My mission at Lindström is to help the organisation, its people and its customers to improve while learning and developing as an individual.
When asked to do a photoshoot in Lindström workwear, Mika Kujala insisted on wearing his own welding jacket as he is, in his own words “[…] equally passionate about driving change and business development through teamwork, as I am about repairing, building, and driving motorcycles and cars.”
Kujala is a firm believer in the importance of dialogue and consensus building, a valuable trait when leading a regional management team consisting of six different nationalities, from the United Kingdom in the West to Hungary in the East. “In order to inspire people and drive change, it is important to provide context and long-term direction. That is how you create commitment, generate new ideas, and resolve conflicts that might occur along the way.”
“I regularly visit all the countries I am responsible for, and I try to do two or three customer visits when I am there. It is crucial to meet with our customers and end-users to get direct feedback, and grasp the developments happening in our customers’ businesses and the industries they operate in.” Kujala says. He summarizes: “In order to lead our business in a customer-driven manner, we have to continuously learn more about our customers.”
In addition to seeing customers and Lindström’s services in action, Kujala’s travels provide him with new insights. “I truly enjoy witnessing manufacturing processes and learning more about how different companies operate.” He continues: “It has been fascinating to experience how sustainability has been – and keeps on – rising on the agenda for our customers. There are still differences between regions and organizations, but in general, the importance of sustainability is growing in the corporate world.”