JYSK is the largest Danish shop operating globally and has many UK outlets across the North of England.
Roni Tuominen, who has experience in a range of senior roles at Clas Ohlson and as Head of Retail at JYSK, is responsible for the development and operations in UK and Ireland of the shop, which has outlets in locations including Bolton, Liverpool, Bradford and York.
We found out the lessons Roni has learnt in his career…
Which single daily habit or practice could you not do without?
It must be looking at the previous days’ sales performance, it is usually the first thing I do every morning!
What’s been your luckiest break?
In general, I don’t really put that much value on the concept of luck. However, I would say that my luckiest break must have been the 2008 IT bubble, which forced me to come up with a plan B to my IT ‘dreams’.
That plan B for me was continuing my studies, turning my focus to economics and returning to working in retail, which turned out to be the love of my life in business.
What’s your best failure?
Contrary to luck, I believe strongly in learning from failure so there are plenty of ‘best failures’ that have taught me valuable lessons. Every failure viewed in the right way can potentially be the best lesson you have. That’s how I’d like to look at mine anyway!
What is the best investment you’ve ever made, either financial or time?
My parents introduced me to sport pretty much as soon as I learned to walk, and ever since many different sports have played an important role in my life.
Both physically but also mentally, being a member of team sports from a young age taught me valuable lessons about team dynamics. Nowadays, going to Crossfit classes gives me the energy to continue, but it’s also mentally refreshing and a good balance to work.
Which book would you recommend others to read and why?
If I’m to recommend just one book, then I’ll pick one that falls into the context of business and leadership. ‘The One Minute Manager’, written by Kevin Blanchard and Spencer Johnson in the early 80s, has been one of my favourite books ever since I first read it when I had just started as a manager.
The idea of empowering your employees to become successful in their jobs fits well with my leadership values.
What one piece of advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
I would likely just tell myself to stop worrying about the future. Keep working hard, enjoy your youth and focus on doing things that make you happy.
Who or what has had the single biggest influence on your working life?
It would be easy to give a long list of inspiring people that have had an impact on me. However, I must say that my current manager, Regional Retail Director Ville Velin has had a big influence on my working life. In the five years we’ve worked together, Ville has taught me what it means to be a committed role model to your organisation whilst at the same time relentlessly pushing people to reach their potential.
How will the COVID crisis change work for the better?
I think it has forced us to re-evaluate the dynamics of the office environment in particular. For me, like many others, I have really missed the face-to-face conversations and connections with people.
I look forward to the day when we can safely do that again, but until then we’ll maximise the use of technology within our teams to do our daily work.
What does success look like to you?
I measure my success on my team members’ success. To see my organisation and especially direct team members reach their potential and being able to support them in their career growth is true success for me.
