If you are planning on moving here or already live here, you may already have heard about the Swedish mentality: "Lagom är bäst". What does this mean you ask? According to Wikipedia "lagom" means "enough, sufficient, in moderation".
After years of the socialist party in majority, this has shaped the minds of hearts of many Swedes. One is not supposed to boast or brag. If you just bought a big house and you are thrilled, you say nothing. The English adage of "Don't rock the boat" can be applied here and feeds straight into what we call "the Swedish jealousy, another topic in itself".
As an Expat, you may be excused if you say things that we may perceive as bragging or boasting, since we will attribute it to your culture. Many will even find you exotic. However, don't be surprised if you find us to be "flat" or non-personable due to this "lagom" mentality. We simply do not want to stick out or make a lot of noise.
A personal example of this was shortly after I started www.residensportalen.se and I was walking on Östermalm with one of my friends. We ran into another friend who asked how the new business was going. I enthusiastically replied "it's great, business is booming and our business model has received a lot of positive response on the market". After my friend and I continued our walk she explained that I could not brag like that (I had been abroad for 16 years and home in Sweden for less than a year). I was floored. What I identified as enthusiasm for my success she interpreted as bragging.
You will find this in the workplace as well. Swedes are generally careful and moderate when presenting ideas. Decision making is a whole different topic. We'll make that a separate blog update.
On a positive note, the "lagom" mentality is not as dominant almost ten years later. General trends in marketing reflect this with companies being more boastful in their marketing. One example of this is the upshoot Real Estate Agency www.esny.se Eklund New York that has brought many positive approaches to doing business from the other side of the Atlantic. Their marketing machine reflects this by calling themselves "Sweden's most exclusive agency". So, the tide may be turning as more and more Swedes also work abroad and bring an international way of thinking home. But, don't be surprised if you meet some "Lagom är bäst" people your first year in Sweden.
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