Uku Tomikas has been CEO of business messaging platform Messente for almost a year. Having started in a sales support role seven years ago in March 2016, he joined the Estonian company as the sixth hire.
After several promotions and a two and a half year stint as head of global connectivity that began in October 2020, he took the top job in January last year.
“I’ve taken a similar approach to running the company versus running my team before. But the biggest difference day to day is the level of complexity and factors that need to be considered to make a meaningful change,” Tomikas tells Capacity.
“When you’re doing your own work you lead yourself, and when you lead a team you can still influence individual work, but leading a company I’ve found is more about executing a mission, and guiding the various teams and functions that play into that mission. It requires a different approach to leadership”.
The leadership style and approach Tomikas tries to implement was not always his style. A law graduate, he served in the Estonian armed forces and was promoted to artillery platoon leader and lieutenant.
Tomikas says he was always keen to get feedback from his platoon, and was initially told while he had good tactical acumen, he was too demanding and had unrealistic expectations.
“Three years on I re-ran an exercise with the same guys. This time I remember being told I was just as good tactically, but someone removed the giant stick from my ass!”
Tomikas believes his leadership style has evolved from being raw and too demanding to leading from the front and using himself as an example, not a benchmark.
But the evolution and development of his leadership skills did not stop there. Upon leaving the military Tomikas found himself running a small seafood business, that soon developed international aspirations.
“At 22 years old, I was in no way, shape or form ready to run a business in a sector that is already notoriously difficult to thrive in,” he says.
After admitting to burning out, he took the sales support role at Messente.
Now, with nearly 10 years of prioritising personal growth and developing his leadership style, Tomikas thinks he’s cracked the code.
Leading from the front, and acting as an example rather than a benchmark to his staff, means his days start at around 6.45, when he wakes up and either trains on his bike, or practices yoga.
Tomikas recently completed a 190km cycle in just over six hours and has a four year streak of daily yoga practice.
“I’m a big believer in taking time out to think things over and be focused on the long term. Training on the bike or practicing yoga really helps me with this” Tomikas explains.
The day continues with Tomikas looking at his agenda for the day and planning his time.
This is often a combination of meetings with team leads, giving feedback on proposals, or signing off on key decisions.
“I try to plan my days to find time to think two steps, three steps, ten steps ahead.” Tomikas says. “In my opinion this is the most crucial time for a CEO, because if you get lost in meetings and the small stuff, you're never thinking about the next steps for the business.”
Physical exercise is always something that he’s utilised to to have time to think. If this isn’t his morning yoga or bike ride, it might be taking time out in the middle of the day to go for a long walk with his dog.
Or it could be in the house, while 1-1s or meetings are happening.
“Something I’ve encouraged the team to do at Messente is to feel free to do housework or chores while they’re in a 1-1. Sitting at a desk on a call is not the only way to have an engaged conversation”.
Tomikas thinks doing these chores actually leads to more constructive conversations, because with your mind split between the conversation and the physical activity you stop overthinking and break down any barriers that might exist.
“It’s a more natural way to brainstorm and converse, and is more like how you would speak to a partner after a day at work catching up on chores. Plus you obviously have the benefit of your team having more time in the evening to relax and unwind, as they managed to take advantage of being at home.”
It’s initiatives like this that have contributed to Tomikas’ vision of Messente being a company that values performance rather than time or a specific way of working.
“Your work isn’t your life. They need to complement one another. If you want to go and play the Tuba for an hour on a Tuesday afternoon, go ahead. Coming back and being reenergised has a significantly better effect on the company than you stressing out about it”.
Tomikas’ is aware that a lack of fondness for a regimented structure and routine is somewhat surprising from someone with a military background.
“There’s a lot of great things to take from the military, and there's a lot of things you shouldn't take from the military,” he concludes.
“Giving people parameters within which they are free to educate themselves and work within is brilliant, but that authoritarian, hierarchical system, that especially in higher ranks gets too political, I don’t live for that.”
