“Learning is experience. Everything else is just information.”
― Albert Einstein
At Absolute-North we improve your business and create sustainable competitive advantage by strengthening leadership and management skills at the individual level.
Our services include training and development programs, coaching, group coaching, team building, assessments, and performance support.
All our programs are tailor made not only to the company but to the individual participant (just as the Chinese artisans of the 3rd century BC crafted each of the terracotta soldiers, we craft an individual development plan for each participant, using our proprietary processes that are highly efficient and cost-effective. With Absolute-North you get the value of tailor-made development at a cost point of a mass development program.
BUILDING THE NEXT GREAT ORGANIZATION THROUGH APPLIED NEUROSCIENCE
We have been involved in applying neuroscience research to develop people for more than 10 years, recognizing early on that a better understanding of the brain and how it processes information (especially communications) is key to better working. We help organizations take the latest research and put it to practical use to build agile organizations that are change positive and have superior customer experience.
DRIVE HIGHER LEVELS OF RETENTION AND IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH EXPERIENCE
Our programs are not events but experiences that are highly personal and memorable. It is through experience that people internalize and understand how to apply new learning to their individual work.
We do this in a safe “laboratory” setting that encourages people to explore outside their comfort zone where they can push their limits and discover and develop new abilities.
Absolute-North has developed over the last 10 years a proprietary method of experiential learning that we call Artificial Experience Building. Learn more about our methods.
What does Absolute-North mean?
For those curious why we chose the name Absolute-North for our company, no, it is not because we are in Finland. Absolute-North, or true-North, is the navigational direction that sailors needed to know how to find in order to successfully navigate the open seas. We chose it as a name because we believe for people to be successful in business, they must find their own Absolute-North. That might mean developing a leadership or sales style that works best for them or developing specific skills and abilities that will drive their success and that of the organization’s. Our programs strive to help people do just that.
Some of Our Client Recommendations
Absolute-North Sample of Program Participant Comments
Jaakko Vilen
Sales Director, Team Lead, Financial Services Customer Experience solutions
October 20, 2017, David was a client of Jaakko’s
I have been working with David for couple of years already – and he is every time bringing new angles and new things to learn to the table. Working with David is about loving the sales job, always learning how to be better in H2H interaction and leadership.
James Baker-Duly
Digital Customer Experience – Financial Services at Tieto
September 5, 2017, David was a client of James’
David provided a unique sales training that has personally redefined the way I look at sales as well as given me a renewed awareness of my personal self. David has a wealth of experience, is an engaging facilitator and has a relevant program to support professionals in this increasingly complex and fast paced digital world. Regardless, whether you are a top performer or struggling, I highly recommend a course with David to sharpen your skills as well as the opportunity to improve ones personal self.
Raine Pulkkinen
Sub-Region Head, Europe West & South, Middle East and Africa
May 30, 2017, Raine was a client of David’s
I was David’s students in Vaisala leadership program last year. I appreciated the artificial experience method he uses. After an introduction to tools and methods, we would put the teachings into practice by simulated real-life cases. Being put on the spot in front of a classroom is useful for learning as is observing others handle similar situations very differently.
As I liked David’s methods very much, I asked him to design a training for Vaisala distribution partners. Last week David presented sales tools and methods and used artificial experience with our partners to help their learning. It was useful for me as sales manager to identify stengths and gaps in people’s performance. Our partners enjoyed the training and feedback was only positive. I warmly recommend David for both leadership as well as sales trainings you plan in your companies.
Jussi Suhonen
Sales Director, Port Solutions, Region Americas
March 14, 2017, Jussi was a client of David’s
David is a true professional in understanding large corporates and really build training to suite their needs in this ever changing world! Thanks for training our salesforce!
Sami Kivensalo
COO at ZEF | Tech, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Marketing, Leadership, Product Development & Culture
October 31, 2016, Sami worked with David but at different companies
I have worked together with David in projects about H2H sales trainings and sales profiling systems. David has shown his expertise in DISC, conversational intelligence and practical human interactions. I can easily recommend him and his company Absolute-North for innovative, experience-based trainings and developing companies in the areas of H2H sales and sales personalization.
Richard Pyle
Investment Advisor at Wellspring Financial Partners
August 7, 2015, Richard was a client of David’s
Anyone in a leadership position should have a mentor like David, as I did, to help make leaders self-aware, and to provide tools and insight on how to improve and become the best they can be. David is also in a unique position, being an American in Europe to guide new American managers in the art of working internationally.
I also had the pleasure of being a client of Dave and his Company in team building and executive leadership development seminars. In each case I know all in my team left with a very new and expanded view of themselves as individuals and as a cohesive team. His company comes highly recommended by me.
Pétro Pahkala
Financial Director, Business Area Service at Konecranes PlC
May 30, 2013, Pétro was a client of David’s
David has trained me three times in different topics like leadership and my relocation to USA. Training has been always very practical and fits well to day to day working life and also the questions out of the training scope were answered immediately. His training for my relocation was excellent, with practical and culturel information of local habits and ways of doing things. I can warmly recommend his service to anyone.
Markku Saarinen
Retired and enjoying time to pursue personal interests and family
October 23, 2012, Markku was a client of David’s
Absolute-North provided excellent sales training to our sales team in a specific country. The program was well fine tuned to fit to our business.
Tuomas Saastamoinen
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Port Solutions at Konecranes
July 22, 2011, Tuomas was a client of David’s
Need efficient “human to human” sales training? David is the choice.
Opposite to conventional training providers, Absolute-North focuses on practicing human interactions, which are acted around realistic cases.
David’s expertise on the subject is deep, fresh and creative.
No dry presentations, intensive hands on experiences instead.
Exactly what we needed. I can strongly recommend.
Carol Chen
Director of Human Resources APAC at Konecranes
March 18, 2011, Carol was a client of David’s
I am extremely impressed by the energy, passion, integrity and profession of David and his team. The training program is focus on the leadership and people skills in working environment. I am especially like the role acting part !!
Arja Martikainen
Senior Consultant Games Talent Acquisition at Barona IT Oy
March 2, 2011, Arja was a client of David’s
David and the Absolute-North team pushed our team firmly but gently our of our confort zone during our workshop on three topics: leading creative people, creating urgency and leading from the heart. Thank you for that! Despite of its name their Artificial Experience Building work shop is one of the most practical, efficient, and inspiring trainings I’ve ever experienced. Warmly recommended!
Jami Laes
CEO, Co-Founder at Futureplay Games
February 14, 2011, Jami was a client of David’s
David and the whole team at Absolute-North provided us with an extremely fun and useful workshop on three topics: leading creative people, creating urgency and leading from the heart. Their method of artificial experience building is very efficient and a great way to get tangible experience and coaching in a short time. All of our managers found the workshop really useful and together with the leadership analysis and development plans they provided us gave us a lot of tools and insight on how to grow as managers. We also had a great time in the process. I warmly recommend their services for all companies who want to efficiently train their managers in any topics.
Giancarlo Puppi
HR Manager at KONE Industrial
October 13, 2010, David was a client of ‘Giancarlo Puppi’s
David helped me and our managers in coaching our resources (middle management) in Leadership and managerial competences. He managed the treaining sessions with our people in a very proactive way and our participants appreciated the involvement in all the phases of the sessions.
Absolute-North Sample of Program Participant Comments
A strong package that clearly proves the whole is truly greater than the sum of the parts.
I really enjoyed the whole interactive approach to the training; it was never “text book” and therefore a lot more meaningful.
I was positively surprised about how well the case acting method works. Really seems to get yourself thinking and reflecting own style.
Probably the best training for management and leadership that I have ever participated. Thank you!
Fresh method of doing the “roleplay,” it was very giving and helpful.
Mind opening, new perspectives, global approach.
Normally I am very critical of this type of training but I must say this is one of the best ones ever.
A very good program, emotionally strong. I will never forget some role-plays.
First time I had this kind of training and both training program and methods were really interesting and challenging.
Role playing were great – a wonderful and effective way to look at ourselves in the mirror and to show to others as “naked” and to reveal to everybody our hidden secrets.
Delighted with the level of audience participation + role playing, balanced with some formal lectures.
I have got already the theory of leadership in previous training sessions. I’ve really appreciated the practical cases where I was directly involved.
All cases were good because they put us in real situations that we could play with, better than theory.
A very different training and this made it effective.
Challenging, innovative, FUN.
Role playing was excellent; entire program was well paced and interesting.
Very fresh and directly applicable to my situations.
[The program] exceeded my expectations. The cases were extremely challenging and thought provoking and the coaches: they took you out of your comfort zone.
I enjoyed every aspect. I also do not really enjoy role playing but at the end of the cases I really began to enjoy them.
I felt the role playing and creativity exercises were well done and the facilitators did a terrific job in leading those. A great job in making typically uncomfortable situations very constructive.
Creative ways of introducing potentially boring discussions. The real experiences are very powerful.
I liked the way we were engaged and lead through learning and exploring. Much better in this format than a “look and listen” format.
Role play was a powerful method, seeing others struggle with same issues, – maybe more important – I didn’t like the idea of leadership, but now have a different understanding of the concept that I can use.
