We continue to meet and get to know the friends at Anchor Management Consulting. Today it's Roland Sannicolo's turn.

What first sparked your interest in management consulting and what do you find most rewarding about your work at Anchor Management Consulting?

Ah, a good question. Probably because as a leader I want to make an impact. I also have a constant thirst to see and experience new activities and learn new things. I strongly believe that changing an organization is best done with the addition of new perspectives and capabilities. For me, this is what the term management consulting stands for. At Anchor, we are quite like-minded, although many of us have different backgrounds and experiences. That's why it's both fun and rewarding to work together!

Can you tell us about any projects that have had a major impact on your professional development and why they were so significant?

Do I really have to choose? There are so many, but okay... Apart from building and managing the development of Internet banking for a number of years in a major Swedish bank in the 90s, I would also like to mention some projects in the Life Science sector. Generally speaking, they have mostly been about exactly what we are now very good at, i.e. driving the necessary changes in businesses to achieve a greater breadth of capabilities and/or higher levels of efficiency and quality.

What is common in these and has meant more to my professional development is its span of change and complexity, which I enjoy quite simply. It should include processes, information, systems and people but also include the responsibilities from strategy to implementation. Underneath all this is a sea of tools and methods as well as regulatory and other requirements to apply and manage. As a result, such change projects give me confidence while challenging and developing me even more.

What strategies do you use to manage challenges in your projects and ensure success?

This is a big question to answer quickly and easily I think the key is to understand the challenge and what it means. In short, this is not done well without the right experiences. You need to share the vision with everyone involved and you can do that in different ways. Being able to visualize change is very central and this is where leadership comes in.

Then it's about creating the conditions for achieving the goals and working with these all the way in terms of follow-up, coaching and risks. In summary, yes, the right conditions are probably the most central and that means so much for success.

What do you do to stay up-to-date and develop professionally?

My assignments develop me enormously as they are very varied. In addition, I try to build on this with in-depth studies of topics that appear new to me in the assignments. This can be at the same time or afterwards.

Then there is always learning in the role of consultant and developing as a person. My starting point in the role of consultant is to always be sincere, honest and clear - to be myself.

The consultant role is not a role to play or act in really. It comes down to personality and skills in the end. I'd like to think that's what sets us consultants apart.

What do you do in your free time that gives you energy outside of work?

I do a lot of different things that compete for free time unfortunately... There is so much to learn and develop in. But primarily it's about outdoor life and practicing different sports with both training and competition. Both by myself and with friends. It gives me great relaxation and energy.

In recent years, however, I have taken up a new hobby. Or rather, one that has developed into a distinct hobby - fine carpentry!
I am probably quite curious and combined with the desire to solve problems and connect the technical with the practical and work with my hands, this is perfect! My children call me a "wooden troll" and who meets other wooden trolls on weekends. Haha!

I've learned a lot about different types of wood and how wood actually works... There is an incredibly large community out there - amazing! Plus, I'm actually a bit proud of what I can create with my own hands!