Jukka Kentala, who has served as Site Manager of Logent’s Jyväskylä unit since March 2023, understands the fundamentals of leadership. Having built a long career in the Finnish Defence Forces, the retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Reserve emphasizes respectful interaction, honesty, and fairness in everyday work.
Jukka Kentala greets people with a firm handshake and a genuine presence. His extensive military background and education in the Finnish Defence Forces are evident both in his demeanor and in his daily management style. He believes in people-centered leadership, where collective success is built on the success of individuals.
Every person, including myself, has their own strengths and capabilities that need to be aligned toward a common goal. No one needs to be good at everything. For example, when I was planning the layout of our current facility in Jyväskylä, I discussed the plans with the people working in the warehouse. That collaboration helped us create the most effective operational setup, Kentala explains.
In his daily leadership work, respectful interaction, honesty, equality, fairness, self-leadership, and continuous personal development play central roles. Kentala also considers his ability to find practical solutions one of his key strengths.
I have managed to reinvent myself at least once every decade, sometimes more often. I work well with people of different ages and backgrounds. I also enjoy observing professionals at work and learning from their expertise.
Simply put, Kentala’s role is to ensure the profitability of his unit.
There is no way I could achieve that alone. We all need to think of our work as something we earn again every day. Work has always been extremely important to me. I come from a family with a strong work ethic in the best sense of the term.
“Every individual has unique strengths and abilities that must be brought together in pursuit of a shared goal.”
Precision at the Right Time
Kentala divides his career into four stages: jobs during his student years, his military career, five years as Managing Director of a regional development company, and his current role as Site Manager at Logent’s Jyväskylä unit.
In many ways, I feel like I have returned to my roots, although the context is different. I spent most of my military career working closely with operational teams, even while serving in leadership positions. Today, I spend a lot of time in the office, but the operational environment is always within reach. The moment I step outside my office door, I am right in the middle of the action, Kentala says.
The unit in Säynätsalo, Jyväskylä, provides warehousing and packaging services for several companies operating in Central Finland, including Valtra. Materials are delivered directly from the warehouse to production on a daily basis.
Our operations are highly systematic. We communicate extensively through various systems, but in the end, people remain at the heart of everything we do. Customers expect flawless execution, and the cornerstones of daily success are timeliness and accuracy.
