Episode 176 Jotun: A Case Study in Extraordinary Leadership

Published: October 14, 2025

Details

In this special episode of The 90th Percentile, we unpack how Jotun—the Norway-based, family-owned paints and coatings company operating in 100+ countries—elevated leadership effectiveness using Zenger Folkman’s Extraordinary Leader program. Partnering with Arcadia Consulting, Jotun moved from a baseline well below industry average to outperforming peers, all by doubling down on a strengths-based approach to leadership. We’re joined by Alistair Skellern (Arcadia) to explore the data, the culture, and the practices behind this multi-year transformation. Learn how building a few profound strengths—not just fixing weaknesses—created measurable gains in performance, engagement, and leader pipeline.

You can visit Arcadia Consulting’s website to watch additional interviews on this Jotun leadership case study.

Key Point

1. Strengths > gap-fixing: Jotun’s biggest gains came from magnifying a few profound strengths per leader—making development feel energizing and personalized rather than remedial.
2. Measure what matters, then retest: A disciplined 360-feedback cadence (with executive participation) built credibility, a shared language, and visible progress over five years.
3. Push insights earlier in careers: Moving The Extraordinary Leader assessment down the leadership pipeline (not just for senior leaders) accelerated readiness and internal mobility.
4. Balance “results” and “relationships”: Interpersonal skills and learning agility were strong; bolder decision-making, initiative, and championing change became the focused next step.
5. Culture raises the bar: As great leadership became more common, tolerance for poor leadership dropped—the “shadow effect”—creating healthy pressure to sustain excellence.

Webinar

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:16 — 27.8MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More