40 years old | Lasse Männistö’s political career ended in a crisis that made him a happier man

Let’s say it now directly: Lasse Männistö has never seemed like a very flashy person. The public image of the Coalition Party’s former Member of Parliament and Mehiläinen’s current business director has exuded a rather restrained gentleman’s charm.

The image quickly screams as we enter his home. On the walls hang an impressive collection of Finnish modern art and a number of deer trophies – memories of Männistö’s numerous hunting trips.

The wall of the living room is decorated by a pop artist Riiko Sakkisen big side Blood Sport painting with Putte Pig aiming at Disney’s Bambia with a shotgun.

“Laughing at myself is important, which is what this painting represents in my life,” says Männistö.

He still refuses to pose in front of the work, despite the photographer’s grounding. Männistö says he fears that people might misinterpret the gesture.

He has experience of that.

In September In the first season of 2014, MP Lasse Männistö found himself in the eye of a storm.

Männistö had sought the position of Deputy Mayor of Helsinki when he held the position Laura Räty (kok) had moved Alexander Stubbin (Kok) Government Minister for Social Affairs and Health.

Männistö had already had time to be elected Rädy’s deputy, after which he applied for resignation as a Member of Parliament. Räty would have become the successor to Männistö.

The events rose suddenly, as the Coalition duo saw a swap of tasks with each other. Männistö withdrew his resignation from Parliament, and after the turmoil subsided, he announced in an interview with HS that he would be absent from the spring 2015 parliamentary elections.

Pine stand sensitizes as he recalls an episode eight years ago. He describes the experience as “absolutely awful,” and says he has plunged into the deepest crisis of his life as a result.

However, the events have a silver lining. The shocking experience forced Männistö to look at himself in the mirror and think for the first time about who he really was and what he wanted from his life.

At the same time, he had to admit his own inadequacy. That seemed a relief. Männistö realized that his life was acting, guided by the opinions of other people instead of his own desires.

“It was definitely important for me to drive to the wall,” he says.

“That failure is the most uplifting single experience of my adult life. I would be a very different person without it. ”

Before Männistö had made a rocket rise to the forefront of domestic party politics, and had only risen to lead Helsinki’s largest council group during his second term.

The position has typically progressed to the management of the Helsinki City Government.

However, the everyday reality of politics was not what Männistö had thought. He had a hard time putting up with things that saw no direct impact or added value. For example, committee meetings, which dealt with issues that had in fact been decided much earlier in an hour.

That seemed unnecessary to Männistö.

“I was simply not politically compatible. The second most important decision of my career has been to run for Parliament, but the most important and difficult thing has been to dare to stay out of it, ”he says.

“Many of my friends have said that I am much more relaxed and in balance with myself these days.”

Happier?

“Certainly.”

From spring Since 2015, Männistö has worked at Mehiläinen as the director responsible for healthcare outsourcing services. It is not a small slice, as it employs more than 1,000 professionals.

“I am a man of public services,” says Männistö.

He says it’s above all a matter of value choice for him. According to Männistö, public and universal services are at the heart of the entire Nordic welfare society. They create durability.

He still sees the future as hugely challenging.

“We will no longer have enough money in the future, and the whole thing will not work in twenty years. The population is aging and the need for health services is constantly growing. At the same time, however, the labor force is shrinking and public finances are in deficit. The equation is broken, ”Männistö paints.

Do we hear here’s a politician talking? In a year’s time, the next parliamentary elections would be…

Pine laughs. He does not see a return to politics as a very likely option.

“On the other hand, if someone had said ten years ago that I was running a central hospital in Kemi, I would have said‘ get out of here! ’ If I have learned something, it is not worth predicting the future. ”