In January 2023, Simon Christensen went from employee to co-owner of Christiansøfarten. At the same time, he made the decision to invest in himself as a leader. A decision he has since recognized the value of many times.
There isn’t much at Christiansøfarten that doesn’t come through Simon Christensen’s desk during a day. Accounting, invoicing, shift schedules, maintenance, operations, and website updates. Most of it is handled internally by the company, which sails between Bornholm and Christiansø year-round.
– We do almost everything ourselves, except the accounting work. So you have many different hats on during a day, says Simon, while a group of tourists appears in the ticket booth. After a brief but pleasant conversation, they proceed with a brochure about the sailing schedules in hand.
We are sitting in the building at the port in Gudhjem, which houses both offices and ticket sales for the crossings. Here, Simon has invited us inside for a talk about leadership and networking.
Simon lives in Gudhjem with his family and has been connected to Christiansøfarten for most of his adult life. He started working in the company as early as 2001. Since then he has been away for periods, but has also returned several times. Most recently in 2021. In January 2023 he became a co-owner together with the company’s other two owners, who have been involved in running Christiansøfarten since 1998.
The company sails today with the ships M/S Ertholm & M/S Peter, He employs nine full-time employees and up to 17 staff members during the high season. Switching from employee to co-owner not only changed Simon’s role; it also changed the way he thinks.
I really believe in the idea of networking. As a business owner, it is incredibly important to have someone to talk to.
You don't become a leader overnight
Like many others, Simon quickly discovered that leadership is not necessarily something you feel completely ready for from the start. Therefore, he chose to invest time in himself as a leader. After accidentally seeing a webinar online, he signed up for a one-year owner leadership training course. It became an important turning point. It wasn’t just the teaching that made an impression; it was also the meeting with others who faced many of the same challenges.
– We came from very different industries. There was, among others, an auto mechanic, a doctor, a carpenter and a goldsmith. But you could still see yourself in each other, says Simon.
He describes it as a confidential space where one could share both doubts, challenges, and experiences. And that was exactly what made an impression.
Networking can make a huge difference
Today, Simon is part of several networks, among others Network for managers on Bornholm. A newly started network that was put in place on the initiative of two young and relatively new leaders, Teva Tiensuu from The Falcon Hotel and Mathias Karlsen from SK Stillads. They missed a community where they could meet with others in the same situation as themselves.
– I really believe in the idea of networking. As a business owner, it is incredibly important to have someone to discuss things with, says Simon.
For him, networking is not just about good advice. It is also about relationships, inspiration, and being able to share experiences with others who understand the responsibility one carries.
– I actually think it’s just as rewarding to share experiences as to receive input from others, he says.
On Bornholm, networking is of particular importance, according to Simon. Because the island is small, and many businesses are closely interconnected with each other.
– It means a lot, both in terms of collaboration and inspiration. But confidentiality is also really important. It takes a great deal of trust to be able to share things honestly with each other.
The network has also brought new relationships and collaborations with it.
“Sometimes there’s also business to be gained from it,” he says, and tells about the employee trip he’s currently planning for one of his contacts through the network.
One must remember to lift their eyes from time to time
Patrizia Parente can also relate to the same experience.
Since 2022, she has been the manager and director at Pension Klostergaarden, Bornholm’s oldest hotel, which was founded back in 1901. On a daily basis, she is solely responsible for both the operation and the staff at the hotel, which employs up to five staff during the season.
– I am most happy about the opportunity to chat with others. I don’t have that opportunity on a daily basis, Patrizia tells me over the phone.
As a co-owner of Christiansøfarten, Simon Christensen has invested in both the company and his own leadership. Photo: Christiansøfarten ApS
She joined the network after hearing about it through a former colleague.
– We come from very different industries, but we still face many of the same challenges. It’s nice to feel that you’re not alone, she says.
For Patrizia, the day-to-day work is about providing guests with the best possible experience during their stay at the hotel. And for that to succeed, it requires both that the staff is happy and that the day-to-day operations are in harmony.
In particular, a question from one of the networking meetings has particularly stuck with Patrizia:
– We were asked what our latest success had been. I couldn’t answer right away, but took the question home with me. Now I often ask myself: “What is today’s success?”. It helps me to stop and look up in everyday life.
Employees are the DNA of the company
Back at the port in Gudhjem, Simon has just been servicing another customer at the ticket window.
Some of the most important things Simon has learned as a leader are about the employees.
He doesn’t hide the fact that he has many ideas and ambitions for the company’s future. But he is also aware that development isn’t about rushing ahead with new plans.
– You can’t just trample over your employees. They are the backbone of the company. They are our DNA.
Instead, he tries to involve the employees in his plans as much as possible and also challenges them to think of solutions themselves.
In the past, it might have been tempting to simply give the answers quickly. Today, he tries to send the questions back more often.
– If an employee calls and always gets an immediate answer, then they’re not learning to think of a possible solution themselves, but just to pick up the phone and call. Sometimes it’s better to ask them to come up with suggestions for solutions first, and then we’ll take it from there.
Small changes can make a big difference
The investment in an owner-led training program gave Simon some very concrete tools. He mentions, among other things, finance and pricing as areas where he now feels much more confident.
– Before it was a bit of a guessing game. Now I know very precisely which key figures I need to look at and how to set the right prices.
At the same time, he has gained a more long-term perspective on the company.
– I don’t only work with next season in mind. I also think five, ten and twenty years ahead.
That doesn’t mean that everything has to change all at once, quite the opposite. For Simon, development often involves small adjustments, reflection, and staying curious about one’s own leadership.
When asked what advice he would give to other leaders who may not have prioritized developing their leadership skills so far, Simon says:
– You just have to go and prioritize it. The time and money you invest in developing yourself as a leader will quickly be repaid, both in the form of new knowledge, better decisions, and new perspectives.
And that is precisely the most important realization he would like to pass on to other leaders on Bornholm.
– No leader ever finishes developing.
AF LINA HILDING