Norwegian and Danish refers to a cosy, contented mood. In business dealings, it is often an explicit intention to create this comfortable state for all parties.&nbsp;I found professional wholeness and success by embracing the Norwegian way while living in Scandinavia. I co-founded a technology services firm on the same principles when I returned to the United States. My firm, Agile Six, has grown to over 100 employees over the past decade, served multiple federal agencies, and earned recognition for innovative practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Key to Agile Six&#8217;s progress is a deliberate effort to build a caring community, distribute authority to employees, and encourage people to grow and flourish.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/a.co\/d\/9ONXTCW\">a book<\/a> (and this blog) about my journey and the lessons I learned. My driving intention is to share this important idea that when we trust people- especially employees- treat them as people, and make them feel seen, heard, and valued, we improve our companies and products.&nbsp;And I believe, more importantly, that these lessons can and must be applied wider in our communities outside of work. As a nation, we will be stronger and happier when we choose to be more interdependent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, I want to help others benefit from an intercultural experience like mine. I&#8217;m hosting a three-day retreat in Norway for U.S. leaders. The event includes time in nature\u2013a central feature of Scandinavian life \u2013and exchanges with Norwegian business leaders along with conversations about combining the best of North American and Northern European worldviews. I hope the result will be nothing short of a new, elevated consciousness for these leaders and their companies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m hosting the retreat, not designing it, at least not alone. I\u2019m part of a core planning team of four people. And the eight participants are co-creating the experience with us. We will meet monthly until we meet in the south of Norway in late August. We will get to know and trust each other and understand some of the nuances of Norwegian culture.&nbsp; As a result of these co-creation meetings, I imagine the retreat will be a reunion. It will be a gathering of folks who&#8217;ve come to know and appreciate each other.&nbsp;Who share a common curiosity for a kinder, more trusting culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Co-creating the event is also part of the Norwegian way and the conscious leadership I hope to foster. A central feature of Norwegian workplaces is an egalitarian spirit\u2013no one is better than anyone else. So why shouldn&#8217;t everyone&#8217;s ideas be considered?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, I have some initial thoughts for the retreat! I devised this tentative theme: <em>&#8220;Friluftsliv: from the Gapahuk to the Office.&#8221;<\/em> Friluftsliv is a Norwegian word that roughly means life in the outdoors and refers to the way Norwegians are used to being in nature from a very young age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gapahuks are open-air shelters (&#8216;lean-to&#8217;) often found in Norwegian forests and preschools. They&#8217;ve been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.understood.org\/en\/articles\/what-are-positive-behavior-strategies\">linked to positive behaviours and academic performance<\/a>. Hygge offices (like Gapahuks) are work climates that are intentionally cosy and integrate nature in ways as simple as candles being present during meetings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m hoping our retreat will frame the role of leaders as a sacred one that involves creating spaces for teams akin to Gapahuks\u2013permeable structures that protect yet also provide a direct connection with nature and the rest of life. The experience will offer leaders a vision of happiness and self-actualization through a greater connection with nature and a greater focus on community and trust.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hope participants will examine and elevate their levels of faith in themselves, in others and in the universe&#8217;s unfolding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I also hope this will be the first of many of these retreats.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you are tired of the rat race, join us in the future. <a href=\"mailto:robert.rasmussen@agile6.com\">Let me know<\/a> if you want to learn how to work, lead, and live differently. I&#8217;d love to guide you to the heart of &#8216;hygge&#8217;. So reach out if you are interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"672\" height=\"504\" data-attachment-id=\"413\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/?attachment_id=413\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/norwegian-flag.png?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1024,768\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"norwegian-flag\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/norwegian-flag.png?fit=672%2C504&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/norwegian-flag.png?resize=672%2C504&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-413\" style=\"width:89px;height:auto\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fra Rotteracet til Hjertet av Hygge: Jeg er med p\u00e5 \u00e5 skape et norsk retreat for \u00e5 hjelpe amerikanske ledere med \u00e5 oppleve en annen m\u00e5te \u00e5 jobbe, lede og leve p\u00e5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">De fleste amerikanske toppledere er oppvokst i en sv\u00e6rt konkurransepreget og individualistisk kultur. Rotteracet. Jakten p\u00e5 \u00e5 komme f\u00f8rst og vinne for enhver pris. Og det har hatt en pris. \u00c5 operere med en kald og kynisk tankegang har hatt alvorlige konsekvenser for b\u00e5de ledere og ansatte \u2013 en pris som stadig \u00f8ker. En fersk studie viste at 55 % av amerikanske CEO-er har hatt psykiske helseplager det siste \u00e5ret \u2013 en \u00f8kning p\u00e5 24 prosentpoeng fra 2023. Over halvparten av de samme lederne \u2013 52 % \u2013 innr\u00f8mmer at bedriftskulturen deres er giftig. Annen forskning har vist at usunne arbeidsmilj\u00f8er f\u00f8rer til 120 000 d\u00f8dsfall i USA hvert \u00e5r.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Men det trenger ikke v\u00e6re slik. Jeg er den sjeldne amerikanske lederen som har erfart den positive kraften i mer kollektive, omsorgsfulle og koselige kulturer. Ja, jeg sa \u201ckoselige.\u201d Mens jeg bodde og jobbet i Norge i ti \u00e5r \u2013 og giftet meg med en nordmann \u2013 ble jeg eksponert for den sterke vektleggingen av solidaritet, tillit og varme i nesten alle aspekter av skandinavisk liv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHygge\u201d p\u00e5 norsk og dansk beskriver en koselig, tilfreds stemning. I arbeidslivet er det ofte et eksplisitt m\u00e5l \u00e5 skape en slik komfortabel atmosf\u00e6re for alle parter. Jeg fant profesjonell helhet og suksess ved \u00e5 omfavne den norske m\u00e5ten \u00e5 gj\u00f8re ting p\u00e5 mens jeg bodde i Skandinavia. Da jeg kom tilbake til USA, var jeg med p\u00e5 \u00e5 grunnlegge et teknologiselskap basert p\u00e5 de samme prinsippene. Firmaet mitt, Agile Six, har vokst til over 100 ansatte det siste ti\u00e5ret, har betjent flere f\u00f8derale etater og blitt anerkjent for innovative praksiser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">N\u00f8kkelen til Agile Six sin fremgang er en bevisst innsats for \u00e5 bygge et omsorgsfullt fellesskap, fordele myndighet til ansatte, og oppmuntre folk til \u00e5 vokse og blomstre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeg skrev en bok (og denne bloggen) om reisen min og de erfaringene jeg har gjort. Min drivkraft er \u00e5 dele denne viktige ideen: at n\u00e5r vi stoler p\u00e5 folk \u2013 spesielt ansatte \u2013 behandler dem som mennesker, og f\u00e5r dem til \u00e5 f\u00f8le seg sett, h\u00f8rt og verdsatt, s\u00e5 forbedrer vi selskapene v\u00e5re og produktene v\u00e5re. Og jeg tror, enda viktigere, at disse l\u00e6rdommene kan og m\u00e5 anvendes bredere i samfunnet v\u00e5rt utenfor arbeidsplassen. Som nasjon vil vi bli sterkere og lykkeligere hvis vi velger \u00e5 v\u00e6re mer gjensidig avhengige.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derfor \u00f8nsker jeg \u00e5 hjelpe andre med \u00e5 f\u00e5 en lignende interkulturell opplevelse som jeg hadde. Jeg arrangerer et tredagers retreat i Norge for amerikanske ledere. Arrangementet inkluderer tid i naturen \u2013 en grunnleggende del av skandinavisk liv \u2013 samt utvekslinger med norske bedriftsledere og samtaler om hvordan vi kan kombinere det beste fra nordamerikansk og nord-europeisk tankesett. Jeg h\u00e5per resultatet vil bli intet mindre enn en ny, hevet bevissthet for disse lederne og selskapene deres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeg er vertskap for retreatet, men jeg designer det ikke alene. Jeg er en del av et planleggingsteam p\u00e5 fire personer. Og de \u00e5tte deltakerne er med p\u00e5 \u00e5 skape opplevelsen sammen med oss. Vi skal m\u00f8tes m\u00e5nedlig frem til vi samles i S\u00f8r-Norge i slutten av august. Vi skal bli kjent med hverandre, bygge tillit og l\u00e6re om noen av de kulturelle nyansene i det norske samfunnet. Som et resultat av disse samskapingsm\u00f8tene, forestiller jeg meg at retreatet vil f\u00f8les som en gjenforening. En samling av mennesker som har blitt kjent med og verdsatt hverandre. Som deler en felles nysgjerrighet for en snillere og mer tillitsbasert kultur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00c5 samskape retreatet er ogs\u00e5 en del av den norske m\u00e5ten \u00e5 gj\u00f8re ting p\u00e5 \u2013 og en bevisst ledelsesstil jeg h\u00e5per \u00e5 fremme. En sentral egenskap ved norske arbeidsplasser er den egalit\u00e6re \u00e5nden \u2013 ingen er bedre enn noen andre. S\u00e5 hvorfor skulle ikke alles ideer vurderes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Likevel har jeg noen innledende tanker for retreatet! Jeg har laget et forel\u00f8pig tema: <em>\u201cFriluftsliv: fra Gapahuken til Kontoret.\u201d<\/em> Friluftsliv er et norsk begrep som grovt sett betyr \u201cliv i det fri\u201d og viser til den naturlige m\u00e5ten nordmenn er i kontakt med naturen fra tidlig alder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gapahuker er enkle ly (en slags \u201clean-to\u201d) som ofte finnes i norske skoger og barnehager. De har blitt koblet til positiv atferd og faglig utvikling. Hygge-kontorer (som gapahuker) er arbeidsmilj\u00f8er som er bevisst koselige og som integrerer naturen \u2013 noen ganger s\u00e5 enkelt som \u00e5 tenne stearinlys under m\u00f8ter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeg h\u00e5per retreatet v\u00e5rt vil l\u00f8fte frem lederrollen som noe hellig \u2013 et ansvar for \u00e5 skape rom for team som minner om gapahuker: gjennomtrengelige strukturer som beskytter, men ogs\u00e5 gir direkte kontakt med naturen og livet rundt. Opplevelsen skal gi ledere en visjon om lykke og selvrealisering gjennom dypere kontakt med naturen og sterkere fokus p\u00e5 fellesskap og tillit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeg h\u00e5per deltakerne vil unders\u00f8ke og l\u00f8fte sitt eget niv\u00e5 av tillit \u2013 til seg selv, til andre og til livets naturlige utvikling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeg h\u00e5per ogs\u00e5 at dette vil bli det f\u00f8rste av mange slike retreat. Hvis du er lei av rotteracet, bli med oss neste gang. Gi meg beskjed hvis du vil l\u00e6re hvordan man kan jobbe, lede og leve p\u00e5 en ny m\u00e5te. Jeg vil gjerne lede deg til hjertet av <em>hygge<\/em>. S\u00e5 ta kontakt om du er interessert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the Rat Race to the Heart of Hygge: I&#8217;m co-creating a Norwegian retreat to help American leaders experience a different way of working, leading, and living. <a href=\"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/?p=376\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Retreat From The Rat Race: Explore Workplace Harmony in Norway<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238892274,"featured_media":378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[16750853,4328,562286,11104,58037,769224191,200,9484],"class_list":["post-376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bettertogether","tag-europe","tag-hygge","tag-norway","tag-scandinavia","tag-tealorg","tag-travel","tag-winter"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pf3Jag-64","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/238892274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=376"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":480,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376\/revisions\/480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}