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BY KAYLOR JONES / PHOTOS BY CLAUDIA JOHNSTONE / LOCATION: AZURE PARADISE VALLEY | SHEA HOMES

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Ville Houttu, CEO of Vincit USA, prioritizes employee satisfaction over profitability

Ville Houttu, founder and CEO of Vincit USA, is a firm believer in the power of happy employees and clients. A native of Tampere, Finland – one of the birthplaces of Finnish industry and the home of Nokia Corporation – Houttu began his career as an engineer at a variety of companies that didn’t seem to care about managing attrition or employee satisfaction. He soon found a home at Vincit (www.vincit.com), a software company that designs and develops apps, web services and embedded systems for businesses across the globe. After helping the Finnish company reach 350 employees and go public

on Nasdaq First North Growth Market in 2016, Houttu took a leap and moved to the U.S. to start Vincit’s local subsidiary in Southern California. “That was the point I realized it’s not about the end results, it’s about the journey. I wanted to do something that I believed in, something I felt was mine,” says Houttu, who resolved to hammer away for a year to see if he could make the company work – and it didn’t just work, it flourished. Today, Houttu has expanded the software development company yet again, bringing its innovative, full-service approach to the Valley.

Re-imagining Management

Much of what makes Vincit unique is its perspective on leadership. After first moving to the States, Houttu noticed that his employees weren’t content with the existing management structure – middle managers who wanted to spend their time coding were stuck passing papers from desk to desk, while the team members under them were stuck with unhappy management. Houttu knew this deep-seated problem would require a radical solution so he got rid of the hierarchy system altogether. Instead of having “imaginary” preexisting boundaries between managers and employees, Vincit’s structure is dictated by the needs of an individual project, allowing for flexibility in establishing task forces and selecting leaders for each specific team. “We believe in individuals taking individual responsibility,” he says. “That boils down to them owning their work, owning the results and helping to build a workplace that’s better tomorrow than it is today.” One practice that achieves this while emphasizing the importance of decision-making is “CEO of the day,” where each month, an employee gets the power to make one decision to improve the workplace. Previous CEOs have chosen to add an office library and paid time off for every employee on their birthday. And Houttu’s response if he’s asked for input or permission? “No comment.” “When you give them an unlimited budget and say, ‘it’s your call,’ they realize it’s not an easy job to make decisions,” says Houttu, who originally implemented the exercise as a joke but has since seen it evolve into a great way to build trust among Vincit’s team members. “I don’t think there’s a number you can put on trust. I’m a bit extreme when it comes to risk taking – as shown by my moving from Finland without any employees or clients here! – but I believe every risk is worth taking. If you understand the risk, you can also limit the risk.” In addition to building trust, Houttu’s tried-and-true method for establishing an inimitable team of employees is to hire for people rather than skills. “We hire all the good people we interview, no matter the situation. It’s very easy to find work for smart and talented people,” he says. “Like many other things we do, if you plan too hard, it doesn’t work, so you just have to go for it. The key when you come up with an idea is to take action, and if it works, keep doing it.”

The Best Policy

Moving from Finland to the U.S. has given Houttu – who’s also a seasoned triathlete and pedal steel guitar player – an insider’s perspective on two different business cultures, allowing him to pick and choose which principles work best for Vincit. “There’s a common value in Finnish companies of honesty, punctuality and equality. Everything is pretty equal and open, and there’s a lot of transparency when it comes to company information and leadership,” he says. This transparency is an essential component of Leadership as a Service, an online tool that Vincit employees use to address their needs rather than submitting requests to a manager. It’s built on the concept that a leadership model should be tailored to the individual requirements of the people who work each day to make the company a success. But for Houttu, success in the areas of employee and client happiness always comes first – not much of a surprise for someone who hails from one of the happiest countries in the world. By focusing on growth indicators like the satisfaction of employees and clients instead of growth itself, Houttu has, by extension, created an ideal environment for profitability, and that’s certainly something to be proud of. “Finnish people are super modest. There’s a saying that if you reach for the tall tree, you will fall into the bush. But I decided to reach for the stars,” he says. “The culture here in the States celebrates people who have reached for the stars – whether they fail or succeed, they still had the courage to give it a try.”

CRAMPING

Varicose veins will not go away on their own. Approximately 50% of women & 40% of men suffer from vein disease.

DISCOLORATION PAIN

Restless legs may be a sign of vein disease.

LARGE BULGING VEINS

Spider veins can be your first sight that you have varicose veins.

HEAVINESS & TIRED LEGS

SWELLING

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JAMES R. MCEOWN, MD • KAREN GARBY, MD, RPHS

HASSAN MAKKI, DO, FACC • JEFF BRAXTON, MD, FACS

Q&A with Dr. Jeffrey Baxton

CHRONIC VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY

Dr. Jeffrey Braxton is the Director of Venous Intervention at CiC Vein Center. He is double board certified in general surgery as well as venous and lymphatic medicine.

Q What is CVI?

A Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) develops when excessive pressure builds up in your leg veins. This happens when the veins are unable to bring the blood back to the heart and it backs up in the legs. As the pressure builds, veins near the surface can bulge which are called varicose veins and excessive fluid can accumulate in the legs.

Q What are the symptoms of CVI?

A Symptoms include pain, aching, leg heaviness, itching or leg cramps at night. Left untreated over time the skin can darken, thicken and even break down into ulcers. A common sign of CVI is varicose veins.

Q How is CVI diagnosed?

A Diagnosis involves a painless ultrasound exam to show if the valve in the vein is allowing blood to leak, flow back into the veins or blocking it all together.

Q How is it treated?

A In-office treatments involve closing the diseased vein which causes it to shut down and disappear. Your body reroutes the blood to healthier veins improving the flow. Most people notice a significant improvement within days.

Q When should someone seek help?

A The symptoms of CVI can impact the quality of your life. You shouldn’t have to limit your outings or spend less time doing the things you enjoy. Innovative procedures can improve the condition and as a result the appearance improves too.