Hi,

I’m Mina Legnered. Tango-dancing yogi from Malmö, Sweden.

I moved back to Malmö 2017 after 10 years abroad in Brussels and Accra, Ghana.

If you’ve got 5 minutes, here’s my story:

I went from being a thriving Bartender in Malmö to a Business Process Specialist at Outokumpu – a Global Leader in Stainless Steel. From service to production. A giant leap one might think, but I was prepared. Both theoretically and practically.

I’d been studying Business Management and Marketing for 3 years (Service Management B.sc.) and my mind was set: “I can do anything I aspire to do”. With Outokumpu my career kick-started and I jumped with all the grace of a ballerina.

I thrived in an international environment, traveling to our business units around Europe and engaging with people. My job description entailed interviewing people to figure out how the different departments were working. We needed to know how much we could harmonize across units. In any organization there are always ways to improve. Wether it be harmonizing IT systems or connecting different points of sale. The only way to improve and to make change happen, is to talk to people.

Talk to people. Understand their needs. Involve them in the decision making. And then change. I believe in empowering people and that there’s always a way to get people involved and inspired. I don’t believe in old-school, highly centralized organizations.

I landed in Brussels sometime in 2008 when Outokumpu was restructuring and moving their Sales & Marketing HQ to Brussels. My interest in effective and creative communication was always integrated in any position that I held.

I moved on to work as the Web Marketing Manager of Outokumpu. This is when I further discovered the power of the web and new media. However the company was not ready to embrace social media at that time and I felt compelled to move on. I just new I was on the right path. And if the organization wasn’t ready to support my ideas, I was not afraid to jump to the next level.

This is when I got to work with the leading digital communications agency in Brussels – ZN Consulting. Which also led me to start working with TEDxBrussels. (I’m a HUUUUGE TED Talks fan)

My skills improved, my capability improved and even if I was working 12 hours a day, I still had time to volunteer for an NGO in Brussels. A friend of mine who happened to be the co-founder of European Young Innovators Forum, contacted me in hope that I’d be able to help them out with the event communication strategy of their upcoming yearly event The Unconvention. I was happy to chip in, to use my newfound knowledge and make things happen. It went so incredibly well that they kept me on as their Director or Communications.

I enjoyed my work. I enjoyed the people around me. However after many years of hard work, I decided to take a power-off. Or what is in general terms called: time-off. It was time to reboot creativity and refurbish the brain. You know how sometimes things just roll on and at one point you need to stop to think about where you are and where you want to go. This is what happened to me 2 years ago. And I wasn’t afraid to once more quit my job. I wasn’t afraid to book that ticket to India. I felt free. And ready to disconnect.

What happened next, is that the 6 months to India sort of got shortened to 3 weeks – but hey, it’s quality not quantity that matters. And I had a Yoga revelation during my three weeks in India where I met by guru to be – Manoj.

One day just before my departure to India the other co-founder of EYIF – who was as his day-time job working for the EPP Group – called me and said:

“Hi Mina, you know there is a great position opening up in my department here at the European Parliament. You’d be perfect for the role. Will you send me your CV and come for an interview with my manager?”

I was, at the day of the interview, impressed by my manager to-be and the fact of working at the EU headquarters was just to good to turn down.

I was hired as the Social Media Community Manager at EPP Group in the European Parliament, working for a seamless media-mix and optimizing the way we share the ideas of our big political family. I also supported our individual Members of Parliament. EPP Group being the biggest political group in the European Parliament has 221 Members of the European Parliament with diverse political ideas. Even if they all belong to a right-conservative ideology, the way of doing politics is different depending on the country. Each country has its own political context and cultural environment. To communicate as one – is not always an easy task. But it’s not an impossible one neither.

I coordinated our Social Media accounts, our Facebook team and directing new video projects (web-friendly ones!) which I love the most. Working with people in creating inspiring videos. WOT a great part of my job description.

 

(INSERT STORY 2015 – 2020)

THE POWER STATION IN GHANA

SIMPLY DRAW IT BIG

VISUAL VIKING ACADEMY

MALMÖTANGOLOVE

CO-DESIGN & CULTURE PRODUCTION MALMÖ UNI

(in writing. to be completed)

I’m looking back on my achievements and feel proud. Proud of myself and of the people I have inspired along the way.

That was a bit about my career, however let me tell you a bit about

Who I am

I am: humble, happy, human, compassionate, creative, determined

I value: honesty and crazy ideas

I want to: Contribute to better organizations by investing my knowledge, creativity and compassion in colleagues and people I meet.

I have a strong compassion for people. This has always been in me. It’s part of my DNA. Compassion helps me and feeds me in my endeavors. By being able to listen and understand the person standing in front of me, we have a better dialogue. I always have his or her interest at heart. And I always try to transform his or her needs into tangible results.

I’ve come to realize that passion for your work, compassion for your colleagues and effective communication is key for a sustainable business.

I love: Tango. This dance which at a first glance was a mere but a passionate couple’s dance – has become part of the air I breath. I love dancing in general. Ever since I was 3 years old I danced on my tippy toes. These past years in Brussels I haven’t done too much dancing, until I found Tango. This dance has changed my life. I dance several days per week.

Why am I so amazed by Tango? Because:

Tango is a dance where you communicate, connect and collaborate. To have the pleasure of dancing with someone requires a specific kind of communication. In the world of tango there are a few “codes” to follow. A leader may never walk straight up to a follower and ask her verbally to dance. Of course.. it may happen. But very rarely. The code was established for the follower to be able to decline a dance without feeling bad about it. If someone approaches you, and even grabs you by the hand, it’s sometimes not so easy to gently decline. He has not communicated with you. He has not acknowledged who you are and what you want. He is in it only for himself. That is not what tango is about. Tango is about sharing a dance. And that can only happen if both are aligned and want to dance with each other. Therefor, the leader and the follower communicates with each other across the dance floor. They exchange a “Cabaceo” – an invitation with the eyes. This is not easy for beginners. I still struggle with it myself. It is a subtle kind of communication. And one must be open to communicate with the eyes. Once the follower has accepted the invitation to dance, the leader will approach her and escort her to the dance floor. This is where the connection is now established. The embrace is more than having the arms around each other. It is a connection of hands, hearts and of souls. An exchange of energy and presence. Now the dance begins and the leader leads the steps. The follower follows. However, the follower also has a will and a possibility to express what she likes and in which direction she would like to go. The leader is attentive. He listens. They create together. They collaborate. Tango is all about communicating, connecting and collaborating.

Perhaps I love tango because it’s a beautiful dance. Or perhaps I love it because it resembles the values I live by in my life and in business.

1. Reaching out to people (communicating).
2. Finding common grounds and linking people with people (connecting).
3. Understanding the needs of people, sharing and creating beautiful results together (collaborating)

And oh, finally I have to tell you about my “titles”.

Mina The Legend is a construction coming from my last name Legnered. I just thought it was too complicated. I realized it not only when I was working in an international environment. But foremost when the day came that I was creating a Twitter account. I had to find a cool Twitter handle – and MinaLegend sounded good. After that, I have just kept going on that note. If you ask me if I think I AM a legend – I say: everyone is a legend. You feel it inside. Acknowledge you are special when you are alive. THIS is what being a legend is about.

Mina The Enabler was founded at the beginning of my career with Outokumpu. It is when I realized that whatever position I held, I was able to make things happen – I could enable great communication, I could enable people to connect and to collaborate. I became in my mind – The Enabler. (Should be the next title of Sylvester Stallone’s blockbuster) EDIT: I left “Enabler” autumn 2019 in my pursuit of more being and not doing.)