2Oct2015
The second day of a seminar on a Friday. I bet most of us see in our minds a room full of people constantly checking their phones and thinking about what they will cook for their family that weekend. You need extraordinary speakers to capture the interest of a crowd that has listened to a full day of speeches the previous day, and perhaps stayed a bit too late at the after party in the evening. However, that was what the second day of the Nordic Business Forum 2015 had was able to offer.
“Disobedience is not our problem, obedience is.” Garry Kasparov
“Be the leader you wish you had.” Simon Sinek
“The main thing is to just stick in there once the going gets tough.” Mette Lykke
“Hell on earth would be the man you could have been.” Keith J. Cunningham
“We have to figure out where we want to go before we can get there.” Ben Bernanke
The speakers of today reminded the audience that business is a game of people. The rules and culture of the game are defined by people, and they can be, and are constantly redefined by people. As it is a game of people, you don’t have to become a multitasking, superefficient robot to play it. On the contrary, to play the game better, you should embrace the fact that business is not separate from the other aspects of human life.
This point is reflected well in the word clouds below. They illustrate the words that have appeared most frequently in the discussions on social media around the second day of Nordic Business Forum 2015.
To sum up:
Know yourself. You may be the biggest obstacle in front your success.
Treat people how you would like to be treated: you won’t make it without them.
Ask, and then truly listen.
Stop to think. Am I doing the right things for the right things?
Treat digital gadgets as they are meant to be treated: as great tools, not as a meaning of life, or a superior being.
Don’t be afraid of mistakes. You cannot avoid them. Being smart is learning from them.
Practice with perseverance: leadership and success, and for that matter character, are created in the small every day decisions.
If you want to be a leader, accept the responsibility that comes with it. Leadership is a choice to sacrifice your interest to take care of others.
If you take these things with you from the second day of the Nordic Business Forum 2015 you may become a happier, but also a more successful person. Are you willing to take the step?
Author: Susanna Eskola (@susanna_eskola on Twitter)
