Why Finland?

In recent years I’ve often found myself speaking professionally on a number of people topics, and yet regardless of the subject I’m most often asked “Why Finland?”?

If the enquirer has found me in a jovial mood, they’ll have heard that I moved here for the weather, or that as a proper Brit I value good Gin and an orderly queue, areas where Finns are is surprisingly competent. While there’s truth in both those responses, the reason I moved to Finland and why I stayed are vastly different.

I moved to Finland predominantly to be with my, now wife, to whom I am forever grateful for the life we share. Over the years there were many opportunities to move and work elsewhere but at each inflection point, there was something in the special sauce of Finland that kept us here.

More recently, when speaking publicly, both on the stage and over coffees, the subjects of well-being, psychological safety and establishing trust while working remotely have become key subjects for leaders and HRs alike and the defining hallmarks of an organization's culture. I often get drawn back to a culture that has been historically building psychological safety with many remote pockets while somehow consistently punching above its weight in terms of international comparison.?

Finland is a funny old country. To look at it objectively, it doesn’t possess an abundance of natural resources, nor a particularly hospitable climate, it sits in a geo-politically rough neighborhood while its location doesn’t offer up any particular strategic benefit. With no discernible advantage however Finland has low pollution, corruption and general crime rates, a good track record in employment, press freedom and even Olympic medals per capita, the nation that only recently turned 100, has gone on a remarkable journey since independence. It is, by most measures, consistently referenced as one of the best places to live on the planet and has taken the title for world's happiest country, six years in a row.

I’ll be the first to acknowledge that it’s not the easiest place to acclimatise to; linguistically, socially, even the weather and the queues for the paperwork don’t make it easy. On the other hand though, knowing people that have migrated to the UK, the US, and as far afield as Latin America and southern Europe, I wouldn’t say the process is more difficult, it may be just more obvious. Have a think about how easy is small talk lazing on a California beach, or in a local corner pub. You can make small talk in Finland, but it’s still going to be -20 degrees and someone will still need to plough the drive. In most walks of life, talk is cheap, I venture nowhere else is it as cheap as Finland.?

That makes the initial foray into Finland tricky. Impressions are generally made through action rather than discussion, humour can often be dry and dark, feedback is rare. That said, once you get to work alongside Finns, in any capacity, communication is open, the planning and process will be quite rigid, the execution flexible and pragmatic. Once you’re on the team, in whatever capacity, there will also be care, attention and consideration for how you are doing. A few years ago, on a critical roles project I remember vividly the strained expressions on my colleagues faces as I fumbled my way through Finnish expressions to make even minor points. The team stuck with me, speaking in Finnish, because they knew it would benefit all of us in the long run, and it did. Therein lies the secret. Finland’s steady, comprehensive improvement since it’s independence is often attributed to “Sisu”, best translated as “Grit”, but for those working together, it’s the Finnish capacity for patience and a focus on the common good and long term solutions that enables the people here to build sustainably.

Of course it is often misunderstood, it is often frustrating and comes with its own baggage. I’ve seen first-hand the “hyv? veli verkosto”, the ethereal “in crowd” that foreigners here often feel are a secret hand unfairly shaping opportunities. This is tough, but the UK has Oxbridge and “good eggs” the US has the Ivy League crowd and “the good old boys”. Wherever??you engage in career development, there will be a select group guarding the gates, Finland too has this, but also has had female presidents and prime ministers, openly gay, immigrant and minority representatives in parliament. Perhaps not as diverse as some would like but in the grand scheme of things far more progressive than most countries.?

With Finnish Independence Day approaching, I think about the culture here that I’ve enjoyed for the past decade or more, I’m grateful that the Finns I have met and worked with have been patient with me (not always easy ??), they’ve allowed me to be myself, looked out for me in tough times, discussed openly with me when changes needed to be made and kept the long-view in mind. Well-being, authenticity, psychological safety, common good, that’s why I stay in Finland.

There are many that say the typical Finn, is shy, socially awkward, introverted. To those I would say, give it time, aika paljastaa.?