The flight touched down in Helsinki without a thud. As I ventured out of the airport, the
crisp, fresh and cold air simply filled my lungs. This was my first visit to the Nordic
nations. The atmosphere was loaded with a different mojo, #NordicMojo. I have experienced
the same mojo at the workplace with clients, colleagues and even at the most remote places
where the yearly average temperature is between 0° to - 4° C. Over the years, I learnt and
understood the core values of the Nordic model, specifically their culture (way of life),
and philosophy toward Sustainability and education. I believe there are a plethora of
opportunities to embrace these values and spread this NORDICMOJO.
Culture (Way of Life)
A great part of the model depends on the high degree of trust and fairness that people have
with regards to society, business and government working together to reach sustainable
solutions and address societal challenges through democratic processes. It appears to be a
straightforward principle, which was significantly evident in my experience of working with
Nordic colleagues and clients and was the highest differentiator for either winning or
losing the deal. The troublesome part of about this fundamental concept is that you cannot
measure it. Your team, your organization and you, yourself should live by it daily to help
it take the form of your ‘way of life’.
Sustainability
Sustainability is the core DNA of the Nordic society. The world’s most sustainable
businesses are all Nordic, according to the recently published Global 100 Index. The Nordics
is rich with natural resources from oil, iron, and forestry, to name a few. I had an
opportunity to work with clients from these specialized businesses and during my interaction
with them I observed that their Sustainability reports are even more detailed than their
financial ones. I have learned that every decision, whether by individuals, businesses, or
government, is taken with a conscious aim to optimize the long-term impact on the natural
surroundings and on their people. For Nordics, Sustainability is about fairness,
transparency, gender equality, innovation, architecture & design, and it is not good to have
but a winning recipe for building Future-Fit living.
Education
For me, this is where it all begins. The Nordic education system is the cookbook that
includes a recipe for creating a good society. The focus on nurturing curiosity, creativity,
communication, cooperation, and problem-solving skills makes all the difference. These are
the very skills which are shown to be long lasting throughout their history and they provide
a chance for each child to develop as a unique individual. It is strongly believed that when
children develop an ability to learn and use it as a life skill, and subsequently see the
real life applications of the knowledge they gather, they will become lifelong learners. I
believe there is a huge potential and opportunity for the wider world to also learn and
inculcate key principles from the Nordic higher education system which is not as well-known
as primary education. Let us together start the conversation about this to bring this into
the mainstream thought process.
If you had to be reborn anywhere in the world as a person with typical talents and income,
you would want to be a in Nordic Europe. The Nordics cluster at the top of league tables of
everything from economic competitiveness to social health to happiness.
