Manuel Maria Correia, who's the head of DXC in Scandinavia, believes that success in business all boils down to the people and teams involved. He started his career at IBM, and after working as an engineer for nine years, he quickly got into leadership. He learned how hard it is to manage teams early on when he was just 25. Later, he went to HP, where he spent 20 years getting a wide range of experience in services, hardware, and business units in Spain. After that, he went back to Portugal to run the operations that eventually became DXC.
Right now, Manuel is based in Stockholm and manages the Nordic region, which includes Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Baltic countries. He works through a leadership team in each country, focusing on bringing operations together instead of getting involved in the daily stuff. He points out that Nordic companies usually have a global way of thinking, where they plan to grow internationally from the get-go. This is different from the more local way of growing that he saw in Portugal.
There are some cultural differences, but they're not too hard to deal with. For example, people in Finland see silence as a sign of respect, which is different from the more open and quick way of speaking that's common in Portugal. When it comes to how things are done at work, he says that Nordic teams are super organized. but it’s more about doing the processes well. Manuel sees his job as bringing in some flexibility and a different point of view, using different ways of doing things to get better results.
When asked about how he leads, he says that he sees himself as the thing that brings everyone together, guiding strong, reliable teams like a shepherd showing the way but letting the people do the work. He believes in sticking around for the long haul and wants to lead DXC in the Nordics for the next ten years, making plans that will have a lasting infulence.
When he's not at work, Manuel balances his travel-heavy job with trail running, ultramarathons, and triathlons. He recently finished a 180 km mountain race in Norway and is now training for Nordic skiing. He thinks discipline, being organized, and knowing what's important are key, both in his job and in his personal life.
In his own words: “It’s always about the people and the team. I don't do much; the value is in the people I work with. My job is to bring people together, guide them, and build trust.”
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