03 | 2023 Sanna Valkeejärvi & Nora Lindahl, Operations Manager
Nora has been part of the Kipinä community for a year, working hard behind the scenes for the well-being of the community while also ensuring that Kipinä operates in alignment with its values.
"Joining Kipinä was a big career change for me. Previously, I've worked as a consultant on client projects and been responsible for big picture projects, and now I'm involved in a bit of everything, from accounting to developing the Kipinä community and skills. This suits me well, my nature is systematic and practical. I don't see myself as a great visionary, but through my own work I enable other Kipiners to realise their big visions. Sometimes the wildest ideas need to be shot down gently to keep your eye on the ball."
The justice and community well-being at the heart of Kipinä requires a lot of work in the background. The sharing of responsibility and results will not succeed if the background work is not done well and even spot-on.
"At Kipinä, shared values genuinely take precedence over everything else. Trust cannot be lost because of sloppiness. In a community, you need people who will cut the bull's eye, because once you've promised something, you don't want to let it slip. It takes a lot of preparation, rigour and analysis to ensure that all decisions are transparent and that all possible information is shared to support collective decision-making. Without this, transparency and fairness will not happen."
“At Kipinä, people always come first. With this mindset, the client wins as well.”
One of Nora's primary responsibilities is keeping Kipinä's administration and community affairs running smoothly, supporting operations, sales, and experts alike. She is not a maternal figure or an office grandmother, though she is always happy to help if someone needs assistance.
“I'm not in as visible a role as before, but I feel that my work is more meaningful to me this way. The value of work doesn't come from how hard you hustle or how full your calendar is, but from being able to help others and advance mutually agreed-upon goals. You don't have to be in the spotlight all the time to be a meaningful part of the community.”
Transparency and open discussion is important at Kipinä. Only then can we make decisions together. Mistakes and blunders do happen, but there is no need to be ashamed or hide them. Mistakes are corrected together and others are supported. This attitude towards mistakes is what makes Kipinä very special.
“Major mistakes are avoided because issues are brought to everyone's attention immediately. When all figures and other details are transparent from the start during decision-making preparation, any mistake that happens is shared, and we fix it together.”
Nora is the one who organises the events that everyone in Kipinä wants to take part in. The one who asks what people want to do together and how to strengthen the community. Nora is the one who makes sure that as the company grows, the internal processes are in order, without too much bureaucracy.
Nora knew Kari and Olli from before and it was easy to jump on board with them.
Thoughts on well-being and the future
"Clarity of values is extremely important, as is openness. It's great when you're doing something you believe in, and you don't have to experience a conflict between your values and business. I know that things are done with the right morals, and nowhere is there an easy way out, because the whole community is committed to the same values. Being responsible as a person, a company and a community is something I take for granted and at Kipinä these things are a natural part of doing business."
Work-life balance and accommodating different life situations is important to Kipinä people, and Nora is no exception. When work doesn't take up too much time, there is much more to give to family, friends and various adventures.
"At Kipinä, we don't expect total dedication to work, but we talk openly about the fact that there has to be more to life than work. Of course work is important to everyone and we want to develop in it, but not in a way that takes energy and strength away from the rest of our lives. We is not just looking at one month's results, but looking beyond. That's why I am committed to my work and to Kipinä in the long term."
Nora says that in the past, she relied heavily on herself and what she could do and what she could do. Now it's more about the whole community and Kipinä.
"Although endless growth is not an intrinsic value itself for Kipinä and for me, I am confident in Kipina's future. I have great confidence in our ability to stick to our values and not to change them or the way we do things overnight. And sticking to our values is not a barrier to success, quite the opposite. I want to see progress and how far we can go with this great community."