From the CEO’s Notebook: Reflections on Nordic Business Forum 2025

There’s funny irony in organizing a leadership conference.

As part of the Nordic Business Forum team, I don’t get to be in the audience. I’m not the one sitting quietly with a notebook, thinking about my own leadership. Together with the whole NBF team, we’re in the corridors, the backstage, and control rooms, making sure things run smoothly for the attendees.

Sometimes, I catch a few moments in the seminar hall – enough to feel if the content is resonating, but not nearly enough to focus on my own development.

Our job is to build an experience that helps people grow. We believe that when you’re engaged, you pay attention. When you pay attention, you remember. And when something truly moves you, you might even do something about it.

But we’re also realists. After the event, it’s easy to slip back into old routines. That’s why we think so much about how to make the learning last. We don’t want people to leave only inspired; we hope something actually changes.

Making the Learning Last

We try to help by compiling a post-event learning package: a 76-page Executive Summary, speaker slides, and slide decks with reflections and questions to put insights into practice. But in the end, the biggest difference comes from what our customers do themselves.

To understand this better, we recently interviewed some of them. Their stories were so inspiring!

Some teams attend together so they can share the same experience. They reflect over dinner or use their next management meeting to talk about how the ideas could help with their own goals.

One executive told us that everyone in their group writes a short summary after the event: what they learned, what felt relevant, and whether they’d like to come again. Their decision to return isn’t emotional; it’s thoughtful.

My favorite story came from a leader who brings her whole team, even though she said it takes courage. “Sitting next to your colleagues while a speaker says something you know you haven’t lived up to… that’s uncomfortable,” she said. “But that’s where growth happens.”

It shows that the event doesn’t end when the lights go off. It continues in those reflections and in the small changes people decide to make.

Learning from the Inside

The comments from our customers also made me think about us.

We’re usually in the background, helping others learn. But do we learn too? It would be a waste not to.

That’s why, for years, we’ve had a tradition of our own. About a month after the event, we hold our own “mini NBF.” We block two days, bring snacks to the office, and watch the talks together. We look at them from two angles:

1. What can we learn as people and professionals?
2. How did we do as event organizers – what worked and what can be improved?

Then, in our weekly meeting, everyone shares one or two things that stood out for them as a team or for their own work.

Five Ideas That Stayed with Me

When the mini NBF time finally came, I also got to sit down with my notebook and pen. Here are five ideas that stayed with me:

1. “Learning is the new loyalty.” – Gianpiero Petriglieri

In a small team like ours, there aren’t many titles to climb. This reminded me that people stay when they feel they are growing. When learning stops, people move on. Real loyalty comes from curiosity and a culture that enables you to grow.

2. “Kill the Zombies.” – Diana Kander

Diana Kander spoke about killing “zombies”– projects, meetings, and routines that stick around but no longer bring real value. Success itself often creates clutter. She encouraged leaders to ask not only “What should we do?” but also “What should we stop?”. I find that thought very relevant. It’s easy to get caught up in always adding. But to make space for something new, we have to let go of things that are just “good” but not “great.” As April Rinne mentioned, we should all have a “not-to-do” list.

3. “Innovate when you can, not when you have to.” – Peter Hinssen

Peter Hinssen warned that in today’s “never normal” world, change happens too fast. You have to innovate while things are still going well, not when you’re forced to. If you wait until you have no choice, you’re already behind. This connects to what Howard Yu said about performing and transforming at the same time. You need to deliver today, but also build tomorrow. It’s always easier to keep doing what works, but simultaneously building the “next thing” is the only way to stay future-proof.

4. “Observe, think, act.” – Risto Siilasmaa

Risto Siilasmaa said the future doesn’t reward those who see it most clearly, but those who act on what they see. It’s not enough to just observe or to think. The key is in the action. But to act wisely, you also need to create time and space to think and that’s often the hardest part. For me, this was a good reminder that strategic thinking isn’t something you do once a year. It’s a discipline, and if I don’t make time for it, nobody will do it for me.

5. “The best leaders are the best humans.” – Angela Ahrendts

Angela Ahrendts said the best leaders are the ones who actually care for the people they work with, who connect on a real, human level. That idea felt both powerful and comforting, especially as we’ve chosen our 2026 theme to be “The Human Edge.” In a world of AI and constant change, our competitive advantage as leaders comes from things that are distinctly human: empathy, collaboration, and trust. Technology evolves, but care and connection don’t go out of date.

Moving Forward

When our team watches all the speeches together, I can really relate to what one of our customers said: “Sitting next to your colleagues while a speaker says something you know you haven’t lived up to… that’s uncomfortable. But that’s where growth happens.”

Referencing what Diana Kander also said: “change is inevitable, but growth is optional”. I’ve decided to live with that discomfort and accept that there’s still a lot to learn.

What matters is to keep reflecting and aim to become a slightly better version each year. Right now, I’m Priit 4.0, and working on myself to make sure that version 4.1 will be an upgrade.

Priit Liiv, CEO of Nordic Business Forum