We spent this year's Good Friday morning with friends at a local café followed by a visit to the gym while my wife went shopping at the mall. I don't remember when society suddenly decided that commerce trumps tradition, but it is a sign of the times and the church is in trouble - the … Continue reading The church needs to pivot
Category: Personal
How we learned to work lean in 10 easy steps
At work I have a few rules and practices that I stick to, mainly for the reason that it allows people to get the most out of their time and abilities - to focus on creating value. I believe that when you strip away the power structures, drain the silos and add transparency, what you're … Continue reading How we learned to work lean in 10 easy steps
Do not hire a man who does your work for money
Something has to change. I was the safety representative at a previous company some years ago and did not think much of it. We had to have one and it might as well be me. I had only filled in some standard paper work and that was it. Some time later I had been working … Continue reading Do not hire a man who does your work for money
A series of unfortunate economic events
In a way my now 35 year life has been a series of economic crises - the Nordic financial downturn of 1991-1996, the IT bubble crash of 2000-2002 and the great recession of 2008-who knows when. That's more than half of my years on this earth and it has definitely left a mark on me. The … Continue reading A series of unfortunate economic events
It starts with one
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This is the most important thing that I've realized in my life so far. I've managed to use it to my advantage in both my personal and professional life and found that this is really the only thing that sets me apart from others … Continue reading It starts with one
Never Monday
Over the past ten years I've strived to mix my work and leisure time to such a degree that I wouldn't ever notice that it's Monday - the traditional day to loathe since it's the beginning of the work week for most people. It's silly really. I've been blessed in that I've been able to work … Continue reading Never Monday
The don’t be a d**k rule
Warning, expletives extensively used throughout this post. I took a car trip with a friend not long ago and we started discussing former colleagues and school mates and how you don't get to choose who you spend your days with. I explained to him that I strive to live by the don't be a dick rule, … Continue reading The don’t be a d**k rule
I’m not a patriotic man
Today December 6th Finland celebrates its sovereignty, a country 98 years in the making but still in search of itself. I think I've followed the path of most Finnish men - kindergarten, school, military, university, work but I still feel I don't really belong, an outsider in the country I was born in. I've come to … Continue reading I’m not a patriotic man
Organized chaos
The world changes ever more quickly and it's hard to change with it, not to mention getting up front and leading the change. At work, we practice something we call organized chaos meaning that we have processes for everything but those processes can change completely in a heartbeat. And I try to apply the same … Continue reading Organized chaos
Relections on a scar
My son had an accident some time ago and although he's fine now, it really got to me. He got a deep cut across his face and I found him bloody on my brother's lawn. We don't really know what happened but he probably fell on a sharp rock. Someone has said that having a child is … Continue reading Relections on a scar
Forthzine - Jonas Forth 