Tolokku is named after a reindeer from Salla, Finish Lapland. Reindeer are pack animals: the group trusts the leader knows the way and follows full of confidence. When we first met, six years ago, Tolokku was different. He followed the others but at the same time he was also looking for another way. Nowadays, he’s still Tolokku but he’s also a leader. Tolokku comes from the Finnish “tolkku” which can be translated as ‘understanding’ and ‘common sense’. To me, Tolokku represents the ideal combination between relying on common sense, seeking multiple solutions, and understanding complex problems.
Background
Tolokku is the proprietorship of Michelle Kromhout, an elderly care physician specialised in psychogeriatrics with extensive experience as a teacher, business consultant, project leader and manager.
As an elderly care physician, my field of expertise was complex behavior and behavioral symptoms in people with dementia. To treat behavioral symptoms, a systematic and detailed analysis of the person, the situation and the environment is essential to find the best solution and not to go for a first, often sub-optimal, solution. Creating the best quality of care for people with behavioral symptoms requires a specific way of thinking. In my experience, creating the best performance excellence or solving complex organisational problems require a similar way of thinking.
Tolokku arose from the desire to spread this way of thinking, so everyone is able to take a broader view if there is no simple solution at hand. Because there is always a solution.