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One of the countries in serious trouble under the global financial crisis is Ukraine. Unemployment is up, GDP is (massively) down and the general mood is not particularly jolly. My colleague Katrin Jaakson and I spent a couple of days in Kiev to interview candidates for our Communications Manager position.


Pic: Katrin and Sergii (Mongoose) at the monastery Kiev Pechersk Lavra

Here's my (social science-free) take on Ukraine:

• Ukraine is a potential political and economic powerhouse. It is operating and growing in the shadows of Russia. While it will never achieve Russia's political prowess, Ukraine can become a significant force with its strategic geographic location, large population (46+ million), vast resources and ties to Russia. I say "potential" because Ukraine needs to make moves to become a true market economy and fix its flawed political system (it seems too easy to influence their Constitution - e.g. on whether the Prime Minister or President is the one in real charge...).
  
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• Clearly, efficiency is needed. At the hotel we stayed at (a relatively modest, 3 star hotel with solid roots in the Soviet times), way too many people had nothing to do. Six people serving lunch to 5-10 guests is not efficient...
  
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• Kiev is a truly proud and beautiful city. If Kiev represents the soul of Ukraine, I want to come back again and again to learn more. People in Kiev take their past seriously - as made evident by the well-managed parks, historical buildings, churches and war memorials. Speaking of war memorials, I have never seen something as astonishing as their WW2 memorial. The insane sacrifices made by the Ukrainian people (16 million killed in fighting the Germans, I heard) truly deserve such a monumental park. But more important, perhaps, is our respect. It is this respect for the past and eye on the future that makes Kiev so interesting. The old Soviet regime is visible everywhere you go, but you also see globalism making an impact. Close to our hotel, there were no less than four sushi restaurants (and pretty much no other dining places). The citizens of Kiev seem to LOVE sushi. I was happy to observe that not any of those restaurants employed any people even remotely related to Asian descent. The underlying message: we're good enough to make our own sushi here in Ukraine. And I grant them two thumbs up in response.
  
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• We're humble and proud to have people such as Mongoose (also famed for operafan.net and with the real name of Sergii Prosianyk) stand in the frontlines of a large community of Opera users (millions of Ukrainians use Opera on their PCs and mobile phones). We're honored by their dedication and support in what we are trying to achieve - to make the Internet more useful to anyone in the world. Mongoose is an embodiment of the Opera personality: he's open, honest, passionate, knowledgable, creative and has an international mindset. Thank you for the Dynamo Kiev scarf, Mongoose! Hope you enjoyed the akevitt and the chocolate. Drink responsibly...
  

Pic: Katrin and Tor at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War

Over the next ten days I'll post a personal life lesson every day. I'm not a philosopher, so please don't judge my lessons as anything but a normal guy trying to summarize some thoughts and make them public.

Lesson #1: Life is death. I say it out loud: “I will die one day”. So will you. So have billions of people before us. It’s completely unfathomable, but it will happen. One day, you’re 6 feet under with ants in your hair. Where I learned it: by my wife, who understands that there’s more to life than the next big job and the next big house.
Lesson #2: There is only one God. Religions are merely culture and human manifestations of a greater force. At the end of the day, all of us who believe, believe in one God. Where I learned it: since Day One.
Lesson #3: They may yell but they still love you. Sometimes, parents will make their kids lives’ hell with their yelling and insane requirements. But they truly love you. Where I learned it: in the car with my father, on our way home from basketball practice (yes, believe it or not, I actually played basketball back in the day). He had yelled far and wide about something and then suddenly uttered some words I’ll never forget: We may be angry at you but you need to know that we will always love you. Without condition.
Lesson #4: Good leaders know when to leave. The responsibility is always yours, no matter who screwed up in your organization. If the error was serious enough, you should leave with the culprit. Where I learned it: During my military service, a young soldier was killed during night training, by a passing civilian car. His sergeant had failed to put the necessary light signals in place as they walked down a road. Our battalion commander in chief first handled the crisis, and then stepped down a few weeks later in respect of the family and the system.
Lesson #5: Listen to the wind. Sometimes, you have so many (or so few) options that it’s impossible to make a decision. In those situations, let the wind take you. Just let whatever happens happen. Where I learned it: In the USA, where choices are so abundant. Not just in the supermarket aisles, but in every aspect of life.
Lesson #6: Just you and two suitcases. At least once in your life, you need to touch down on a completely foreign airport with two suitcases and not a single clue about how life will treat you in your new country. Where I learned it: When I moved to the USA in 1996 to attend college.
Lesson #7: Know your people. A good manager takes the time to understand the deeper motivations and background of the people who report to him/her. Not too deep, but deep enough to understand what truly motivates an individual to perform beyond expectations. Where I learned it: by my brilliant manager at the London-based PR firm I worked at prior to joining Opera.
Lesson #8: Standing still is also movement. Being a fighter is as much about patience as about agility and action. Where I learned it: in the military, where we spent hours standing still with full combat gear. The commander said: “The ability to stand still is as important as the ability to engage in combat.”
Lesson #9: You can spin but you can’t lie. You can select your facts to create a compelling story, but you can never lie. Where I learned it: I once lied to a journalist (in 2005) and it has tainted our relationship ever since. As a PR pro, it’s better to say no comment.
Lesson #10: You make two important decisions in life: Your partner and your career. Everything else is irrelevant. Where I learned it: In elementary school in the early 80s, by a female teacher who also urged us to rather have dessert after a meal than have a cigarette. Better fat than dead, she said. At that point, we were too young to smoke, but it was a clear message anyway.

One of the most spectacular rock formations in Norway is the Pulpit Rock - or Preikestolen in Norwegian. Here are pics from my recent trip there with Manju the Mountaineer.

Of course, just as we closed in on the destination itself, after a two hour trek, our digital camera broke down. So we had to resort to whatever quality pics Manju's Sony Ericsson phone could give us. Worst of all, it didn't store the pics of Manju sitting on the edge of the Pulpit...

See the pictures...

It took hard work (and some unconventional methods) to beat my friend Inga at a sledding competition.

(The competition took place at the mountain farm in Røldal, Norway. The first to pass the fence wins.)

(Inga in gray, me in black. Commentary by Manju)

Meeting with journalists during the day. Partying with Opera users at night. That's the way to launch a new office.


To the right, a photographer from Czech Business Weekly takes pics.