I really feel a bit sorry for @Juha_Kinnunen Kinnunen now. Inderes-sponsored Sotkamon Jymy is playing in the pesäpallo finals today (with their backs against the wall, no less) against Manse at Hiukka stadium at 4 PM, and by then, he needs to churn out the Talenom report. Hopefully, no negative news from DT or similar will come out during the afternoon.
21 Likes
Hello to the coffee room! I’ve noticed that people here sometimes share various meaningful experiences, situations, and plans from their lives, so I’m sharing one personally big thing here.
Five years ago, I decided that when I turn 40, I would take a longer break from work… and soon it will be time. So, I will be taking a break from work during November-December. I’ve been working intensely for 16 years straight without really stopping once, so it could be good for both myself and the organization. Not because I’m burning out – I have plenty of energy – but purely for the sake of living my own life.
Many (including our board) have been of the opinion that two months is too short, but my own patience doesn’t stretch any longer… I’m sure I’ll reach a sufficient level of boredom even in that time.
In my role, there’s never a perfect time for something like this. In business and in the industry, there’s always one critical and interesting thing or another going on, but I have to trust that things here will progress and be taken care of in the hands of smart people. It might even be that many new connections and insights will emerge within the organization when I’m temporarily removed from the equation. In the spring, we did quite intensive strategy work and sharpened structures, so I know the foundation is in good shape. And two months is ultimately a really short time, even if it feels enormous in this everyday performance context. Although I don’t really recognize micromanagement or getting stuck in the past in myself, 16 years accumulates various ‘legacies’ in one’s head that are good to filter out so that thoughts can focus again on what’s essential and on the future.
As a semi-public figure, one always starts to wonder what reactions or speculations this will generate, because in working life, the culture doesn’t always encourage such “doing nothing without any goals.” There have been two newspaper articles about me being a CEO who doesn’t work at all during summer vacation. My way of working and living life hasn’t always fit the prevailing externally defined CEO mold. But then, when I’ve discussed this with many of my very successful entrepreneur colleagues/mentors, everyone has considered it a brilliant idea based on their own experiences.
What am I going to do? My life has had quite a lot of roadmaps, strategies, KPI metrics, annual clocks, and goals. The intention is to do something opposite, relatively aimless wandering.
The inspiration for this comes especially from Jules (Samuel L Jackson) in the movie Pulp Fiction:
“basically, I’m just gonna walk the Earth”
“you know like Caine in Kung Fu: walk from place to place, meet people, get into adventures”
So, walking! I have at least a one-way ticket to Porto. I’m going to start by walking a pilgrimage route alone for at least a week. Nothing spiritual, just walking and time for my own thoughts. Then I’ll spend time with my family. In my official capacity, I’ll only be on emergency standby, meaning I’ll also close the forum (my colleagues will respond in the Inderes thread). And I’ll close the stock market. The biggest thrill here is whether it will stay afloat without daily refreshing. Now, just over a month of intensive work left. I’ll try to do my part to get the IPO taps open and the stock markets flourishing 
235 Likes
No need to worry, as
33 Likes
Have a good vacation! It also does the organization good to build antifragility by creating such moderate stress tests with the absence of key personnel. At least for Sauli, a short sabbatical clearly seemed to do him good, so why not for you too.
Let’s wait and see if the newspaper headline this time is “The board wanted a longer break from the founder - A frosty retort from the CEO” or perhaps “Serial vacationer’s new conquest - Becomes a pilgrim” 
55 Likes
Sounds like a great plan, good luck with the getaway. Now take the toaster with you to the beaches of Porto, just because you can.
9 Likes
Or perhaps " Drastic decision from the board of the analysis firm - CEO fired"
93 Likes
12 Likes
Oh Friday, what a can of worms you opened…
“Anarchist CEO announced a southern vacation - but is enjoying the warmth of Porto”
48 Likes
“CEO on Forced Leave - Quoted a Hitman”
54 Likes
Great thoughts! A vacation is definitely needed.
This might not be the best idea for that time of year, but if you like walking, I warmly recommend hiking. You get to places you normally can’t reach by car, and you really have to put in the effort to see and experience different sights. The hustle and bustle of everyday life are left behind, replaced by peace to ponder important things. Or to think about nothing at all. Most wilderness hiking spots (Sweden, Norway) don’t have cell service, so there’s no point even looking at your phone, and you can’t check the stock market or receive messages (though I do recommend a satellite communication device for emergencies). At the same time, you get to experience how much you truly appreciate clean water and everyday comforts.
Even though hiking can be absolutely awful when you’re walking hungry in the cold rain for days on end, you’ll remember these feelings and states of mind in the long run.
EDIT: Pictures from my own hikes:
16 Likes
I have read on the forum that increasing diversification not only reduces volatility but also increases returns. So, by adding a second-best basket to your portfolio based on what you consider your best ideas, you get better returns.
But this is only possible if the returns of those added second-best ideas are better than the first ones, meaning that by then removing the best ideas, the returns improve even further.
Well, now diversification has decreased again, so there’s another opportunity for better returns by adding the third-best to the portfolio. And again, diversification grows and returns rise, meaning the third-best ideas were even better than the second-best. So, let’s dump those second-best ones to prevent them from weakening returns.
If you continue this long enough, the bottom-of-the-barrel ones will give absolutely fabulous returns 
(and brokers will thank you) What could go wrong?
3 Likes
He thinks it would be natural for Posti to pay good dividends. It has done so until now.
“But if paying large dividends is the company’s spearhead, then I hope it wouldn’t be. I hope investors wouldn’t buy Posti shares just for the dividend,” Puttonen says.
16 Likes
“The company’s culture included KPI metrics and Road maps – the CEO chose aimless wandering”
And indeed, already on the first day, it has been dubbed a people’s stock, because the goal is a growing dividend. 
7 Likes
The latest plot twist in the Helsinki Stock Exchange’s “The Bold and the Beautiful”:
51 Likes
In the next episode, KH Group’s name changes to CH Group. I can’t wait🤭
26 Likes
“Well, Hägge here, hi. I’ve got a new Kramer electric wheel loader in my backyard, so shall we go see what it’s all about and maybe get one for each of your construction sites. Yeah, yeah, the loan will be arranged with a good interest rate, 'cause I’ve got contacts in the banking sector, you see.”
Quite a transformation from a minister and a board professional in the “duck pond” financial sector to the boss of a heavy machinery brokerage firm for the lads 
34 Likes
“The controversial investor deemed the Helsinki market uninvestable and quit”
3 Likes
In writing, the essence of “Kill your Darlings” is to objectively separate the significance of one’s own ideas for oneself from how everyone else who reads the words perceives them. Understanding the difference between subjective and objective is certainly a universally useful and valuable skill to develop.
The extra relevance to oneself can justify its inclusion. But then the target audience is only oneself. The focus is precisely on challenging one’s own thinking. Because that extra bit can sometimes be precisely that something. But not everything can be that something.
3 Likes