The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things. (Theodore Roosevelt)

With parliamentary elections coming up in Finland on April 19th (Sunday this week), citizens of a country that has officially been in recession since 2008 hope to see major changes taking place in the political landscape.

leaders-walk the talkLast time Finland experienced a slump in the 1990´s, followed by Finland joining the EU in 1995, followed by a membership in the EMU and integrating the Euro as the official currency in 2002. This time, the recession is different in many aspects, the first of which is the fact that Finland´s political decision-making process has changed drastically since joining the EU.

How is this visible in daily life in Finland?

Perhaps the most integral fact is the general political climate in the country, heavily influenced by the overall political climate in Europe – interpreted by various media sources in a way that cannot but affect society, and consumer behavior. From an individual´s point of view, the question is about continued negativity, a vicious circle where decision-makers are caught up in their bureaucratic procedures, incapable of driving change that would actually lead to positive results, recovering economics and new growth.

New investments have been frozen for years already, the market in Finland (and in most other European countries) is stagnant, and exports of Finland are suffering due to a too strong Euro. Greece is bankrupt, Great Britain is about to vote themselves out of the European Union, once again. At least this has been speculated by media for years already.

Citizens are tired of the situation. As a consumer, and citizen, one has to shut down all media channels in order to avoid getting bitten by the negativity that slowly, but surely, has led to a situation which would have to be cut off in a drastic manner.

It is time for leaders to actually walk the talk, create sustainable change, get rid of too much bureaucracy, and make important decisions concerning the future of Finland, the European Union in general, in order to bring our economy into a flourishing state.

The leader has to be practical and a realist yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist. (Harvey S. Firestone)

The real leader has no need to lead; he is content to point the way. (Eric Hoffer)

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet. (Davy Crockett)