I’m in Finland today. I’m working on this newspaper, or actually it’s an advertorial, about the most popular employers in Finland. I’ve set up five interviews for the two days I’ll be here, so what I do is drive around Helsinki, drink a lot of coffee and listen to people tell their life stories.

Well, as far as their careers are concerned.

My first victim today was an executive at an oil refinery, in his fifties, an engineer who’s been with the company 20-plus years.

But first, photos. He knew just the place, so the photographer and I followed him up the stairs, through the corridors, left, right, and right again, to the terrace door where the refinery loomed in the background in the perfect morning light.

He turned the door knob. The door was locked.

He looked at his cell phone for a while, sighed, stared at his shoes, and then continued walking. Up the corridor, another right, through the conference room, and to the other side of the terrace, and through another door.

The photographer and the executive went outside, I stayed half inside, to make sure the door would stay open, and to give the photographer some space to do his work.

Then I heard the executive say: “Should I smile?”

And I was surprised at first. Then I thought it was just hilarious. And finally, I was jealous. Between the photographer and the executive, the power was with the photoman. He would have got the tall executive to do anything.

We all wanna look good.