Bestselling author

“It’s more about wanting to than having to”

Bestselling author Anders Indset in conversation with the "Krone".

(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

Business philosopher, bestselling author and former handball player Anders Indset met with the "Krone" for an interview at the Hotel Congress in Innsbruck. He reveals what his latest book "Viking Codex" is about, talks about artificial intelligence and ventures a look into the future.

"Krone":With your new book "Viking Codex", you want to reveal the secrets of Norwegian success in terms of top performance. Can you give us a short excerpt from it?
Anders Indset: The book describes how to develop a performance culture that is rooted in values. It is the small, daily goals that pave the way to success. Performance is not defined solely by ability or talent - it is more about wanting to than having to.

Anders Indset with "Krone" editor Recka Hammann.

(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

What can we learn from the Viking Code?
We need to recognize and also experience that achievement can be a beautiful thing. The world is not absolute and does not have an answer to everything. Everything we know is based on an assumption. From my point of view, we humans are "non-tastic". That means: fantastic and flawed. We need to become more open, not just react, but also strive to recognize and understand the depths and complexities of our environment. We are social beings who should continue to explore and break existing boundaries.

The only thing the algorithms care about is that you react quickly. It's not about reflection, everything is based on reaction.

Anders Indset

What impact does social media have on our society?
Social media is designed for instant reaction. A thumbs up or down is rewarded by visibility and economics. The only thing the algorithms are interested in is that you react quickly. It's not about reflection, everything is based on reaction. At some point, we start to communicate in the same way. As a result, we increasingly insist on our own perceived opinion and are no longer open to other opinions.

The business philosopher, bestselling author and former handball player Anders Indset met with the "Krone" for an interview at the Hotel Congress in Innsbruck.

(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

And what profit will artificial intelligence bring us?
I believe that the rapid arrival of artificial intelligence is helping us to relearn how to think. Knowledge is not the issue, it's about understanding complexity, even a love of complexity. When we think about what we think, we open ourselves up to other perspectives.

Overcoming micro-ambitions can also be a success, because life is the cumulative development of what I put into it every day.

Anders Indset

Can an achievement that is based on success actually still be fun?
I was a competitive athlete, company founder and entrepreneur. On the face of it, that was certainly success, but I didn't feel the success. After every goal, I already had my eye on the next one. I was a hardcore capitalist and driven by the outside world - a world that defines success in terms of money, gold medals, fame and recognition. But we should perceive success as progress - for example, when we have overcome crises, learned something or mastered life's challenges. Overcoming micro-ambitions can also be a success, because life is the cumulative development of what I put into it every day.

We must once again have a demand for performance from ourselves, because the economy must continue to function - only then will there be something to distribute.

Anders Indset

How can we usefully promote talent?
We don't know how the world will change in ten years' time and what skills we will need in ten years' time. It is therefore our job to equip children and young people with a large toolbox. They need to be mentally and physically resilient and learn about many facets of life so that they can easily adapt to new environments with a playful approach. Of course, they also need discipline, structure, empathy, teamwork, role models and values.

How do you see the future?
I choose optimism. Life is a wonderful journey to nowhere - as long as we don't limit ourselves and choose the path of progress and hope. We must once again demand performance from ourselves, because the economy must continue to function - only then will there be something to distribute.