“Empower people to do the right thing, not just what’s expected”, said Jonas Ivarsson, President, Mercuri Urval Inc in the U.S.

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When Jonas Ivarsson took the helm of Swedish HR and management consulting company Mercuri Urval’s U.S. operations last year, he arrived in a country deep in recession. The former Swedish Army major’s mission: to grow the company under some of the harshest market conditions ever seen.

“It was a challenge”, he states calmly. “The day I arrived, on my way from the airport, I saw ‘For lease’-signs on half of the buildings that used to be businesses. It wasn’t that great to have to start my new position with letting people go.”

The recession had rapidly changed pricing structures and the overall business climate. Being a fairly unknown player on the U.S. market, with fierce competition from other recruiting and management consulting firms, Ivarsson and his team had to get creative. They immediately went to work on a new strategy.

“We did a careful review of our strengths, changed reporting and rewards systems, we basically turned over every rock. But the key part of our new strategy is to leverage the strength of Mercuri Urval’s worldwide network, in order to offer our clients here in the United States integrated personnel and performance solutions for their overseas operations, for example in Europe and Asia”, Ivarsson explains.

A year later, Mercuri Urval, headquartered in Arlington just outside Washington, D.C., is hiring again – and sales are up 20 percent. The company’s presence is growing, with offices in Dallas, Denver and Portland.

On a personal note, Ivarsson is happy with the transition from the small southern Swedish town of Löddeköpinge to McLean, Virginia.
“In fact, I have more time to spend with my family now, since I traveled so much in my previous positions. Our boys are 7 and 10, and it didn’t take long for them to adjust. The U.S. school system, where the kids get new classmates every year, promotes team building in a different way than in Sweden”, he says.

When it comes to leadership, Ivarsson emphasizes out-of-the-box thinking as essential for productivity and success.
“Things change on a daily basis, and that’s why it’s important to empower your employees. They must dare to do the right thing, not just what’s expected.”

What does Mercuri Urval do?
“We help companies implement strategies and accelerate performance. For this we use proprietary methods to carefully analyze the client’s present situation, along with future needs and targets. We identify gaps in strategy and resources, track and monitor performance, and present and implement solutions. Most importantly we predict - through our comprehensive assessments - the success of the individual who is expected to execute the strategy.”

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