Inre Styrka AB
Birgitta Sjöstrand is a leadership trainer, author of Outstanding in the Middle and founder of Inre Styrka AB. Twenty years in the room with managers — in Sweden and internationally.
What I deliver
Three things, in any format:
Training that managers actually use on Monday morning. I translate models from NLP, mental training and modern neuroscience into tools that work in real meetings, real conversations and real conflicts. No theory without application.
A room where people dare to think clearly. What I do does not work on PowerPoint. It works in a room where participants feel safe enough to be honest — with me and with each other. That is where change begins.
The person you meet is the person you get. I run Inre Styrka AB myself. No juniors taking over once the contract is signed. For larger assignments I bring in carefully chosen associates — but I am always the one leading the work.
I train and facilitate within
- Leadership — for new managers, experienced leaders and leadership teams
- Communication and presentation skills — the practical, human craft behind difficult conversations, presentations and everyday meetings
- Conflict management and mediation — when things are stuck, when something is festering, or when you want to prevent problems before they grow
- Facilitation of boards and leadership teams — particularly when there are competing views in the room and decisions need to be made
- Group development — for teams that want to move from functional to high-performing
- Coaching — individual and group, for managers who need to think clearly before a crossroads
- Bespoke programmes for organisations — when the standard offering does not fit
How I work with you
On site at your offices — full days, half days, or programmes over time. Sigtuna, Stockholm, elsewhere in Sweden, or abroad.
Online — via Zoom, Google Meet or Teams. Just as present as in a physical room, only from a distance.
Hybrid format — parts done together on site, parts done individually online. Useful for geographically distributed teams.
Online programmes — for individual managers who want to develop at their own pace.
Who I have worked with
Over twenty years I have trained and facilitated managers, boards and leadership teams in private and public sectors — in Sweden and internationally. My assignments have ranged from small municipal departments to state-owned companies, listed tech firms, and global industrial groups.
I work in English for international clients and in Swedish for Swedish companies, municipalities and boards.
Three assignments I return to below — because they illustrate different kinds of work: facilitation at board level, international CEO training, and preparing teams for international settings.
When a board could not agree on the future
Client: Airport City Stockholm — the partnership between Swedavia (Sweden’s state-owned airport operator), Sigtuna Municipality, and Arlandastad Group (a listed property developer). Together they are developing the area around Stockholm Arlanda Airport into an international meeting place with hotels, offices and logistics.
In the room: The full board. CEO and chair of the board from all three parties. Three organisations with three different logics — state, municipal, listed.
The situation: Competing views on what the future should hold. A number of senior participants used to having the final word in the room. And one day to move forward.
What I did: I facilitated. I asked the questions rather than answering them. I split the group into smaller constellations where each “camp” was represented — so that they had to listen to each other rather than negotiate from positions. And at the end, I summarised what we had actually arrived at.
What it required: Patience, structure, and the willingness not to fold — including for those used to deciding.
The day landed. Everyone was heard. That is the kind of assignment I take.
Magna International, Electrolux and King
As a senior trainer for the British training company Speak First (since acquired), I trained CEOs and senior leaders in presentation skills. Among the assignments:
- Magna International — multiple CEOs in Germany, in English
- Electrolux — in Stockholm
- King (Candy Crush) — in Stockholm
These assignments dealt with what most presentation trainers never quite reach: how a CEO stands in front of hundreds of people and speaks with both authority and humanity — without sounding like a press release. How to take a difficult scenario and tell it so the audience both understands and trusts.
That is where I am at my best — in the room with experienced leaders who already know a great deal, but need that final tool to truly land.
Preparing a team for an international fair
Situation: EduAdmin was to be represented at a large industry fair in London with a team that had not previously worked together in an exhibition setting. It would all be in English, with international visitors, and the team needed to function as one unit from day one.
What I did: Two training sessions before the trip. We built the team, practised reading visitors, distributing responsibility in the booth, stepping forward at the right moment — and not least: resting smart during long fair days.
Result — in the client’s own words:
“We all agree that the training with you helped us enormously at the fair. It built us into a team — ‘proper teamwork’. We were able to deflect irrelevant visitors easily and bring the relevant ones into the booth. We helped each other and handed visitors over smoothly. Our British partner mentioned several times how professional we were. The booth was appreciated by visitors, fellow exhibitors, and by ourselves.” — Client, EduAdmin
That is the kind of assignment I work with: concrete preparation for real situations, where the result shows up in the room — not in an evaluation form three months later.
Testimonials
“Birgitta has a unique ability to create safety from the very first minute. I left feeling calmer, wiser, and braver.” — Leader, international industrial company
“The best training I have ever taken in communication and conflict management. Practical, human, and immediately usable.” — HR director, public sector
“Birgitta sees people, really sees them. That makes all the difference.” — Manager, tech company
Outstanding in the Middle
My book on middle managers — Outstanding in the Middle: How Middle Managers Make the Difference — became an Amazon bestseller in the summer of 2021. It is now used as reference reading on several leadership programmes and forms the basis of much of what I teach.
Are you a manager looking to develop yourself?
If you are looking for training for yourself — not an assignment for your whole team — I have an online programme you can start with today.
Conflict Management in the Hybrid Workplace. Four weeks. At your own pace.
How it works
- You get in touch — by email or phone. Or book a call directly in my calendar.
- We talk for 30 to 45 minutes — at no cost. I listen more than I pitch.
- You receive a proposal — tailored to your situation, your goals, and your budget.
- You decide — in your own time. I never push.
Booking is handled through Go Plus and takes 30 seconds.
What I believe in
Developing leaders is not a job. It is a craft.
And craft takes time to learn — for the person teaching it too.
Twenty years in the room with managers has taught me one thing: people change their working lives when they feel seen, gain insight, find words for their thoughts, and get tools that actually work. Not earlier. Not later.
That is what I build every assignment around.