Where are you grooming your talent? We mean, your talent! Personally.
We hope you feel proud when there’s new investment coming to your neck of the woods. Because all things being equal, it is talent that attracts investment. That’s the critical factor. So, smile.
This in mind, we got together with member company and strategic partner Aalto University Executive Education to discuss how we hone the talent of ours and those around us. It’s about building a better world through leadership and making sure to grow the next generation of leadership.
We travelled virtually to different locations to see what’s available and learned Chicago Booth School of Business’s approach is to teach leaders how to think, not what to think. It’s about being a knowledge creator.
First of all, we heard from the charismatic Professor, Dr. Pekka Mattila, some fresh insights based on a recently published research. Within five consecutive years of studying the 250 biggest companies in Finland, there is a strong shift from defense to offence. The slimming down is being replaced by serious weight gain: investments in growth both within foreign owned affiliates and Finland headquartered companies.
In addition to highlighting the study results, Dr. Mattila, also Group Managing Director for Aalto EE, shared his insight about paradigm shifts and understanding the importance of getting things done. In order to succeed, one must be able to implement the great decisions based in analyzed insight. Going alone is not the way to do it nowadays. Co-operation and partnering is a must. Finding the right balance between “Give” and “Take” in business creates the best performance and best results, whereas purely selfish behavior won’t pay off.
Best practices shared by the audience also showed that unconventional partnerships can bring competitive advantage unlike finding the obvious solutions, but it’s important to understand your partners’ needs. Evaluate the fit of the potential partner right in the beginning, and plan how to implement the full potential of the partnership.
Cultural fit is another key! Then set the target. Think big, yet pay attention to detail. Concrete goals are vital to success. Once you have a common goal, the size of your partner no longer matters, and you will find the way to succeed.
To conclude: Explore and reach out. It’s time to grow, together.
Indeed it was a Happy Valentine’s Day breakfast we shared!