“Which room did Shakespeare write Hamlet in?” An American tourist asked me this question at the entrance to Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark. In fact, unlike his famous contemporary, Christopher Marlowe, who wrote Dr Faustus and was known as the ‘prince of poets’, Shakespeare never even left England. The setting of Hamlet in the rooms and courtyard of Kronborg Castle must have been based on Shakespeare’s imagination. Or was it?
Many international leaders I work with find themselves frustrated, questioning whether their Danish employees are lazy, unmotivated, or simply operating by different rules. The reality? Danes are often driven by things other than money or overtime and figuring that out is key to leadership success in Denmark.
·
Jay Cannon
Devastation started creeping in around application 183. I understand that I am not the most qualified person in the world, but when you don’t get a response from New Balance about selling shoes, doubt takes over.
Why do summer holidays put Danes in such a bad mood? Don’t they know they’re the luckiest people in the world? Five weeks of holiday! Trips to Mallorca! That’s such a fantasy to people back at home (the US). And then they come back to work and spend all day complaining about the flight or the food or the weather. What gives?
After Woody Harrelson has asked everybody and their mother to buy a houseboat in Copenhagen with him, author Xinxin Ren Gudbjörnsson writes a letter to his latest target, Conan O’Brien, convincing him to take up the offer.
Looking back on the moment I realized I didn’t understand Danish culture at all.
In the first part of an analysis of internationals coming to Denmark, statistician Sa’ar Karp Gershon shares insights on how the Danish population has changed over the last 30 years. Did the policies regarding foreign residency and acquiring Danish citizenship affect those changes?
·
Owen O’Sullivan
“I’m often asked to recommend restaurants and bars for friends visiting Copenhagen. Recently, when asked about my favorite place to eat, I was surprised to find myself stumped. To be honest, it has never occurred to me to experience a city through gastronomy – I think it can make visiting new cities feel homogeneous.” Here, podcaster, writer and comedian Owen O’Sullivan makes the case for ditching the itinerary and simply walking the city.
It’s a beautiful summer day in Denmark and you decide to leave without a jacket. Suddenly an Arctic wind will throw the Aperol Spritz from your fingers and the temperature will drop so violently your nipples rip holes in your t-shirt.
·
Vivienne McKee
People over 50 make up one third of the working population and this is growing. Take a look around your workplace. Are one in three people aged 50 and over? If not, where are these workers?
Imagine you are an international leader stepping into a Danish leadership team for the first time. You bring with you a wealth of experience and innovative ideas, eager to make a difference. However, you quickly notice something peculiar: the harmony and conformity within the team are almost palpable. Understanding this unique cultural fabric is essential to integrate effectively and lead successfully in a Danish context.
·
Signe Biering
The Danish attitude towards work and vacations is often surprising to those used to a more intense work culture. But it reflects a deeper understanding of us as individuals and society.