Unique harmony of traditional and contemporary communication
Friday 17 March 2017, was a significant day for Medita not only because they had moved to a new chic office at Sugar Bay Hub, Helsinki just the other week, but also because they launched a communication self-assessment tool via Hubspot. Together with the Worldcom PR Group having identified 10 communication areas that affect communication performance, Medita took the vital step of moving from just another consultancy company to one that strives to empower its current and prospective clients. What struck me however was not the launch of the online tool or the buzz surrounding it, but rather the conversation which followed.
Coming from predominantly journalistic backgrounds, it was evident Medita team members were also committed towards continuing content development in the traditional forms via news paper articles, magazines and other print media. Viewing Finland to be at the cutting edge of technology, at first though I did wonder how necessary and effective it was to engage in traditional communication outlets, it soon became evident that this combination of traditional and contemporary was in fact a key pillar of the organizations continuous success. With the company's team expertise and clientele embedded in the fields of energy, manufacturing vehicles & transportation, agriculture and rural industry, construction technology, IT (healthcare, industrial) and HR, it soon became clear how many of these quintessentially Finnish business sectors were as likely or perhaps even more be impacted by eloquent articles than #'s and status updates. It was in fact this approach to developing content which truly highlighted their dedication in providing a personalized service to the clients. Fueled by their journalistic instincts the content developed is not just extensive and relevant, but also uniquely adapted as per the regional/national target market of their clientele. Easier said than done, in an age where flashy headlines override genuine content, it was refreshing to see the organizations commitment towards sustaining a balance between the diverse mediums of communication.
Quality over quantity
As I became aware of the business sectors Medita focused on one of the questions I had was what prevented them from expanding into more sexy sectors out there such as tourism, entertainment and so on. The answer was quite simple. As a company they preferred to provide extensive, personalized services to their clients drawing on the expertise shared within the team. So no matter how flashy or wealthy a potential client is, if they feel they cannot provide the in-depth high quality service they intend to, they'd rather redirect the client to another consultancy firm than take the project on board. This to me was a surreal moment. Having worked for one too many target driven, soul-sucking businesses myself, I recall the countless times I was pushed to take on clients who we simply did not have the capacity to serve. I remember sleepless nights of worry, stress, overwork, google searches and the terrible quality of final products/services delivered and disappointed clients. Medita, on the other hand, having not given to such short-lived, self-destructive temptations, clearly continues to thrive all while maintaining an impeccable reputation, drawing most its income from a loyal client base who've been with the company for decades.
Sustainable strategizing
During my discussions with Tiinu Wuolio [Senior Communication Consultant, Co-founder and Managing Partner], I was particularly moved by her interest in developing a second layer within the organization ensuring the company's smooth transition over the next 10 years. Though there clearly was no necessity to think so far ahead in terms of staffing, it was clear that even the most simple decisions made on a daily basis had much more gravity attached than what met the eye. While expanding the business itself, the vision Tiinu shared of growing a team capable of infusing into the organizational culture and embracing its clientele, ensuring the quality and intimacy of the services provided remained consistently exceptional even in another decades time, to me was the very definition of sustainability and prescience. In a climate where companies dish out temporary contracts and exploit the labour market, to know there are people and organizations determined to invest in their employees was, a relief.
Power distance, non existent and unnecessary
From the moment I was picked from the pool of international students by Medita, my contact person for the company was Tiinu. It is fair to say, particularly in a Sri Lankan context, for an otherwise insignificant university student to have direct contact with such a C-Level member of staff would be virtually impossible, unless of course you were related. But from the moment I fired off my first email to when I walked through the office doors, throughout the day, during lunch and when saying good bye, the respect I received, the dignity I was treated with, the time everyone was willing to spend teaching me the ropes of the trade was truly remarkable. I was so humbled and honoured by how wonderfully interconnected the team was, how designations were more a distinction of work functions than power and how comfortable I felt in my own skin as both an inexperienced student and a foreigner. While Finland in general is known for its flat organizational structures, what I experienced at Medita went above and beyond any level of professional courteousness I've encountered before.
Work life balance
While Medita Communications is a thriving organization with a highly committed workforce, it was evident that the staff members worked to live, and not the other way round. They were passionate, hardworking and dedicated but also laid-back, composed and cheerful. As I discovered over coffee and lunch, they all had families, friends, hobbies and interests outside of work from long distance running to organizing Frozen themed birthday parties. They were keen on learning about new cultures, open to new ideas and excited to travel the world. It was as if they had very rightly deduced there was far more to life than paying bills. I watched completely bemused as motor boat and tractor fanatics joint former journalists and IT specialists to weave the interdependent framework of the organization in which work benefited from hobbies and vise versa. In that moment I knew no matter what the contemporary business trends, Forbes magazine and generic bucket lists implied, it was ultimately the work life balance, as seen as Medita, one needed to achieve.
To conclude I walked into Medita Communication completely unassuming, expecting at most a friendly handshake and few moments of time. It is fair to say I walked out inspired and humbled, with an experience and hopefully a network of a lifetime.
Thank you, Harsh, for spending a day with us.
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