What's the recipe of a great company?
Great Place to Work had its annual EU conference and award seremony yesterday. What a day it was, and what an evening as well. We ended up celebrating the great success of Finnish (and other) companies pretty late. Now it's time to head back home and reflect on yesterday a bit.
First comes to mind, of course, Fondia's great success. Fondia was selected the 9th best SME company and the best legal servicescompany to work for in Europe. And it was the third time in a row, wow! We are truly rewriting the legal industry as our mission requires. Well done, Fondians! We also received a special nomination for great work life balance achievements. Our excellent satisfaction results show that great workplace also delivers great professional services for customers.
Secondly, Futurice , another Finnish success story, won the award for the best company to work for in Europe. I guess we are doing something right here in Finland. Well done, Futurice, you're a great company and ambassador for Finland!
Third, as a brief recap of some of the topics discussed yesterday I will list below 'the secret ingredients of a great company'. The baking method and exact amounts you'll need to find out yourself. Trial and error will improve your recipe.
Ingredients of a great company, makes as many servings as you like: ___ grams of trust ___ cups of openness and transparency ___ grams of caring and empathy ___ tablespoons of sharing ___ grams of thanks ___ cups of listening ___ tablespoons of reinforcement and feedback ___ grams of smiles ___ tablespoons of fairness ___ grams of respect ___ grams of inspiration ___ cups of responsibility ___ grams of fun ___ grams of focus, planning, targets, follow up and measurement
Lots of purpose and at least a pinch of good luck. Celebration to taste.
Be careful, some ingredients are really strong, even in small quantities. Don't add too much bureaucracy, otherwise the dough may become bitter.
Baking a great company is a target that requires lots of effort, perseverance, constant development and innovation as well as courage with testing with different quantities of ingredients. But it's also great fun. Good luck, chefs out there!