Lena Burmester: Stiftung Louisenlund (2016), Founder of The Sevens Group

Posted: 29 September 2023

Lena Burmester graduated from Louisenlund, a boarding school located on the banks of the Schleif Fjord in northern Germany, in 2016. She joined the school in Grade 5 and attended university in Hamburg where she graduated with a degree in Communications and Graphics in 2019. It was her love for management and music that led to the creation of her company, The Sevens Group, in 2017. Reflecting on the impact the philosophies of Round Square have had on her life beyond school, Lena shares what she has drawn from her experiences and encourages her team to use the Spirits of the IDEALS as they collaborate, innovate and serve musicians who seek their help.

“It is amazing to see how music can unite people. I think that we (as a company) have similar ideas to Round Square” says Lena.

The Sevens Group began as a music label (Room Seven Records) but soon grew to support the full journey from label to artist management (Sevens Artist Agency) and Radio (Desire). The company believes that regardless of popularity, seniority, or experience, everyone has the right to be heard.

Lena’s own experience as a musician and a leader inspired her to offer inclusive opportunities to others. Even in her leadership style, Lena shares that her philosophy is community based and inspired by the RS IDEALS.

“We are a unit, co-workers. It is not about me being in the higher position, we are all just working together in this creative space. I really love the IDEALS because It is about us accepting others. It is the diversity and the creativity.”

When Lena talks about leadership, she recognises that without leadership the pathway forward can be confusing. But she is passionate about including different voices, believing that it is the good ideas which should be followed, regardless of where they come from.

“Why must there only be one person? It’s about accepting others’ opinions. Sure, I’m the leader, but I can also be wrong, and others can be right. So, if others convince me, then I say, “you guys are right, let’s do it”. It is important to follow better ideas.”

Although at school Lena was not a boarder, she remembers engaging in all the available opportunities. She says that she believes that the activities and the conferences served to “unite different cultures” and were opportunities to learn from others, and to learn about difference. Lena also remembers that being in a small school meant that you could not be invisible, and you had to speak up and participate; you had to do things you did not necessarily want to do.  “There were times when we were in small groups, and there was no place to hide. You had to learn to interact with others and get over your shadow.”

Engaging in public speaking is an example of how Lena had to “get over her shadow”, move outside of her comfort zone, and be challenged. As there was nowhere to hide at school, she had to step up and grasp the challenge.  She had to get on stage and talk to an audience. The impact of taking that risk means she no longer feels intimidated when she presents. “Talking in front of others is easy now. I learned how to do it and I have learned not to be nervous or frightened.”

Another example Lena gives of having to “get over her own shadow” and take a risk was when Catherine Donovan, the Round Square Coordinator at Louisenlund, encouraged her to attend a conference in the UK. The conference was hosted by Abbotsholme School in Derbyshire. Lena was in Grade 5 and was a new student at the school, but Catherine Donovan sought her out and encouraged her to get involved. “It was the start of it all,” Lena shares. “From late night walks, to adventures on boats. It was the whole experience of being at the school.” Lena’s next conference was at Penryn College in South Africa, a Round Square school located in a bushveld setting between Nelspruit and White River in Mpumalanga. It was Lena’s first experience of travelling without her parents on a long-haul flight. She remembers that in 9th Grade, she was not confident in English and taking that journey was a big step outside of her comfort zone. “It was character building, but I am not afraid of travelling on my own anymore! It taught me a good life lesson.”

Lena continued to attend conferences during her time at school; each was an opportunity to take a risk, to grow, and to learn from others. In 2013, she attended the Round Square International Conference at St Andrew’s School in Florida; she remembers feeling honoured to be her school’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony. In 2015 she travelled to Yuncachimpa, Peru. There she joined Round Square students from around the world on the RS Service Project.

The altitude at Yuncachimpa is 3800m above sea level. During the trip, the temperature was a low of -3 degrees Celsius at night and rose to a high of 30 degrees Celsius during the day. It was Lena’s biggest challenge.

“It was really tough. You had no air up in the mountains and you had to work really hard. It was at that moment that I realised that I had taken everything that I have at home for granted. It was the small things like having a toilet, running water, showers… just the small things really that I was used to.”

The physical challenge brought about the shift in Lena’s perspective.

“I was sleeping in a tent. It was minus three degrees at night, then we woke to 30 degrees. It was like that, up and then down. Sweating and freezing, sweating and freezing… Something in my head switched. I realised that everything was not about gold glitter and being famous. I realised that was stupid.”

As she worked, Lena connected with the other international students. Although there were several German mother tongue students, she remembers that connecting with everyone was part of the culture.

“We all spoke English together. We joined in with the others. I think that we all knew how to act or behave with each other because we all learnt how to from our schools. We connected with everyone so well.”

Louisenlund created a spirit of freedom for Lena. She remembers that after classes, if the sun was shining then the students would go sailing, swimming, or into town. There was a lot of freedom and so many opportunities and adventures to be had.

Thinking about how she has connected the learning experiences she had at school with her life leading her company, Lena talks about how she has built a culture at work that is international, diverse and inclusive. It is important to her that she is surrounded by open-minded, non-judgemental people.

“We try to connect. If a new artist comes along and says that they do not have many followers, but they make music, then we take our time to listen. If you are good, then you are good.”

It is a lesson that she has learned from her own experiences of being judged in business. As a young and successful entrepreneur, she talks about the shocked looks on people’s faces when they first meet her. She is judged as a young businesswoman. But she never lets it faze her.

“Sometimes when I work with new business partners who have never seen me in person, and who have not read my biography, then they think that I am the assistant. But you need to find a way to get over it. Don’t take it personally when someone tells you that they have been in business longer than you. You just have to say, “Yes, OK, but now let’s try and do business!”

When reflecting on advice that she would give teenagers today, Lena encourages students to find their own paths; to take the time to explore their passions and discover new adventures and new directions. But most importantly, she believes that getting involved, connecting with others, and understanding difference is the way forward.

“Just do it! Just do the service activities, do the conferences, be open to other religions and accept others for who they are. We need to accept and tolerate each other because that is our future.”