In today’s world where corporate promotions tend to follow a predictable script, Peter Jelkeby is a real exception. His management path deviated radically from the conventional path of graduate programs and executive mentorship. It all started when he was 19 and stepped into the bustling IKEA studio.
“I was the one handing out carts and picking things off the shelves or in the warehouse for customers,” he recalls. wealth.
At the time, Jerkeby was studying at the University of Gothenburg while working a meager part-time job at IKEA. Although he was quickly promoted, first operating a forklift and then selling living room aisles, advancement at the Swedish self-assembled furniture giant was not part of his original plan.
“I can say that I have no real career plan in mind,” he said with a laugh.
Instead, he compares his career that began with a phone call to “slipping on a banana peel”—completely accidental and very fast.
There are always some butterflies taking on new roles
In the 1980s, when Jerkby was studying marketing at university, news of IKEA’s expansion into the Soviet Union piqued his interest. He called corporate headquarters to ask if he could finish his final paper while moving and got an unexpected job offer.
“The first thing they said to me was, you can forget to do any final school assignments here. But we want to talk to you about employment,” Jerkby recalled, adding that it showed “the current “The importance of doing good things and not always looking to the future.
“I came out of the meeting thinking, ‘I’ll never take that job,'” he added. However, it didn’t take long for Jerkby to change his mind. By the end of the car journey home, he was fascinated by the possibilities of adventure.
With that, he left Sweden and spent the next two decades traveling the world, rising through the ranks at IKEA, holding nearly 20 roles, from buyer in Moscow to purchasing manager in Vietnam and finally as national manager in London. Deputy Manager.
Sometimes it seems like he’s just getting the hang of a new job and then taking on a completely different role in a new country “overnight,” but Jerkby says he’s not afraid of the unknown, but welcomes it.
“Take the opportunity – because you might say to me, one day you’re working in purchasing and the next day you’re a sales manager, what’s on your resume to prove that?” Aspiring employees don’t, he added. People who have stereotypes about themselves should keep an open mind and follow their instincts.
“Like everything, when you go into a new role, of course there are some expectations or worries, but there should always be some butterflies.”
Life outside IKEA
Jerkby said he grew from a teenager at IKEA to a family man with three children wealth It’s time to understand who he is outside the company.
So in 2008, he quit his only real employer (and a permanent expat) and returned home to join Swedish retailer Clas Ohlson as chief operating officer.
“I learned that I was fine outside of IKEA and that I could thrive,” he said. But he also quickly realized that there were some “basic principles” that were indispensable in his work.
He added: “I wanted a company that was values-based and I believed in its purpose, and I was lucky enough to be at a company that had those same good values.”
Although the company cultures of Clas Ohlson and IKEA are similar, working for a public company (IKEA is one of the largest private companies in the world) brought new challenges to Jerkby.
“It’s very interesting to be exposed,” Jerkeby said. “It’s a great experience to lead a company in the stock market and be under greater scrutiny –real! “
Boomerang Lessons
Despite finding that he could “thrive” outside of IKEA, being away from the space for a decade left Jerkby with a “subconscious” desire to return.
“I’m curious about what I can do after being away for a while and what I can bring back,” he said.
So in 2019, he returned to IKEA as chief executive of the UK and Ireland. “When I came back, it felt natural,” Jerkby said with a smile.
Returning to a former employer is currently going through a period known as “swinging back.”
Numerous studies show that more and more employees in companies are moving to their old workplace, reapplying for jobs they left, or using their new experience to return to more senior positions, such as in Jerkby.
Even among the C-suite, 19 CEOs returned to the helm for a second round last year, according to governance data from Russell 3000 companies. Insight.
“If you miss something, then the place you end up in is not the right place,” Jelkeby offers his take on the trend. But he has some stern words of wisdom for those who think returning to their old job will be a breeze.
In fact, the company you leave may not be the same company you rejoin, and as Jerkby points out, it may have been acquired when you left or completely changed the company’s values.
“It’s important to ask the same questions you would when joining a new employer,” he urges those considering returning to their former employer.
“Make sure you understand where the company is and whatever they did while you were away so you’re not completely naive about what’s going on.”
Svlook
