Suomiškasis sisu

Šiandien skrisdamas finnair žurnale perskaičiau PR'inį straipsnį kokie nuostabūs žmonės yra suomiai. Pilnai su juo sutinku ir netempdamas gumos dalinuosi OCR'inta versija su jumis. (Mano nuomonė po straipsniu)

The power of sisu
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking at the book launch for Andre Noel Chalker’s The Finnish Miracle (Talentum), which is about Finnishness and success. It's always useful to get an outsider-insider to offer you an objective analysis of your strengths and weaknesses. Chaker is a French-Canadian lawyer and businessman who has been living in Finland for more than 20 years. He knows what he’s talking about and does so without sugarcoating things.
In recent years, Finland has received numerous accolades. It's been ranked by Newsweek magazine as the world s best country, by PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) as having the best basic education system; by Gallup World Poll as the happiest nation; by Transparency International as the least corrupt; and by the World Economic Forum as the most competitive country in the world. Not bad for a sparsely populated Northern country which gained its independence in 1917.
Chaker’s basic thesis is that Finland's success is based on five ideas.

First, have an open mind.
Don't let appearances fool you, Finns are essentially liberal and inquisitive. In order to do that, we have a good knowledge base (education), tolerance for diversity and energy. How else would you explain our egalitarian nature, bilingualism and love of the naked truth, i.e. the sauna?

Second, respect trial and error.
If you want to succeed you have to take risks. This means that you have to learn to accept both failure and success. Finnish companies such as Nokia, F-Secure, MySQL, Rovio (Angry Birds) and Marimekko have achieved greatness because a few individuals have had the guts to take risks.

Third, work harder and smarter.
According to Chaker, one of the key elements to moving forward is that many Finns put a lot of effort into working. It’s in our DNA. This does not mean, however, that we work more hours than most. As a matter of fact we are a bit below the OECD average. The key is to work intelligently. Using information technology is essential to this.

Fourth, use sisu, a combination of courage and perseverance.
Finns simply don't give up. Whether during famines and wars or recessions and harsh winters, giving up is simply not an option. Runner Lasse Virén won the gold medal in the 10,000-metre event at the 1972 Munich Olympics despite falling down midway in the race. This was a remarkable show of sisu.

Finally, be yourself.
Finns are straightforward. What you see is what you get. You don’t have to do any second guessing. Always trust a Finnish handshake.

The launch event was as much fun as reading the book, as the audience was full of international Finns and Finnish internationals. Jokes and laughter were aplenty. If you want to learn about the Finnish miracle, this book is a must - a guaranteed good read.

Labai teisingi, punktai ir manau, jog sekmė yra mentalitete ir išsilavinime. Jokios taisyklės ar įstatymai, neprivers žmonių gyventi geriau. Kaip jau ir ankščiau rašiau apie Suomiją, tai dar kartą patvirtina, jog reikia dirbti ne daugiau bet geriau. O tam reikia noro.

Beje, straipsnio autorius yra Alexander Stubb (minister for European affairs and foreign trade). O pats straipsnis užkliuvo dėl "sisu" specifiškai suomiško žodžio reiškiančio nepasidavimą. Pasirinkus tikslą jo siekti nepaisant sutinkamų nesekmių. Aš šį žodį, kaip nekeista, parsivežiau iš pietų. Mane apšvietė Vienas iš portugalijos couchsurfer'ių, kuris beje yra ir didėlis Lietuvos fanas. Ar mes Lietuvoje turime "sisu"? Reik išsiaiškinti.