Leading the frontlines of Taconic AS is Ragnar Horn, appointed chairman of the Norway-based investment firm. While Horn’s roots began in Norway, he immigrated to the US where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Williams College. He later on pursued a Masters of Business Administration at the prestigious Harvard Business School. Between his technical training and the years of field experience he’s gained, Ragnar Horn is not a man to ignore when he speaks about business.
Horn attributes a great deal of his career success to his competitiveness. Even at a young age, he remembers his competitive spirit pushing him to participate in cross-country ski races. Horn also believes that the true differentiator between people who make meaningful impact and those who don’t is in how competitive they are. According to Horn, if a person is competitive enough, he/she can stop to appreciate short-term progress, but will continue to work towards long-term results.
When asked about advice regarding leadership roles in a company, Horn says to listen well and keep your mind open to all possibilities. Business mimics life, according to Horn, in that it involves negotiation after negotiation. Every decision fork, whether major or otherwise, should involve an in-depth assessment of shared interests and how to secure them.
His other guideline for business accomplishment with any item or administration is that it should be of acceptable quality at a reasonable cost. On the off chance that it’s in rivalry with other comparable items or administrations, it should have what’s known as a Unique Selling Proposition- – at least one highlights or advantages that make it extraordinary, unique and better than any serious item or administration. This region of uniqueness is fundamental to accomplishment in business. No item or administration can succeed except if it’s by one way or another one of a kind and better than some other item or administration that rivals it. There’s occasional any occasion to fabricate a business around a “me as well” item – an item or administration that is only equivalent to all the others, where the solitary contrast is that it’s you who turns out to sell it.
The most secure business system is to begin with an acknowledged item that as of now has a broad market and afterward figure out how to refine it somehow or another. Convey it quicker, make it better or of higher caliber, or lower the cost of the item or administration here and there. Rather than attempting to design another business or industry, start off with an item or administration that individuals are as of now utilizing and discover some approach to make it more alluring.
As a leader, Horn thinks that people, especially entrepreneurs, shouldn’t think in binary – right vs wrong, left vs right. This oversimplification and closed-minded way of thinking can create gaps in your decision-making process over time.
Ragnar Horn holds an impressive and rich resume, including his work as an analyst for Merril Lynch, his associate job at Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation, and most recently his ascension to the helm of Taconic AS. Horn also has a board of directors seat at Clarkson Platou and a board director role in several other firms.
