One of my best friends works at a medium-sized company in Stockholm.

Two years ago their long-time CEO retired. He was a leader who set high expectations but also empowered his department heads and employees — and they delivered brilliantly.

The new CEO is a classic micromanager. In just two years she has managed to dismantle the well-functioning culture and routines that took years to build.

This is the exact opposite of what happened at Microsoft in 2014. Steve Ballmer, known for his intense, results-driven and often micromanaging style, was replaced by Satya Nadella.

Nadella shifted the culture to a “growth mindset”, reduced destructive internal competition, increased collaboration, and gave teams real autonomy. The result? Microsoft went from stagnant to one of the world’s most valuable and innovative companies.

It’s a brutal reminder — whether you run a small Swedish company or a global tech empire — that leadership matters more than most people want to admit. One person really can make or break an organization.

And right now, my friend’s workplace is living proof of the “break” part.