Who drives the bus?

For many, a meeting they look forward to – for some, a meeting that does not evoke great emotions – and for some, unfortunately, an experience they would like to be without.

There can be all sorts of reasons why we have such different expectations of the PLD. The experiences we have had before with the conversation obviously mean a lot – we all know how it takes many positive experiences before a single bad one of its kind can be parked for real.

This time I hope for you that the experience will be one of the good ones! And you can do a lot yourself to make it so.

Get in the driver's seat

If you see your work life and your career as a bus – who should be at the front and decide the direction? If you sit in one of the rear seats yourself, you can neither look out of the windscreen and adjust expectations to what you can see – nor determine the direction in which the bus is traveling. Whereas a seat at the front of the bus, optimally behind the wheel, gives you much better opportunities to navigate in the direction that is right for you.

Your PLD – and not least your preparation for it – is your chance to get in the driver's seat.

Good preparation is a prerequisite

Even if you – to varying degrees, depending on seniority – have tried it before, I still recommend that you spend plenty of time on the preparation.

Think about the past year – what has been good? When have you really learned something? Where did you feel that the working day went like a breeze?

And then spend some time thinking about how to get more of that – so that 2026 will go down in history as one of your best years at Nordea!

Maybe you need to learn something. About AI. About something that expands your skills in your current job ... Or something that can send you in a new direction? Not necessarily by sitting down at the traditional school bench – it can just as well be by learning from colleagues, reading/listening to presentations from experts in person or online – visiting another department... or take online courses at Udemy, Finansforbundet, or another provider. And by the way, don't forget the Finanskompetencepuljen – where priority has been given to ensuring that everyone (who is covered by the collective agreement) can be paid for qualifying courses.

In other words, there are plenty of options.

Feedback is gold

Your PLD takes place between you and your manager – who definitely has a lot of feedback for you. But there are others you collaborate with. They have a lot of nuggets about what you do well – and how you could be even better. Reach out – preferably through the excellent tool that the People Portal (usually... Freeze has temporarily put it out of effect, but it will come again) makes available. Colleagues, project collaborators, etc. definitely have something they would like to tell you. And remember – also reach out to those where you know it has been a bit crunchy in the collaboration. What they can tell you is perhaps where you will be able to learn the most.

You decide whether you want to share the feedback with your manager. But keep in mind that she/he is not necessarily aware of how others see you at work – so other people's feedback is important in relation to your joint assessment of your performance in the past year.

The toolbox is large

Nordea offers a wide range of really good tools that you can use in your preparation. Start by looking at Intra under PLD* – but also feel free to orient yourself on the pages about career development* and Learning*. There is a lot of gold to be gained – even if it can be a bit overwhelming.

You can also find it useful to familiarize yourself with the many offers and opportunities you have as a member of Finansforbundet.

Register for the webinar

Nordea held a webinar for all employees on 17 November – you will find the recording, the posters and the Q&A on the PLD page* in the bottom right corner. Here you will also find a registration link for a webinar on goals and development plans on 5 February.

But as a special service for employees in Denmark, you also have the opportunity to participate in the webinar tomorrow morning, where People, Learning and Finansforbundet in Nordea have joined forces on 'The Good PLD'*. It will be in Danish, and will of course be recorded, so you can watch it later if the time suits you badly.

Enough time and a nice atmosphere

I sincerely hope that you and your manager have set aside plenty of time for the PLD – and that the conversation takes place in a nice place in a good atmosphere. Maybe it shouldn't be held in the department at all – but on a walk or something else? It is important that you create a framework where you can have a good and equal conversation.

And remember ... It's all about you.

Mona Svan
Board member, Finansforbundet in Nordea