The Port of Helsinki wanted to ensure that leadership would not remain uneven and dependent on individuals, but instead be built on a shared line and commitment. The solution was a collaboration with Muutostaito – and the Leadership Promise Game, which brought the entire supervisory staff together to build a common leadership culture.
The Leadership Promise Game That Unified Leadership
The post-pandemic period was challenging for the Port of Helsinki. Employee surveys revealed a lack of trust and experiences of inconsistent leadership. When the EMPS result in 2020 was as low as -43, it was clear that new solutions were needed for leadership development.
The Port of Helsinki chose Muutostaito as a partner because a previous collaboration with a strategy game had been received excellently. The goal was to create a participatory and impactful way to define and implement shared leadership promises – so that they would not remain just on paper, but become visible in everyday actions.
The process began with extensive employee consultation. The questions “What more?”, “What less?”, and “What to give up?” laid the foundation for the entire journey. From these elements, three workshops were created: two for the management team and one for the entire supervisory staff. Based on the vast material collected in the workshops, six leadership promises were distilled:
Concrete actions were defined for each promise. This ensured that these were not just slogans but practical leadership in action.
Next came the Port of Helsinki’s own Leadership Promise Game. All supervisors played through it in two stages: in the first round, personal promises were made, and in the second, their implementation was reviewed. The process also included two checkpoints focusing on the most challenging themes, such as giving feedback and sharing responsibility.
The game structure enabled open discussion, addressing even difficult topics, and building commitment. The game created an atmosphere where even initially skeptical participants became enthusiastic and found the approach useful.
Results Appeared Quickly
The leadership promises were made a visible part of everyday life: they were published on the intranet, on the coffee room wall, and in every supervisor’s onboarding. They were included in development discussions, recruitments, and 360 evaluations. In 2023, a replay of the game was organized for new supervisors, and in 2024, a leadership mentoring program based on the promises was launched.
The results were significant.
Collaboration Foundations
Goal: Ensure unified and high-quality leadership – from inconsistent leadership to a shared line.
Solution: Leadership Promise process facilitated by Muutostaito and a tailored Leadership Promise Game.
What was done?
✅ Employee consultation: “What more, what less, what to give up?”
✅ 3 workshops: two for the management team and one for the entire supervisory staff
✅ Six leadership promises: Inspire & Appreciate – Plan & Execute – Enable & Coach
✅ Leadership Promise Game implemented for all supervisors in two stages
✅ Two checkpoints focusing, among others, on giving feedback and sharing responsibility
✅ Promises published on the intranet, in the coffee room, and in onboarding
✅ 360 evaluations introduced and integrated into recruitments
Why was it worth doing the promises through a game?
✅ Content: The game made the leadership promises concrete and tied to everyday actions
✅ Dialogue: All supervisors had a voice and committed to shared principles
✅ Gamification: Initial doubts turned into enthusiasm – discussions were lively and engaging
“The Leadership Promise Game showed that even in a challenging organizational culture, gamification can work excellently. This was not a sprint – but it was worth it.”
– Katja Riikola, HR Director, Port of Helsinki
Results
✅ EMPS rose in three years from -43 → +41
✅ Sign-index improved significantly
✅ The Port of Helsinki received the Future Work Place certificate twice
✅ Leadership promises became embedded in everyday life: in development discussions, recruitments, and the mentoring program
“We had a very challenging starting point, but with the help of the Leadership Promise Game, we were able to turn the direction. The participatory model, Muutostaito’s facilitation, and systematic work truly brought a unified leadership culture. This was not a sprint – but it was worth it.” – Katja Riikola, HR Director of the Port of Helsinki
Muutostaito can support leadership development through gamification and dialogical tools.
A leadership development game can be tailored to the needs of the organization and can also be used in the onboarding of new leaders.
Muutostaito has facilitated workshops in Finnish, English, Swedish, and German. In larger projects, it is advisable to involve the organization’s internal facilitators or managers.
During longer transformation journeys, we support the achievement of goals systematically by utilizing leadership checkpoints and by measuring goal implementation at a practical level.
More information:
Sami Sarén
sami.saren@muutostaito.fi
+358 400 353 652