Then the less understood Finnish colleagues 25 12 22
But only with hindsight looking back these 36 years to 1988 when I moved here, or 48 when I first visited the town in which OyV was built. Therebefore to 1970-72 for a post-graduate 2 year term, as "Tutkija" or Researcher in English, more than 50 years ago, and finally to the first 5 years of the 1960's a total of 65 years ago.
When it has to be said all very reasonable ppl, within their own cultural norms, or cultures, i.e. straddling the Finnish-Finnish and Swedish-Finnish, but not readily accommodating other cultures, as I am bound to add.
Best summed up as a free for all, as it operated at OyV when viewed from its upper echelons, most accommodating from the lowly level of worker or Laboratory Assistant/Technician level, as very minor cogs in large wheels, only briefly reaching a higher level post-graduation, though still a worker rather an Manager as befalls the Directorship, they enticed me with, to begin my current sojourn.
Okay, so long as I was working among my peers, I had known for 10 years past, but when two of these in practical terms left together, to be replaced by two much younger men, I guess their main attitude was one of seeing me as a threat to be neutered, someone not mainstream in terms of background, education or duties, i.e. the one a "Production Director" the other a "Financial Director" whereas I, this hairy-fairy Research and Development Director, an unknown quantity, not to be taken seriously.
From the word go being instructed to take them to see a Sausage Making operation which I had been cultivating for 2 years already, against the background of the Company OyV not being the preferred supplier, even on their own territory. This situation thanks to much more competent German competition. With hindsight, stupid on my part to take them to a plant where I was conducting trials, that contained a production processing problem, involving a small amount of over-drying, of less than 5%, and partly due to the fact the trial casing was lighter in weight than the regular quality. In effect setting myself up to be unravelled by our CEO upon our return to base, but not in my company, only behind my back in what was to become the "Inner Circle".
And, just as I came recommended by the CEO's predecessor, the new Production Director came with his predecessor's recommendation too. Though a world of difference in terms of the amount of time these ppl had of working at OyV, a lifetime in my recommender, only a few months in the case of his.
It is also worth adding that the CEO himself had on my first day as a fulltime employee, asked me to do something, that is read through a letter addressed to the President of our US Customising Company, in such poor English that, after putting it into something more respectable, he decidied to send his original anyway, full of demands, sending it without any discussion, in effect making me out to be too easy-going, not tough enough, with no appreciation of the subtelty of the British, who on occasion can be totally brutal, but wrap things up in polite speech, etc.
Fortunately for me I did have two years before these two arrived, and in that time, I had established my ability to achieve results: giving them the lightest sausage casing in the business, and in the fulllness of time getting it fully patented, so no-one else could produce it. Bringing science to bear with the three different Paper Suppliers, to the extent I was to have a huge impact in helping them produce better papers for our use. This on the one hand, and noting the lack of, eg Process Instrumentation on the part of OyV on the other, as seen with my own eyes visiting the plants of their competitors, who were also my customers in my former job as R and D Manager.
And just as important getting to know OyV's most important customers, in its biggest market: that of the USA when their two most important directors for our work together, told me "You will never have any trouble with us ****** all your problems will be with the Finns" (Later when I complained to them what a hard time I was having with the new Production Director, they exclaimed "We thought you were the problem!" thus showing him off in the same way he had been showing me off to our CEO, only now the boot was on the other foot, which was mirrored in the continuing close relationship I had fostered with them from the outset, perhaps culturally very similar ppl.)
Without further to do between the three of them they brought me low, so with less than two years of my contract to go, they began carving up my directorship: cherry-picking the bits they wished to do and leaving me with much of the donkey work. lol.
But if the new "Production Director" got my Directorship in addition to his own and that of Sales and Marketing Director, relieving our MD and CEO of the latter it wasn't too arduous for me because he then proceeded to give me large tracts of what I was good at: the responsibility for Quality Control, Base Paper Paper specifications, and the oversight of the Technical Support function including the monthly US Casing Claims handling (which I saw reduced from US $200 000 to just $ 5 000 pa in the 9 years years I did the job on my own, until his side-kick, the new Financial Director, now much later the new MD, with his newly appointed lady Sales and Marketing Director, relieved me of the task, telling me it was not my job but that of her Sales and Marketing Dept...!!?!
I shall leave the matter there content to continue representing the Company and Finland at the EU sponsored meeting held twice annually in Brussels, representing the Company and Finland in the Court of International Trade, in New York, NY, against a hike in customs duty of our US Sales, arranged at the behest of a US Competitor: up to normal retirement aged 65. But thereafter as a Management Consultant for 3 years more to do work none were really qualified to do fully independently, i.e. undertake continuing issues in the field of Intellectual Property and Food Contact Legislation and Safe Working Practices.
When it has to be said all very reasonable ppl, within their own cultural norms, or cultures, i.e. straddling the Finnish-Finnish and Swedish-Finnish, but not readily accommodating other cultures, as I am bound to add.
Best summed up as a free for all, as it operated at OyV when viewed from its upper echelons, most accommodating from the lowly level of worker or Laboratory Assistant/Technician level, as very minor cogs in large wheels, only briefly reaching a higher level post-graduation, though still a worker rather an Manager as befalls the Directorship, they enticed me with, to begin my current sojourn.
Okay, so long as I was working among my peers, I had known for 10 years past, but when two of these in practical terms left together, to be replaced by two much younger men, I guess their main attitude was one of seeing me as a threat to be neutered, someone not mainstream in terms of background, education or duties, i.e. the one a "Production Director" the other a "Financial Director" whereas I, this hairy-fairy Research and Development Director, an unknown quantity, not to be taken seriously.
From the word go being instructed to take them to see a Sausage Making operation which I had been cultivating for 2 years already, against the background of the Company OyV not being the preferred supplier, even on their own territory. This situation thanks to much more competent German competition. With hindsight, stupid on my part to take them to a plant where I was conducting trials, that contained a production processing problem, involving a small amount of over-drying, of less than 5%, and partly due to the fact the trial casing was lighter in weight than the regular quality. In effect setting myself up to be unravelled by our CEO upon our return to base, but not in my company, only behind my back in what was to become the "Inner Circle".
And, just as I came recommended by the CEO's predecessor, the new Production Director came with his predecessor's recommendation too. Though a world of difference in terms of the amount of time these ppl had of working at OyV, a lifetime in my recommender, only a few months in the case of his.
It is also worth adding that the CEO himself had on my first day as a fulltime employee, asked me to do something, that is read through a letter addressed to the President of our US Customising Company, in such poor English that, after putting it into something more respectable, he decidied to send his original anyway, full of demands, sending it without any discussion, in effect making me out to be too easy-going, not tough enough, with no appreciation of the subtelty of the British, who on occasion can be totally brutal, but wrap things up in polite speech, etc.
Fortunately for me I did have two years before these two arrived, and in that time, I had established my ability to achieve results: giving them the lightest sausage casing in the business, and in the fulllness of time getting it fully patented, so no-one else could produce it. Bringing science to bear with the three different Paper Suppliers, to the extent I was to have a huge impact in helping them produce better papers for our use. This on the one hand, and noting the lack of, eg Process Instrumentation on the part of OyV on the other, as seen with my own eyes visiting the plants of their competitors, who were also my customers in my former job as R and D Manager.
And just as important getting to know OyV's most important customers, in its biggest market: that of the USA when their two most important directors for our work together, told me "You will never have any trouble with us ****** all your problems will be with the Finns" (Later when I complained to them what a hard time I was having with the new Production Director, they exclaimed "We thought you were the problem!" thus showing him off in the same way he had been showing me off to our CEO, only now the boot was on the other foot, which was mirrored in the continuing close relationship I had fostered with them from the outset, perhaps culturally very similar ppl.)
Without further to do between the three of them they brought me low, so with less than two years of my contract to go, they began carving up my directorship: cherry-picking the bits they wished to do and leaving me with much of the donkey work. lol.
But if the new "Production Director" got my Directorship in addition to his own and that of Sales and Marketing Director, relieving our MD and CEO of the latter it wasn't too arduous for me because he then proceeded to give me large tracts of what I was good at: the responsibility for Quality Control, Base Paper Paper specifications, and the oversight of the Technical Support function including the monthly US Casing Claims handling (which I saw reduced from US $200 000 to just $ 5 000 pa in the 9 years years I did the job on my own, until his side-kick, the new Financial Director, now much later the new MD, with his newly appointed lady Sales and Marketing Director, relieved me of the task, telling me it was not my job but that of her Sales and Marketing Dept...!!?!
I shall leave the matter there content to continue representing the Company and Finland at the EU sponsored meeting held twice annually in Brussels, representing the Company and Finland in the Court of International Trade, in New York, NY, against a hike in customs duty of our US Sales, arranged at the behest of a US Competitor: up to normal retirement aged 65. But thereafter as a Management Consultant for 3 years more to do work none were really qualified to do fully independently, i.e. undertake continuing issues in the field of Intellectual Property and Food Contact Legislation and Safe Working Practices.
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