Mette Lykke loves her job. The entrepreneur, born in Ringkøbing, Denmark, is the chief executive of Too Good To Go, the mobile discovery app which connects customers to restaurants and stores that have surplus unsold food.
Before joining Too Good To Go in 2017, she co-founded the fitness community app Endomondo, which was sold to Under Armour for $85 million, and now has more than 30 million active users globally.
Here, she gives her take on leadership, motivation, work-life balance, and more.
What do you think makes a good leader?
I think the most important thing is to be yourself and to show a bit of personality. People are always more likely to buy into people. You should take the time to get to know your staff, too. Crucially, I think being a good leader is being able to convey purpose and passion. People like to feel involved in their work, and that what they care about also matters to the boss and the company, too.
What single thing do you think would make your job easier?
It would have to be better regulation around food waste. I would want to see more ambitious, internationally consistent targets, and for countries to stick to them. It is one of the most serious problems in every country and it will take collection action to solve.
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
Be kinder to yourself because you are good enough. I think I would remind myself that we are all, at any age, a work in progress. A good attitude in business is to remember that you are a lifelong learner. There will always be something you can improve on, so there is no point beating yourself up for not getting something perfect straight away. Really, the perfect outcome does not exist. Failure leads to feedback and feedback is important for improving. There are maybe some companies which don’t always have the kindest culture, so learning can sometimes be overshadowed by criticism. The good thing about being an entrepreneur is that you are really able to define the culture of your company yourself.
What do you consider to be the biggest challenge in business right now?
I think the biggest challenge right now is to find solutions that will not cost the earth, literally, both in terms of how big an expense it would be and what damage it could do to the planet. I think it is really important for every business decision to factor in the needs of people and the planet, alongside the pressure to make profit. It can be tricky sometimes, but all three of these considerations are essential, but you can’t afford to ignore any of them.
Which book do you think every business leader should read at least once?
What was your first job?
I actually cleaned toilets for about three pounds an hour when I was a kid. Then, while still at school, I worked for a company similar to Home Depot back in Denmark.
What was your worst job?
Well, I didn’t really enjoy cleaning the toilets! But I still think there was an important lesson about hard work there.
What’s the best piece of business advice you have received?
You should know that if you have prepared, then the outcome will be the best it can be. If you have done your best, prepared as much as you can, and you know you couldn’t have put in any more time or effort, then whatever happens, you can be proud of what you have achieved. Only you know what your best is.
What excites you most about your current role?
I am always excited by the positive impact that we can have. Food waste is such a big issue around the world. If we can get people to think differently about what they consume and how much, it could help make the world a better place. The halo effect, I guess, is what excites me most.
Finally, what do you do to protect yourself against burnout?
My best tip is to have a life outside of work. Do things that are totally different. Have a range of things you care about that aren’t your job. They matter. I try not to work at the weekends, but I am sure that my husband would say I could do a better job of switching my phone off sometimes!
