Mervi Airaksinen - Dreaming big enough, so that everyone laughs at you

Jun 4, 2024

Mervi Airaksinen, Managing Director of Microsoft Finland, shares her journey through corporate leadership and personal growth. She discusses the challenge of ambitious dreaming in a culture of humility and the importance of strategic transformation in overcoming leadership hurdles. Mervi highlights how diverse leadership teams enhance decision-making and fosters collaboration. She also delves into balancing family and career, emphasizing the need for self-promotion in Finland's tech sector, and the ongoing evolution of corporate values towards inclusivity and innovation.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Balancing Life and Leadership

03:04 • 7min

Overcoming Leadership Challenges through Strategic Transformation

10:05 • 2min

The Power of Diversity in Leadership for Successful Decision-Making

12:20 • 2min

Transforming Company Culture

14:00 • 8min

Navigating Tech Careers: A Finnish Perspective

22:29 • 28min

In this episode we sit down with Microsoft Finland’s Managing Director, Mervi Airaksinen to discuss chopping the elephant, dealing with owners, leading a transformation, dreaming big, the importance of a good leadership “team” and the balance between tech and expertise.

(00:00) Dream big and speak out loud. Intro to Mervi Airaksinen.
(08:08) Transitioning into a Great Place to Work
(08:55) Maintaining work-life balance during tough personal challenges
(10:21) Executing one step at a time is key for a leader in a transformation process
(14:58) Building trust and teamwork within leadership
(17:19) Dream big and execute towards it
(21:42) Setting ambitious crazy goals and inspiring others as key strengths
(23:59) Finnish leaders excel in humility and need to promote achievements vocally
(27:56) Promoting diversity in leadership for global expansion
(30:30) Promoting diversity and gender equality in the Finnish tech industry
(34:00) Lowering barriers of entry of external perspectives to fix clients' problems simply with tech
(35:12) Leverage Finland's strengths in security, sustainability, and skilling for success
(40:34) Microsoft's cultural shift to a 'learn it all' attitude and remarkable cloud transformation
(43:22) Advice to young leaders: pursue your dreams and build networks for success
(45:05) Hosts' reflections. Dreaming big. Corporate entrepreneurship. Learning from tough times leads to profound commitment.

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