Leading Thinking
When facts don't settle disagreements
Leaders learn to see their own interpretations, hear how other people think and get people to see the same direction. First taught to more than 300 managers.
Leading Thinking: content and prices
FIEN
Ilkka Rajala, expert on how people and organisations think
I see how thinking works. Then change happens fast.
I'm Ilkka Rajala. I listen to how people talk and watch what they do. From that I can see what is really going on, and I choose the approach that works. I work with organisations as a speaker, trainer and developer. I also do systemic analysis and build the systems for it. I coach leaders and top performers one to one as well.
50,000 people trained
1,500+ individual clients
10,000+ coaching hours
2005 working as a trainer and developer since
What I do
I see the structure. Then I choose the approach.
Most people only see the end result of how their mind works: a decision, a feeling or an argument. I look at how it came about. I notice what goes unsaid and how a person reacts. Thinking has a structure. When I can see it, I can also see where change needs to happen.
The approach depends on the situation. In personal coaching I show the client the structure if they want to see it, and then they can see for themselves what needs to change. Sometimes changing how you think is enough. Many people, though, have already tried thinking differently about their reactions, for example, and want more. Then the work goes deeper, with the unconscious mind, using other methods. If someone already thinks too much, we step out of thinking altogether. With organisations the method is the same, but the tools are used differently. A well-delivered talk by a leader, for example, can influence the audience far more than the leader expects.
In my training I teach the same skill to others: the ability to see the structures of your own thinking. Looking at your own mind from the side is called metacognition. John Flavell introduced the concept to psychology in 1979. In research, good metacognition has been linked to better learning and better emotional regulation, among other things.
With organisations I also use systemic analysis. Language, behaviour, structures and data show how an organisation thinks and acts.
Training Keynotes, training days and programmes for managers. Most requested now: Leading Thinking, Cool Head and Thinking in the Age of AI. Development Assessment, development project and sparring for leaders. Getting ways of working and the way people think to work together. Coaching For leaders, elite athletes and professionals in demanding fields, when the stakes are high.
Clients
Accenture · Ilmarinen · Metsä Group · Nokia · Finnish Defence Forces · S-Bank · DNA
Three topics right now.
These are the three topics I speak and train on most at the moment: how a leader gets people to see the same direction, how to keep a cool head in uncertain times, and how to keep your thinking sharp alongside AI. I also give other trainings and talks.
Cool Head
When the ground isn't stable
The mind rehearses the worst in advance, and the body reacts as if the threat were already here. Five skills that release stress and bring judgement back, even under pressure.
Cool Head: content and pricesThinking in the Age of AI
When the machine answers faster than you can think
AI is already on everyone's desk. Few people notice when the machine starts thinking for them. You learn to keep your thinking sharp and the decision in your own hands.
Thinking in the Age of AI: content and pricesIt's not only that Ilkka is in the world's top five among experts and trainers of the mind. It's how his very broad, systemic approach gets significant results with serious business decision-makers who have already tried every possible coaching and leadership model. (Translated from Finnish.)
Ilkka's coaching doesn't only bring out peak performance at the right time and place; it looks at success from several angles. I've also learned skills for faster recovery and for staying healthy with the help of the mind's hidden power. I haven't experienced mental coaching like this for athletes anywhere else, and I warmly recommend Ilkka's coaching to all fellow athletes aiming for the top. (Translated from Finnish.)
As a trainer, Ilkka Rajala has my full trust because of his professional skill and his warmth with people. I'm happy to recommend him even to my closest friends. (Translated from Finnish.)
Book
Voittamaton (Invincible)
11 key abilities for success and peace of mind
The book starts from the idea that success is a set of skills you can learn. I wrote it together with Davide Floreno and Petri Matero. Published in Finnish.
Alma Talent 2020