Ильдар Хусаинов – The power of freedom (страница 1)

Ильдар Хусаинов

The power of freedom

The Foreword of Igor Mann

In brief: just an amazing book!

In detail: when Ildar asked me to write a review of his new book – I didn’t hesitate to agree.

I really enjoyed his first book «Etagi. The Power of Management» – and had high expectations for the second one.

What can I say?

He went way beyond my expectations.

I’m thrilled.

I love books like this.

First of all, it’s written by a practitioner (and a successful one).

Secondly, I know the author personally – and it feels like a private conversation with him, or rather, conversations on various topics.

Thirdly, the book is filled with insights, practical advice and thoughts.

I personally have learned a lot of new things – and it’s not an easy task to strike me.

There are some things I agree with, there are some I don’t agree with – but this is exactly what makes this book extremely useful (and practical)!

And, finally, I happen to get to know some of Etagi employees, their business process management, their product, I’ve given a seminar to Etagi team – everything that Ildar’s writing about is nothing else but true.

Anyway, I’m jealous of those, who is about to discover this book and get to know Ildar.

Ildar mentions me in the book paying me a compliment (see the chapter «About Marketing») – I’m going to reply like this: Ildar could be named as a «hero-entrepreneur».

Unfortunately, there are only few of those.

And Ildar can definitely be a role model!

I know that lots of his employees do follow his example – and that’s the right thing to do!

Long story short, take a pen or a pencil and start reading thoughtfully.

And more importantly take action, turn the ideas that you’ll get after reading the book into reality!

Ildar just goes for it!

And that is exactly one of the main secrets of his own and his company.

Introduction

There’s no such term as “accidentally” if we talk about achieving outstanding results. You may accidentally win the lottery, but spending years trying to achieve your goal, as well as being the best in your sphere – these are the things a true leader would do! What people see is the outstanding result, but what they don’t is taking risks and huge responsibility. In pursuit of our goal, we bypass excuses, bureaucracy, and justifications; we focus solely on opportunities, systematic effort, and seamless integration. There are lots of candidates who are ready to sacrifice everything to win, but competition with the best ones just makes you stronger! The best ones will never whine about the quantity of competitors, moreover, they love competition! This is what actually brings them lots of pleasure. They’re self-confident, aware of what they’re worth, don’t doubt whether they succeed or not, and never ever will you hear them rambling on about their problems. They keep their eyes on the future, see it clearly, and make it happen. No matter what opinions or criticism they hear, they’re sure of the result they’re going to get. And later people start following them, copy their methods and use their tools and say: “That’s a no-brainer! How come we haven’t done that before?”

The best ones might also lose but they’re not that affected by their failures. However, if something goes wrong on the way to the desired outcome, it fosters an even greater positive drive for growth, and ultimately, failures are merely a stepping stone to even greater new victories.

Leadership is a special type of energy; this is something you can see in people’s eyes, something they can’t hide or explain, but it can easily be seen in actions and results. It’s like a wonderful sunrise at the crack of dawn, when the first rays of the sun fall on the sleeping town, and everything around becomes prettier, shinier and more exciting.

Only those may not like the best ones, who have never achieved anything themselves, although secretly crave success. People often get envious of leaders, but envy is for the weak. The strong ones will learn from leaders, emulate their path, style and way of management, and perhaps strive to become better.

Being a leader means doing everything differently. The more uncommon and innovative the leader’s approach is, the more effective it’s going to be. It’s indeed a powerful mix of fear, risk-taking, innovation, strategic planning, dedication, passion, uncertainty, and countless other contrasting elements. This combination ultimately creates something truly remarkable. Just like diamonds – rare gems in nature that everyone covets, with prices that soar to extraordinary heights. It’s the rarity and uniqueness that make something truly precious!

It’s essential to create systems where such leaders can thrive and become genuinely invested in their growth. Everyone benefits from this approach. Top performers set the standard, introduce new technologies, redefine what’s possible, and act as inspiring creators who drive progress.

After decades of socialism, it’s challenging for us to shift from the “status quo” mentality to the “winner-takes-all” principle. However, anyone can apply this philosophy to their own endeavors. Companies that succeed in becoming the best environments for exceptional talent will dominate markets and inspire admiration – just as the stars who flourish within them will.

In organizations that fail to value leaders or create supportive conditions, those focused on mediocrity will lack the powerful energy of extraordinary potential. Always beware of mediocrity. It’s easy to become average – you simply need to do nothing, and the result is guaranteed.

Following the publication of my book “Etagi. The Power of Management”, I received numerous positive responses as an author, though there were also some critical comments. At that time, our company was entering a new phase of development. Since then, significant changes have occurred both in our business approach and in my own personal growth.

I'm starting to write a new book in spring 2024 – a particularly interesting period. Five years ago, while working on my previous book, I could never have imagined that the following years would be so turbulent: the world experienced a pandemic and a serious economic crisis. My new literary work will address how companies operate under challenging conditions, among other topics.

While my first book had a rather academic tone, in this one I want to emphasize that successful management is always grounded in humanity. It is impossible to become a good leader without first being a good person.

My family: my wife Oksana, my elder daughter Alina, my son Timur, and my younger daughter Elina. May 2023

A good person is someone who does not harm others. Let me clarify that, in my view, harm is any action taken in one’s own interest at the expense of another person’s needs and benefits. When someone manipulates or forces others to act in their favor without understanding the situation – that is harm. Even raising one’s voice at someone is a form of harm, a form of emotional manipulation and abuse: it means failing to persuade through reason and resorting to emotional pressure instead.

I advocate a constructive approach. People often come to me with differing opinions, and I am always open to dialogue. I say, “All right, I’m listening to you – prove your point.” I appreciate when people challenge my views. Once, a friend and I debated for three hours. In the end, he won the argument by presenting stronger evidence to support his position. I could have simply said, “No, I think differently,” thereby causing him harm. However, I always strive for mutual understanding and agreement. In my experience, there have been very few instances where my counterpart and I did not reach a common ground. Sometimes the balance shifts, but what matters is that we understand the essence of our disagreement and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution. This approach makes a person good because it acknowledges the importance of emotional connections with others.

A good person solves problems through creation, positivity, and shared interests with partners, generating added value that is then distributed fairly. A good person creates a growth environment around them – a space where people become the best versions of themselves. They always foster a comfortable atmosphere.

I don’t believe in a purely technological approach to business. With age, I’ve come to realize that any strong company is built on the right emotional foundation and the right proportion of good people. It’s important to understand that a good person isn’t always a good manager, but among good managers, it’s better to choose those who are good people.

From a psychological perspective, it’s crucial to recognize that 'goodness' is contagious. The mechanism of transmitting anything requires creating the right environment. We need to encourage good people and give them freedom. In this book, we will certainly delve deeper into this issue.

Creating the right environment requires being a good person and continuously developing in that direction. It’s essential to learn how to control one’s ego and desires.