The cup is always half full

We seldom see ageing as a positive thing, though there is something great about it (even though I may still be young). The things around you seem to fall into increasingly clear compartments. Now and then, you may even feel as if you could distinguish the more important matters from the less important ones. Then you lose the thread again and find yourself wondering whether you understand anything at all about life.

Something important seems to happen in those bright moments. In my case, it’s about the significance of things. Whether in personal life or at work, in dedication or in possession, I’ve noticed that these moments often involve recognizing what is truly meaningful to oneself. But what is meaningful, and to whom? At this point, I believe, a connection emerges with the values that we all share.

Values often play a complex role in our lives. We frequently hear how important it is to live according to our own values, yet in other contexts we are encouraged to adapt to our environment. When these come into conflict, which becomes more important? Living in accordance with your values is therefore not always straightforward. When your own values serve as a compass at life’s crossroads, there may be people around you who are not always pleased with your choices. At this point, the issue may be one of conflicting values. Sometimes, subjectivity—or the so-called “colored glasses”—also comes into play. In such situations, tolerance and social intelligence are extremely important. It is also healthy, from time to time, to critically reflect on how your actions align with your own values.

In the case of companies, I believe that work related to values is extremely important. A good example from the early days of Nodeon is the initial stages of building the company’s organizational culture. The shareholders had many ideas about what the company should be like—qualities that would certainly be desirable for any company. Gradually, however, it became clear that some of these ideas simply never took root in the way the company operated. In hindsight, I’ve thought that perhaps they were mostly just wishes. Who hasn’t sometimes thought, “I wish I were a certain way”? On the other hand, ideas that genuinely reflected values shared among the owners and management gradually began to shape the company’s way of working. A company is, in many ways, always a reflection of its owners and leadership—for better or worse.

Finally, one of my favorite quotes, which also has a strong connection to the values of our company.

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit!” – Harry S. Truman

Timo Majala
Director, Products and Services