Emotional relations

– Do you think that the ability to unite people around you is one of the keys to your success?

– It’s a very important feature for a person managing big structures, I think and the size of the structure depends on personal importance. In the West this process has a longer history and companies depend less on the individual and more on structure. People there come to terms with this idea more easily. Parliament culture is that of negotiation and the personal role is less, in my opinion, although it is important while creating something new. In Russia companies are managed by an idea. People are inspired and start their own business. If people are involved, the company develops very fast.

– Maybe a lot of people have ideas, but not many can involve other people.

– These attributes can be developed, it is very important to be trusted by people.

– «It is very easy and pleasant to tell the truth»...

– It’s uneasy and unpleasant to tell the truth. People trust when there is a reason to and promises are kept.

– But it is very important to understand what exactly you are doing. You must be sure you can realize expectations and not disappoint people. This means it is necessary to have a plan.

– The key point is not to have a plan, though having a plan is also very important. The responsibility of a person as a leader is very important. The person must be very strong, to have resistance, reliability, the ability to develop and to take in new information.

– And the ability to work with information?

– Analysts can work with information and they are not leaders. Only people who have fire and energy can make a breakthrough. Those who can light up and light down, people who can do something in an instant..

– And what about interactivity? The ability to respond to new information?

– It is necessary to understand people’s need. This understanding is based on understanding everything including information. The main mission is to understand peoples needs now and then.

– It is a leader’s feature. But the company grows and the number of people having an influence on the results also increases. Where is the limit when it is not enough for a leader just to take in information?

– It is important to give your knowledge to other people. The greater the company becomes, the more talented people it needs All people develop. For example five years ago I was another person, I have changed since then. Now I understand more, know more, can do more, I see some things differently.A large company has to bring up people inside the company and teach them to do what you can do.

– How do you find such people?

– Like others we carried out interviews. We try to understand if a person aims at self-development or doesn’t? If there is such internal motivation, a person will get the professional skills he needs. We think it’s easier to teach professional skills than to change personal motivation.

– Is this true in the case of specialists? And what about leaders, people that perceptions of the company depends on? It is more difficult to teach leader’s features.

– If a person wants to study, he studies.

– Are there any people you can rely upon? Can they develop your company without your assistance the same way as you would do?

– No, I am not certain in it.

– And what do you do to involve your employee into a process?

– Every two weeks we have meetings. We made an intranet one year ago, it proved to be a very useful. News from all the regions is posted there.

– Do you feel emotional relations with your employee?

– This is my wish. It is very important people to feel in the process, to think they are companions. We are working in this direction, but I can’t tell if we have already had any good results. Most people work for an idea to create a good, large company; but this isn’t everything.

– And did you set to create a trust network, to look for companions and colleagues when you started?

– I started when I was about fourteen and I trusted everybody; I had no idea of mistrust. I employed just people I knew, friends, university and school mates, just clever people and I didn’t think about trust and mistrust. Then I wanted to make much money.

– And now?

– Let’s formulate an aim on a country scale. I would like to make something large, good and in this country.

– When you employ new people or look for partners is it important to formulate an aim?

– Sure! It is the key point. If his personal aims don’t agree with ours then it delays actions.

– And how old is your staff?

– Many of them grew up with me: from twenty to thirty-five. But most of the shopkeepers are young people of twenty-three.

– Do they really worry about what they can do for the country?

– Certainly they want to earn money as I did. When I was twenty I didn’t use to think that I could do something for my country. I used to actualize myself, earn money and when I understood that I didn’t need any more, the question «What for?» appeared.. I had to find an answer and I found it. It is impossible to think about something, even about self-actualization, when you are hungry. There are people in the company who think how to make good for the country, but when a person earns as a shopkeeper such ideas hardly ever inspire him.

– Do you have any technologies or ideas how to choose people who will think about others after being self-actualized in your company?

– We think if a person is ready to devote his own interests to the corporation’s he will be ready to think more broadly in the future.

– And do you try to formalize your experiences, in order to have the possibility to share them?

– We don’t have enough time for it. This experience can’t be formalized. For example, it is impossible to describe how to negotiate. People study everything in a team work.

– How do you see your company in several years?

– We would like to enter the top ten of Russia’s biggest companies.

– Who do you see your company near to?

– It won’t be TeleCom, most probably some retail food companies.

– What exactly are you going to develop?

– I am in creative search. It is clear that society and markets will change very much. Communication and media level will change. Although traditional restaurants and shops will stay… I think our retail business will stay.

– They say in retail service there will be automation, sometimes there are no people at all. The tendency is to sell machines.

 – People won’t disappear, they need communicate to each other! And services will have big significance.

Interviewed by Jury Voskresensky

The youngest multimillionaires: