From a scruffy engineer and tyrant leader, to an "emotions surgeon"

No, I’m not a surgeon.

I don’t like seeing blood.

But if you really want to know why I do what I do, I’ll tell you.

I studied engineering because my father was an engineer.

He was a partner in an engineering firm he founded with other partners.

He set it up shortly after arriving in Spain, after being a sailor for 10 years.

When his company closed, one of his suppliers wanted to create a subsidiary for the Iberian Peninsula.

It was a Finnish industrial engineering multinational. I managed the company for 15 years.

We did well.

For 12 years we grew at 20%, and the last 3 years at 50%.

We did it by challenging the paradigm of our sector.

And we achieved those results that make your president excited.

In just 3 years, we managed to triple the company’s turnover, from 5M EUR to 15M EUR.

Not bad for selling “iron and grease,” as my wife says.

Also known as: hydraulic equipment for things like:

the simulator for the European fighter jet (the famous EFA),
aluminum extrusion presses (the stuff windows are made of),
the braking system for the AVE (the Spanish high-speed train),
winches and cranes on large ships (from trawlers to oil tankers),
public works machines (yes, machines like excavators and rollers).

A real bore if these topics don't tickle your fancy.

I found it really interesting, But there was something that interested me even more.

In my first 3 years, with more shame and fear than experience, I was quite a tyrant boss.

That’s the downside of stress.

Luckily, and by choice, I started learning psychology.

That helped me accelerate my transformation from tyrant boss, as my team probably thought at first, to an engineer who understood emotions, team dynamics, and how to define and achieve visions.

But soon, I discovered my passion.

While we were growing at 50%, I prepared to leave there and set up my own business.

It’s been 18 years since I started my company, and the journey has been fascinating.

From tyrant boss to inspired leader

In February 2006, I founded inKNOWation.

First, I sold training to large companies, helping them think creatively and break free from limiting paradigms.

Many of these companies were part of the IBEX 35, and they seemed like the right target.

But soon, I got tired of hearing, "my boss has already taken this course"

And tired of seeing that the training didn't translate into tangible results.

I started selling innovation consulting to multinational companies.

I knew them well because I had spent 15 years in the same mess.

With endless reports and procedures that changed overnight every time some enlightened individual messed up in one of the subsidiaries.

Just in case, I kept trying with some Spanish corporations, like Repsol.

But I got tired of seeing us carry out brutally disruptive projects that the executives didn't dare to implement.

Then I understood that the problem (and the opportunity) was in their corporate culture and in the management teams that maintain it.

And in those who can change it.

As I wanted tangible results and to make a living questioning logic and innovating, I started doing cultural transformation projects.

These projects help create environments where trust and innovation replace fear and control.

And it worked.

Sometimes.

I discovered that when it did, it was because the leader dared to grow. To transform.

Just as I had done since 1997, and especially during the years when we tripled the company's revenue.

On a personal level, I haven't stopped learning, and life has hit me hard when I became too disruptive.

With each feedback, I grew. And I keep growing.

This taught me to focus only on pioneering leaders.

Those who truly want to take responsibility for how they govern their lives, their team's results, and their company's results, instead of blaming others.

Leaders who are not afraid of "brutal honesty" and sincere feedback.

Pioneers who don't want to go around in "emotional nakedness" like the emperor in Hans Christian Andersen's tale.

What the leader discovers, when they start to transform and understand their true potential, is that they were being the thing stopping the genie from getting out .

The lid of the lamp that holds the genie.

Their own genie.

And, consequently, their team's genie.

I know because it happened to me.

It was mind-blowing to discover it.

That's what allowed us to triple the company in just over 3 years.

Understanding that my role was to create the vision. And get out of the way.

Not completely. But almost.

As you can imagine, most companies "still have their lid on."

Emotionally, they are virgins.

And here comes one of those uncomfortable questions that help you grow:

Have you already recognised yourself as the LID of your own genius? Or do you still think it's not you, that it's the others?

I ask you because now I only work in-person with a few leaders who:

Have already self-diagnosed as LIDS
Want to stop being that and transform or keep transforming
Want to keep refining their talent, delegate tasks where they don't shine, and most importantly,
Multiply their capacity and results by 10.

With some, I work in my Mastermind "Exponential Leaders," where we work to multiply each other's results by 10.

With others, I still maintain the 1:1 format, "Leader of Leaders."

For all these reasons, I only work with 5 companies a year.

With those who want to create an Exponential Culture and Strategy to achieve Exponential RESULTS.

Those who fit the profile and want to work with me sometimes become clients.

Other times, there's no available slot, and I offer to put them on the waiting list.

Meanwhile, I give them the opportunity to keep growing through my services and online programs.

If you are interested in any of this, sign up for the "Roadmap: Daily Inspiration to Expand Your Comfort Zone" newsletter by leaving your email below.

By leaving your email, you agree to be added to a marketing mailing list where you'll receive DAILY advice via email and promotional offers from me (Matti Hemmi and inKNOWation).

Once you confirm your registration, you can tell me why you want to get in touch. If you decide you no longer want to receive emails about expanding your Comfort Zone and multiplying your results, you can unsubscribe anytime.

And if you don't want to sign up, no worries.

Good luck anyway!

Oh, by the way!

The "emotional surgeon" bit comes from a day when a client told me, "What you do with us is emotional surgery."

Although another client said I did "emotional gynecology," but I preferred to stick with surgery. No particular reason. Just felt right.

If you haven't gotten tired of reading and want to know more about me, here it is:

I was born in Helsinki, Finland, in Northern Europe, and grew up in Madrid, Spain (in Southern Europe, in case you're not from this continent).

I started judo at 7 and didn't stop until I got my black belt.

I love motorcycles. I raced motocross at 16 and started again at 58.

I volunteered for military service (at 17 years old) in Finnish Lapland, where I experienced -33 degrees Celsius.

I made 19 parachute jumps until I had two emergencies and decided to stop.

I've been with my partner, Mar, for 39 years, and she also helps people grow, including me.

We have an amazing family with 2 brilliant and adventurous kids.

I studied engineering, though it was quite a struggle. And even though I'm a numbers guy, I hate calculating anything that's not my income or my clients' income.

I've written 3 books. The 4th is on the way. And one of them has been read by more than 30,000 people, not counting the pirated digital copies.

I've planted many trees.

I've worked with 11 IBEX 35 companies (I mentioned this before, but didn't give you the number).

When I left my 15-year engineering career, my accountant said I was a snake oil salesman. But it must be quite good oil because my clients keep coming back, and I've been working with some for over 10 years.

I helped one client grow from 180M EUR to 301M EUR, earning 35% more than expected and achieving it in 3 years instead of the planned 5.

Many of my executive clients get promoted easily when they unleash the true genius within them.

I've done several treks and climbed high peaks. To Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) in 2019, Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) in 2021, and Mount Kazbek (5,054 m) in 2023. I got altitude sickness on all three but made it.

I've traveled to 63 countries.

In 2012, I created a video on self-leadership and dream fulfillment that has been viewed by over 24 million people across various channels (over 11 million on ours alone).

I'm the president of the Plus Plus Plus Foundation, created to help the world shift to a paradigm of trust and help people achieve their dreams. We also fund charitable dreams. By the way, the "plus plus" or "plus plus plus" attitude is what's needed for a "win win win" scenario.

I have no plans to retire. That's why I have a personal strategic plan to live to 150 years.

And meanwhile, I keep counting.

Did I already tell you I'm a numbers guy? 😜

Best,

Matti

P.S.- To stop being the LID in your own life and that of your family, team, or society in general, sign up for the “Roadmap: Daily Inspiration to Expand Your Comfort Zone” newsletter by leaving your email below.

By providing your email, you agree to be added to a marketing mailing list where you will receive DAILY tips and promotional offers from me (Matti Hemmi and inKNOWation).