People are the centre of everything

‘The best thing I can do is to be consistently open and work on myself.’

We had a talk with Anna Björk Bjarnadóttir, Chief Service & Operations Officer at Isavia, Iceland’s national airport and air navigation service provider. She shared her thoughts with us on leadership, learning and the power of overcoming emotional triggers.

Anna, you’ve led people for many years across different industries. What continues to drive you as a leader?

I’ve always been drawn to people dynamics. I’m really interested in understanding why people behave the way they do. That’s what energises me. When I joined Isavia, it became clear to me early on that enabling a homogeneous and constructive culture and the way we work together would be key to everything else. That’s what I’ve devoted most of my energy to.

What does culture mean to you in a leadership context?

Culture is about how we show up with each other, in our teams, across the organisation. It’s how we build trust, respond under pressure and choose collaboration over isolation. Especially in a company like Isavia, where our own staff make up only a small fraction of the total workforce at the airport, no day goes entirely according to plan. Coordination and cooperation across the whole ecosystem – from technicians and security staff to fuel crews and retail workers – is essential. Everything is connected. When something affects one part, it ripples through the rest.

That’s why I see our cultural transformation, the way different units now work together on a daily and weekly basis, as one of the most meaningful achievements of the past few years. Not just within Isavia, but across the wider airport community.

I’ve always known that culture matters – it’s the people that make EBITDA. But what’s changed for me is the understanding that you can actually shift culture, even at scale, even in a large and complex organisation. Earlier in my career, I worked in strategic consulting and held leadership roles in both state-owned and private companies. No matter the industry, I kept seeing the same pattern: silos, disconnection, miscommunication. Each company feeling ‘we’re unique, our problems are of different kind than everybody else.’ But underneath it all, the real issue was always the same: People not connecting. The ability to cooperate. To talk more, communicate better. To trust each other. To pass the ball from one team to another. That became the red thread through all of it.

What has made this kind of cultural transformation possible?

Deep change doesn’t happen through frameworks alone. It requires real commitment and that must start at the top. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be part of a leadership team where our CEO has been unwavering in his dedication to the cultural journey. Not just in words, but in actions. His persistence, even when the process was slow, or the results weren’t immediately visible, set the tone for everything else. When everybody is spending energy on looking into themselves and owning up to your own blind spots, you cannot be highly productive at the same time, so this kind of transformation needs commitment and support from the top, which we got.

Without that kind of support and clarity, it would have been easy to let go of the ambition. But because the commitment never wavered, we’ve been able to stay the course even when it meant investing time, energy and a lot of patience. That’s made all the difference.

What has been your own role in supporting this transformation?

To keep showing up. To speak openly about the journey we’re on. And to work on myself, consistently.

I believe that’s one of the most powerful things any leader can do: to take responsibility for their own presence and be willing to evolve.

That doesn’t mean having it all figured out. It means being honest, being human and inviting others to do the same.

You’ve spoken openly about navigating burnout. What did that experience teach you?

It reminded me of the importance of listening to myself and acting before I reach the edge. I had been there before, many years ago, so I recognised the signs. And this time, I allowed myself to say openly that I needed to take a break. What surprised me was how much trust and support I felt from my team and colleagues. That support created space, not just for me to pause and recover, but for others to feel safe in speaking up as well.

What helped you recover?

I used every tool available, including something I hadn’t expected to return to: a deep relaxation technique I’d tried once in my youth to help me overcome a sleep disorder. This time, it helped me reconnect with some early emotional patterns that I had been carrying around from my childhood. For the first time, I was able to release them fully. Since then, I’ve responded differently – in challenging situations, I stay more present, less reactive.

Before, I would struggle with handling criticism constructively if I perceived it to be personal. When you get this kind of trigger response, it blinds you. You don’t see clearly.

But now when something difficult happens, I can pause, observe and respond rather than react.

I’ve also learned to separate the message from the emotion and to be curious about what’s really going on beneath the surface. I was unable to do that before when I was triggered. That shift has had a profound effect, both personally and professionally. It feels very freeing.

How does that influence your leadership today?

It allows me to meet others with more clarity.

I ask questions to understand where the other person is coming from, and by responding differently, I also help them respond differently. That creates space for more constructive conversations.

And over time, that becomes part of how a culture shifts, not through big declarations but through small, honest moments between individuals.

How do you bring this into your leadership teams?

We’ve built practices into our daily work. We check in with each other. We speak openly. If something happens that doesn’t feel right, we don’t wait a month to bring it up. We’ve learned to pause, reflect and address things in real time. It’s not always easy but it’s become part of how we relate. My direct reports and their teams do the same. We adapt it to each context, but the spirit is the same.

Has this way of working influenced your life beyond work?

Definitely. It’s helped me stay more grounded in my relationships, too. I don’t expect others, especially outside work, to be on the same journey, but I bring the same openness with me. I trust myself more. And I feel better in my body and in my choices. That’s the biggest reward.

Looking back, what do you carry with you from this journey?

That people are the centre of everything. No matter the industry, no matter the goals.

What really makes a difference is how we show up for each other. And that always begins with how we show up for ourselves.

Anna Björk Bjarnadóttir
COO at Isavia