Maaret von Wright, head of occupational health psychologists at Mehiläinen Occupational Life Services is accompanied by the CEO of PwC Finland Mikko Nieminen in the Mehiläinen Pisto -podcast, where they discuss how the life situation of an employee affects the leadership required.
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Mikko believes that there are many things about leadership that need to be considered no matter the age or the life situation of the employee. However, good management adjusts according to the stage of the career the employee is in at the moment. He also believes that different life situations can and should be seen in the workplace. Mikko himself lives a busy life as a father of three children and emphasizes that the daily life at home cannot be completely separated from work:
- The busy life with small kids and a career, like the life that I am currently living, requires quite a lot of work. Good life management is an important thing. It applies to all age groups, but perhaps at this stage of life, it is most important.
Mikko likes to all the new trainees of PwC how he as well started there as a trainee in 1997. Today, PwC, which provides auditing, tax, and legal services, employs 1,250 people in Finland, and Mikko works as the CEO of the company.
The leadership pathway emphasizes the leadership skills required at different stages of the career
At PwC, all employees are trained for good managerial work, as almost all employees have some form of management tasks in their job description:
- You only need to work for us for a couple of months before you start mentoring the next trainee.
Mikko describes the PwC’s leadership framework as a path where employees at different stages of their careers are offered training that supports their current teamwork and leadership skills. The first thing that an employee is thought is self-management. When an employee knows themselves and their ways of working, they can also find their strengths. This constructs a strong base where the leadership and management of other members of the team will later be built on.
Trust in the supervisor helps to openly communicate needs and desires
According to Mikko, it is important to build a confidential relationship between the employee and his or her closest supervisor. By doing so, it will be easier for the employee to talk about their personal life situation and how it affects their needs at work:
- Everything is based on trust. If you can’t trust your supervisor, you won’t talk about your own life and tell if your life situation changes.
Mikko has the first-hand experience of a difficult life situation that required postponing a dream he had for his career. His mother fell ill at the same time as his twins were born so a lot was happening at the same time. Whilst all this, Mikko was offered a promotion he had hoped for. An opportunity to lead PwC's largest business area:
- I thought about my situation and realized that although this is the role I had always wanted, I could not take it. I would have had to neglect either myself, my family, or my job. Probably everything would have gone wrong.
However, the CEO who offered him the place, said he understood Mikko's situation and that he would wait for things to calm down. When Mikko brought the topic up a year later, the CEO said that the place was still vacant for him.
A diverse team achieves the best results
As age brings experience and confidence for a person, younger people can provide the team with the latest knowledge and skills. According to Mikko, younger people also seem to demand more from working life and management, as they expect more from work than just financial compensation.
Although the work as an expert or a consult highlights the need on learning and embracing new skills, Mikko sees age as only a number in working life:
- Everyone has strengths. I think the winning team is always diverse.
Mikko believes that experience gives older employees a broader perspective of working life and business:
- It takes years to grow into a deep level of expertise. And to top that with a capability to take care of a team and customers, I would say that it requires a lot of experience.
However, Mikko wants to point out that it is important to take care of oneself especially as one ages. For example, many employers could offer a shorter working week in case an employee needs it. This could ensure that the skills and resilience of an older employee are looked after.
Mikko encourages everyone to open their situation of life to their supervisor, whether it is about a stressful situation that needs to be acknowledged at work or enthusiasm to move on to more challenging work tasks. He thinks that an employer has a responsibility to react and find alternatives when an employee so requests:
- I've always been brutally open to my supervisors. I have always trusted that they are on my side and want what is best for me. I have always had good managers who have nurtured my enthusiasm and given me responsibility, but also supported me when needed.