“Working with Aalto EE has been very straightforward,” says Tero Kiviniemi, CEO of Destia, which achieved its best-ever financial operating result in 2023. Tailored to Destia, the Leadership Card II training program has become so popular that some participants would like to do it twice.
Destia, Finland's largest infrastructure company, is systematically developing the leadership skills of its managers. An important part of this ongoing development commitment is the Leadership Card II training program, developed and implemented jointly by Destia and Aalto EE.
The training is especially targeted at Destia’s personnel who work in managerial roles. The program aims to strengthen their leadership competencies and empower participants to apply effective leadership practices to their roles. The program is designed to support the implementation of Destia's strategic objectives and to strengthen leadership approach and practices in line with the company's values throughout the organization.
Tero Kiviniemi notes that many of Destia's managers and supervisors have a solid educational background in technical subjects. He believes it is important to have similar skills and expertise in leadership and managerial work as well.
Working with Aalto EE has been very straightforward. It has been especially great that Aalto EE has been able to listen to and hear Destia's needs and respond to what we have requested,” Kiviniemi emphasizes.
Aalto EE was chosen as Destia's training partner because Aalto EE was seen demostrating the necessary expertise and forward-looking approach to help Destia achieve its goals.
In addition, it was important to find a partner who considers the customer’s industry, operating environment and the changes that were taking place within them. Destia designs, builds, and maintains vital infrastructure such as power grids, bridges, roads, and railways.
“Working with Aalto EE has been very straightforward. It has been especially great that Aalto EE has been able to listen to and hear Destia's needs and respond to what we have requested,” Kiviniemi emphasizes.
Recognizing strengths, creating a common language, and bringing people together
The Leadership Card II program has been successfully implemented for several years. The third group completed their studies in spring 2024, and the fourth group will begin their studies in autumn 2024.
Tero Ristolainen, Destia’s Director of Aggregates and Circular Economy, was impressed by Aalto EE's approach to bringing researchers and business professionals together.
The program has helped to identify not only the strengths of Destia´s work community, but also where those strengths come from. Having managers across the organization undergo the same training has helped to create a common language and build new internal networks.
During the program, the job titles were deliberately left outside the walls of Aalto University’s Töölö location. This made it easier to seek help and peer support from colleagues.
Mia Lönnberg works in the Finance Department at Destia. She leads the Group Control & Shared Service Center Department of the company. “Personally for me, as a support function representative, mixing and mingling people cross departmentally in the program was very valuable.”
By including people from different parts of the organization in the training, it is easier to identify what is important in different parts of the business and what kind of challenges colleagues are struggling with.
Mikko Möttönen, Executive Vice President of Destia’s Road and Consulting Services, found it particularly useful that he was able to discuss topics that he and the others do not ordinarily have much time to talk about, because of their busy work schedules.
Stopping to question one’s own ways of working and explore wild ideas requires an environment such as the one provided in the training.
“I saw a lot of enthusiasm and insights from our whole group, and I think our team really bonded during this training.”
Better leadership also enhances financial results.
The cooperation has been enjoyable and meaningful for both sides. For Bella Sillman, Account Director at Aalto EE, the best part of collaboration has been getting to know and understand the people working at Destia and to learn about their organizational culture.
“They come here with a big heart, professionalism, and an open mind. They are great people, and all the destians I have met have demonstrated an organizational culture that I appreciate,” Sillman says.
Success is always the by-product of getting everything else right,” Hippeläinen says.
Merja Hippeläinen, HR Business Partner at Destia, has been pleased to see that the Leadership Card II training program is attracting more and more interest and candidates. “We often get questions such as: “Hey, if the group is not full, can I come back for a refresher course?” This has been such a popular and well-liked program,” says Hippeläinen.
She goes on to share that systematic training has improved management and leadership at Destia, which is reflected in personnel satisfaction surveys and in financial success. Destia achieved its best financial operating result in 2023, and according to Hippeläinen, leadership development has played a crucial part in that.
“Success is always the by-product of getting everything else right,” she says.
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