Administrative Director at the National Land Survey of Finland Matti Hyytinen has a broad array of responsibilities. He is in charge of services ranging from HR, finance, legal and facilities to communication. In addition, he is the National Land Survey of Finland’s CFO and Executive Board member.
Hyytinen has worked for the Finnish government nearly his entire career. A few years back, he decided to enroll in the Aalto Executive MBA program.
“I see a leader’s job as a continuous development path – and significant development only occurs when one challenges oneself and steps out of one’s comfort zone. I had considered participating in extensive leadership coaching for some time, as quite a few years had passed since my previous degree studies. I got my master’s degree in economics back in 2001. An EMBA seemed the natural choice for a thorough professional update for someone with my background,” explains Hyytinen.
“I opted for Aalto EE, because I felt that it offered the best opportunity to learn skills that I wished to focus on. I wanted to enhance my abilities to operate in an international environment, challenge myself and gain new perspectives to leadership. I also hoped to improve my language skills,” he continues.
Hyytinen affirms that he was very pleased with the program’s content.
“The Aalto EMBA program very successfully combines the most current high standard research with how things function in practice in the leadership and management of different kinds of organizations,” he says.
The program very successfully combines the most current high standard research with how things function in practice."
“The World Economic Forum has identified capabilities such as complex problem solving, critical thinking, people management, coordinating with others and service orientation as the most important work-related skills of the 2020s. As I reflect on my MBA studies, I realize that these are exactly the capabilities I developed, as mastering such skills was a significant part of the entire EMBA journey,” he ponders.
Hyytinen says he very much enjoyed learning together with other participants.
“Working with participants from many different backgrounds was highly rewarding. Understanding things together was especially appealing during the Business Strategy Project, BSP, a strategic consulting project conducted in small groups during the EMBA. I will remember the BSP as an outstanding teamwork experience,” he says.
“The program gave me a marvelous network, and also genuine friendships, which is something that I value greatly,” he adds.
Hyytinen affirms that the Aalto EMBA gave him exactly what he was looking for:
“I gained substantial additional understanding of transformations occurring in both our national and the global operating environment, and good competence for working in different kinds of networks. My language skills also improved, just as I had hoped. The EMBA’s impact can be seen in my everyday life in many other ways as well. I have succeeded in decreasing multitasking and strengthening my presence and my ability to cope with stress,” he mentions.
The Aalto EMBA offered a refreshing opportunity to look at things from various perspectives.
“In work life it is easy to fall into certain decision-making models. The Aalto EMBA offered a refreshing opportunity to look at things from various perspectives. In essence, this automatically lifted me out of my own thinking frameworks. I got a great deal of ideas and new perspective during the program and consequently my ability to see new solutions developed considerably,” he points out.
Aalto EE’s high quality and professionalism made a favorable impression on Hyytinen.
“At the National Land Survey of Finland, I am in charge of internal services. Perhaps this made me notice just how well every last detail of the practical arrangements were honed to perfection at Aalto EE. This allowed us participants to focus solely on learning, as everything else relating to studying had been thought out in advance,” he notes.
Hyytinen says that he is happy to recommend the Aalto EMBA program.
“The Aalto EMBA is a unique opportunity for across-the-board leadership development. I warmly recommend it to anyone who is interested in significantly improving their own leadership abilities. Of course, participating is also sensible from a career perspective: a high-quality leadership training is a significant merit,” he emphasizes.
Hyytinen has one key tip for people contemplating the EMBA program:
The program is a unique opportunity for across-the-board leadership development."
“The program is very intensive. On occasion, it was genuinely tough finding the time for studies, work and everyday life. You should be prepared to do a significant amount of work, especially if you wish to achieve the learning goals that you set for yourself,” he underlines.
“I have a background in endurance sports and through trial and error I have learned how to identify my own limits. You need time to recover after combining many intensive activities, no matter if they are studies, work or things you do in your free time. Every so often you have to stop to identify when less is more and when you need to pick up the pace. In hindsight, I could have chosen to pace myself differently on some occasions, but all in all I am very satisfied with having graduated with honors and within the set time frame,” he says happily.