![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-19-at-13.49.18.jpeg?resize=672%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt was not a conference. There were no rigid agendas, no keynote speakers, no slide decks. Instead, we built fires, shared meals, hiked the coastline, and reflected on a poem that has lived in the soul of Norway for over 160 years: Henrik Ibsen\u2019s Terje Vigen<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also immersed ourselves in daily Norwegian life. We tasted traditional foods, caught fish in fjords and rivers, and turned those catches into steaming bowls of fish soup and lapskaus<\/em>. We laughed around tables filled with local bread and berries, and learned that food, too, can be a kind of cultural teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The retreat wasn\u2019t just about learning. It was about remembering \u2014 remembering what it means to be human in a world that often demands we be something less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve had the gift of working in Norway before \u2014 from 2001 to 2011 at Ericsson in Grimstad. That decade shaped me in ways I am still uncovering. Norwegians taught me about balance: between work and life, discipline and freedom, individual effort and community trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I founded Agile Six in the United States, those lessons lingered. But they also highlighted how far American workplaces often are from that kind of balance. In the U.S., we chase productivity until we burn out. We valorize rugged individualism even when it corrodes community. We punish vulnerability instead of cultivating it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This retreat was my attempt to bridge the gap \u2014 to bring Americans into dialogue with Norway\u2019s quieter, steadier leadership culture. And to ask: what can we learn, together, from the landscapes and stories that shaped this place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the heart of our retreat was a narrated hike through the story of Terje Vigen<\/strong>, Henrik Ibsen\u2019s 1862 poem about a fisherman who rowed across the Skagerrak to Denmark during the Napoleonic Wars to save his starving family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We began on a coastal overlook, staring out at the restless sea. It was here that we heard the first lines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDer bode en Mand ved Havets Bred, \u201cThere lived a man by the open shore, Terje was not a hero in the traditional sense. He was an ordinary man. What set him apart was his willingness to risk everything for love. He rowed a hundred miles across treacherous seas, not for wealth or glory, but for a single barrel of grain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The parallels to leadership were striking. True leadership is rarely about conquest. More often, it is about service. About rowing into the storm when others cannot. About choosing sacrifice for the sake of others\u2019 survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the hike unfolded, we followed Terje\u2019s journey: his capture by the British, his five years of imprisonment, his return to an empty home where wife and child had perished. We sat with that grief \u2014 the grief of losing everything not by choice, but by history\u2019s cruelty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet the most powerful moment came years later, when Terje, now a humble pilot, encountered the English captain who had captured him. With vengeance within reach, he raised a knife \u2014 and then lowered it. Looking at the captain\u2019s wife and child, he chose mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This choice reverberated through our group. Mercy is not weakness. Mercy is the deepest form of strength. In a time when politics \u2014 in both the U.S. and Europe \u2014 seems fueled by vengeance, Terje\u2019s refusal to become what hurt him felt revolutionary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We asked ourselves: What would it mean to lead with mercy in the workplace? To forgive mistakes, to welcome back those who faltered, to choose compassion over control?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our retreat took its name from the gapahuk<\/strong>, a simple lean-to shelter used in Norwegian outdoor life. We gathered in such places \u2014 wooden structures open to the wind, where you can light a fire and share food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gapahuk became more than a shelter; it became a metaphor. Just as Terje found resilience in humble surroundings, we discovered that leadership doesn\u2019t require skyscrapers or conference halls. Sometimes, the most profound conversations happen under open skies, with the crackle of a fire and the silence of the forest as your backdrop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was here that we also shared troll stories \u2014 whimsical tales that carry deep cultural meaning in Norway. Around the fire, stories of mischief, courage, and warning echoed into the night, reminding us that leadership, too, is about imagination and myth-making. Later, we followed another beloved Scandinavian ritual: the sauna. Hot air, cold sea, laughter \u2014 a physical reminder that discomfort and renewal often go hand in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the gapahuk, we carried lessons into our discussions about the \u201coffice\u201d \u2014 not a literal place, but a symbol of our organizations and systems. How can we bring the simplicity, humility, and presence of the gapahuk into our workplaces? How can we make the office less about hierarchy and more about humanity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the retreat\u2019s central themes was servant leadership<\/strong>. In the U.S., we often equate leadership with visibility \u2014 the loudest voice, the boldest vision. But servant leadership, like Terje\u2019s mercy, works quietly. It listens more than it speaks. It serves rather than commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Norwegian culture, with its egalitarian ethos, has long embraced this. Americans, in contrast, often struggle with the idea that leadership can be humble. That\u2019s why I believe so strongly that U.S. workplaces can learn from Norway\u2019s quieter model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also visited a local firm and met with the CEO of Telenor Maritime<\/strong>, who shared candid insights about leading in a global, technology-driven enterprise while rooted in Norwegian culture. That conversation grounded our reflections in real-world practice \u2014 a reminder that servant leadership is not just an ideal, but an operational advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I wrote in my first book, Better Places: Building Stronger Communities with Authenticity and Compassion<\/em> (Amazon link<\/a>), leadership is not about power but about creating conditions for people to flourish. This retreat embodied that vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And as I prepare my next book, The 25-Hour Week<\/em> (see preview here<\/a>), I am even more convinced that we must radically reimagine not just how long we work, but how we lead while we work. The future of work will not be decided by technology alone, but by the kind of leadership we choose to embody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the course of three days, between hikes, firesides, fishing trips, and meals, a few lessons emerged again and again:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This retreat was only the beginning. I believe we need more spaces like this \u2014 where leaders, families, and communities can step out of the office and into reflection. Where we can learn from nature, from story, and from each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Future retreats will continue this rhythm: hikes through history and poetry, meals drawn from land and sea, fireside storytelling, visits with Norwegian leaders, and yes \u2014 fishing in fjords, sharing fish soup and lapskaus<\/em>, and sweating together in the sauna. These are not extras; they are the soul of the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are interested in joining or co-creating future retreats, I would love to hear from you. These gatherings are not about titles or roles, but about a shared hunger for more humane workplaces and stronger communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can reach me directly, and together we can continue building better places<\/em> \u2014 not just as an aspiration, but as a lived practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we ended our hike on Trom\u00f8y, we read the final lines of Terje Vigen<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDe lagde ham ned i en sandet Grav, \u201cThey laid him down in a sandy grave, No monument was built for Terje. No statue, no marble inscription. Yet his story endures, because it speaks to the quiet heroism of ordinary lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a world obsessed with noise and speed, perhaps what we need most is to remember Terje\u2019s lesson: that true leadership is not conquest, but compassion. Not visibility, but service. Not vengeance, but mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that the greatest workplaces of the future will be those that remember we are human first, workers second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Norwegian Translation <\/p>\n\n\n\n Forrige uke hadde jeg gleden av \u00e5 samle en krets av ledere, venner og familie p\u00e5 \u00f8ya Trom\u00f8y i Arendal. Vi kalte v\u00e5rt tredagers retreat \u00abFra Gapahuk til Kontor\u00bb<\/em> \u2014 et enkelt uttrykk som fanget v\u00e5r hensikt: \u00e5 bevege oss fra naturens ly og inn i arbeidslivets strukturer, med den visdommen vi fant underveis som bagasje.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dette var ingen konferanse. Det var ingen faste agendaer, ingen hovedtalere, ingen lysbilder. I stedet tente vi b\u00e5l, delte m\u00e5ltider, gikk langs kyststier og reflekterte over et dikt som har levd i den norske folkesjelen i over 160 \u00e5r: Henrik Ibsens Terje Vigen<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vi fordypet oss ogs\u00e5 i hverdagslivet i Norge. Vi smakte tradisjonelle retter, fisket i fjorder og elver, og laget dampende fiskesuppe og lapskaus sammen. Vi lo rundt bord med ferskt br\u00f8d og b\u00e6r, og l\u00e6rte at maten i seg selv kan v\u00e6re en kulturformidler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Retreatet handlet ikke bare om l\u00e6ring. Det handlet om \u00e5 huske \u2014 \u00e5 huske hva det betyr \u00e5 v\u00e6re menneske i en verden som s\u00e5 ofte krever at vi er noe mindre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeg har hatt gleden av \u00e5 arbeide i Norge tidligere \u2014 fra 2001 til 2011 hos Ericsson i Grimstad. Det ti\u00e5ret formet meg p\u00e5 m\u00e5ter jeg fremdeles oppdager. Nordmenn l\u00e6rte meg om balanse: mellom arbeid og liv, disiplin og frihet, individuell innsats og kollektiv tillit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Da jeg senere grunnla Agile Six i USA, var disse l\u00e6rdommene med meg. Men de synliggjorde ogs\u00e5 hvor langt amerikanske arbeidsplasser ofte er fra den balansen. I USA jager vi produktivitet helt til vi brenner ut. Vi opph\u00f8yer den r\u00e5 individualismen selv n\u00e5r den undergraver fellesskapet. Vi straffer s\u00e5rbarhet i stedet for \u00e5 dyrke den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dette retreatet var mitt fors\u00f8k p\u00e5 \u00e5 bygge en bro \u2014 \u00e5 bringe amerikanere i samtale med Norges mer stillferdige, men jevnt sterke ledelseskultur. Og \u00e5 sp\u00f8rre: Hva kan vi l\u00e6re, sammen, av landskapet og historiene som har formet dette stedet?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I hjertet av retreatet sto en vandring gjennom historien om Terje Vigen<\/strong>, Henrik Ibsens dikt fra 1862 om en fisker som rodde over Skagerrak til Danmark under Napoleonskrigene for \u00e5 redde sin sultende familie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vi startet p\u00e5 et kystutsiktspunkt, med havet brusende foran oss. Det var her vi h\u00f8rte de f\u00f8rste linjene:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00abDer bode en Mand ved Havets Bred, Terje var ingen helt i tradisjonell forstand. Han var en vanlig mann. Det som skilte ham ut, var hans vilje til \u00e5 risikere alt av kj\u00e6rlighet. Han rodde hundre mil over farlige hav, ikke for rikdom eller \u00e6re, men for en eneste t\u00f8nne korn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parallellen til ledelse var tydelig. Sann ledelse handler sjelden om erobring. Oftere handler det om tjeneste. Om \u00e5 ro ut i stormen n\u00e5r andre ikke kan. Om \u00e5 velge oppofrelse for andres overlevelse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Etter hvert som vandringen fortsatte, fulgte vi Terjes reise: hans fangenskap hos britene, de fem \u00e5rene i fengsel, og hans hjemkomst til et tomt hus der kone og barn hadde g\u00e5tt bort. Vi bar p\u00e5 den sorgen sammen \u2014 sorgen over \u00e5 miste alt, ikke av eget valg, men av historiens brutalitet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Likevel kom det mest kraftfulle \u00f8yeblikket mange \u00e5r senere, da Terje, n\u00e5 en ydmyk los, m\u00f8tte den engelske kapteinen som hadde tatt ham til fange. Med hevnen innen rekkevidde l\u00f8ftet han kniven \u2014 og senket den igjen. Da han s\u00e5 kapteinens kone og barn, valgte han n\u00e5de.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dette valget traff oss alle. N\u00e5de er ikke svakhet. N\u00e5de er den dypeste form for styrke. I en tid da politikken \u2014 b\u00e5de i USA og Europa \u2014 synes \u00e5 n\u00e6res av hevn, f\u00f8ltes Terjes avvisning av \u00e5 bli det som hadde skadet ham som en revolusjon\u00e6r handling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vi spurte oss selv: Hva ville det bety \u00e5 lede med n\u00e5de p\u00e5 arbeidsplassen? \u00c5 tilgi feil, \u00e5 \u00f8nske tilbake de som har falt, \u00e5 velge medf\u00f8lelse fremfor kontroll?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Retreatet tok sitt navn fra gapahuken<\/strong>, en enkel levegg brukt i norsk friluftsliv. Vi samlet oss i slike \u00e5pne husly \u2014 trestrukturer \u00e5pne mot vinden, der vi tente b\u00e5l og delte mat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gapahuken ble mer enn et skjulested; den ble en metafor. Akkurat som Terje fant styrke i enkle omgivelser, oppdaget vi at ledelse ikke krever skyskrapere eller konferansehaller. Noen ganger skjer de dypeste samtalene under \u00e5pen himmel, til lyden av sprakende ved og skogens stillhet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her delte vi ogs\u00e5 trollhistorier \u2014 lunefulle fortellinger som b\u00e6rer dyp kulturell mening i Norge. Rundt b\u00e5let l\u00f8d historier om rampestreker, mot og advarsler, som minnet oss om at ledelse ogs\u00e5 handler om fantasi og fortelling. Senere fulgte vi en annen skandinavisk tradisjon: badstuen. Het luft, kaldt vann, latter \u2014 en fysisk p\u00e5minnelse om at ubehag og fornyelse ofte henger sammen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fra gapahuken bar vi l\u00e6rdommen med oss inn i samtalene om \u00abkontoret\u00bb \u2014 ikke som et bokstavelig sted, men som symbol p\u00e5 v\u00e5re organisasjoner og systemer. Hvordan kan vi bringe enkelheten, ydmykheten og n\u00e6rv\u00e6ret fra gapahuken inn p\u00e5 arbeidsplassen? Hvordan kan vi gj\u00f8re kontoret mindre hierarkisk og mer menneskelig?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Et av retreatets hovedtemaer var tjenende ledelse<\/strong>. I USA forbinder vi ofte ledelse med synlighet \u2014 den h\u00f8yeste stemmen, den dristigste visjonen. Men tjenende ledelse, som Terjes n\u00e5de, virker stille. Den lytter mer enn den taler. Den tjener fremfor \u00e5 befale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Den norske kulturen, med sitt egalit\u00e6re ethos, har lenge omfavnet dette. Amerikanere, derimot, strever ofte med \u00e5 se at ledelse kan v\u00e6re ydmyk. Derfor tror jeg s\u00e5 sterkt at amerikanske arbeidsplasser kan l\u00e6re av Norges stillere modell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vi bes\u00f8kte ogs\u00e5 en lokal bedrift og m\u00f8tte CEO i Telenor Maritime<\/strong>, som delte \u00e6rlige innsikter om \u00e5 lede i et globalt, teknologidrevet selskap med r\u00f8tter i norsk kultur. Den samtalen jordet refleksjonene v\u00e5re i virkeligheten \u2014 en p\u00e5minnelse om at tjenende ledelse ikke bare er et ideal, men en operasjonell fordel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Som jeg skrev i min f\u00f8rste bok, Better Places: Building Stronger Communities with Authenticity and Compassion<\/em> (Amazon-link<\/a>), handler ledelse ikke om makt, men om \u00e5 skape betingelser for at mennesker kan blomstre. Dette retreatet levde ut den visjonen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-19-at-13.49.22.jpeg?resize=672%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhy Norway, Why Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-20-at-11.30.44.jpeg?resize=672%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTerje Vigen: A Story for Our Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-21-at-16.16.54.jpeg?resize=672%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
han var b\u00e5de st\u00e6rk og modig.
\u2026 En Liden Stue med Jord omkring,
det var nok for Terje med Hustru og Barn.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
both strong of arm and daring.
\u2026 A little cottage with patch of land,
that sufficed for Terje, his wife, and child.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-19-at-13.49.18-1.jpeg?resize=672%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nLoss, Mercy, and the Soul of Leadership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe Gapahuk as Teacher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-20-at-23.29.31.jpeg?resize=672%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nServant Leadership in a Culture of Noise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-21-at-16.15.47-1.jpeg?resize=672%2C896&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-19-at-19.57.46.jpeg?resize=672%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nLessons We Carried Home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\nAn Invitation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-19-at-13.36.48.jpeg?resize=672%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-21-at-20.53.57.jpeg?resize=672%2C896&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nClosing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
ved Lofterens solblanke Strand\u2026
men alle de gamle M\u00e6nd
de vidste, hvor Terje Vigen sov.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
by the sunlit shores of the sound\u2026
but all the old men knew
where Terje Vigen slept.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-21-at-22.40.41.jpeg?resize=672%2C896&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/whatsapp-image-2025-08-21-at-22.40.43.jpeg?resize=672%2C896&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/norwegian-flag.png?resize=672%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFra Gapahuk til Kontor: Et norsk retreat om ledelse, n\u00e5de og de arbeidsplassene vi trenger<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHvorfor Norge, og hvorfor n\u00e5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTerje Vigen: En fortelling for v\u00e5r tid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
han var b\u00e5de st\u00e6rk og modig.
\u2026 En Liden Stue med Jord omkring,
det var nok for Terje med Hustru og Barn.\u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTap, n\u00e5de og ledelsens sjel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nGapahuken som l\u00e6rer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTjenende ledelse i en kultur av st\u00f8y<\/h2>\n\n\n\n