Ильдар Хусаинов – The power of freedom (страница 22)

I take discipline very seriously, especially when it comes to my personal discipline. Over the past 24 years, I've hardly missed a single workday due to illness. The only times I was out for a few days were due to injuries I got while playing football. I always aimed to recover quickly from those. Apart from that I’ve never been on a sick leave. I understand that being ill is very costly, so I always look after my health.

If I plan something, I make sure to follow through. I don’t cancel plans unless something more important comes up. I should mention that early in my career, I struggled with procrastination, but I managed to overcome it.

I told myself, "If I want to achieve something in this life, I can't just give up on my ideas without taking the necessary actions to realize them." I made that decision long ago and have stuck to it ever since. Now, I can’t even imagine how my assistants would react if I said things like, "Guys, I don’t want to hold this meeting" or "I don’t want to go to this meeting." That’s simply not an option for me.

This is what helped me become a disciplined person:

A. Love for people:

B. Positive attitude: Even during tough times, I always went to work. It's important to maintain a mindset that allows you to feel comfortable in any situation. When I was around 33–35 years old, there were meetings that I didn’t enjoy for various reasons. Now, I think differently. I view my work as a match that needs to be won. I'm always inspired and confident that I'll find the right solutions and improve the situation in meetings. Even when difficult cases are discussed or problems arise, I see the opportunities behind them. Over the past 2–3 years, I've gained the confidence that helps me view every situation as a chance to make things better.

C. Operational discipline: This means that the process of interacting with others or with something should inherently follow certain values. What I write about in my book is not just words; they are facts from my life and the life of the company.

Let me share an interesting story as an example. I was at a football match that was quite tense: the team I was supporting lost in a penalty shootout. While watching the game with other spectators, there was a guy sitting next to me who suddenly started yelling at the referee, calling him a "bald jerk." Ironically, the fan himself was bald. Moments like these make football matches even more memorable. This situation perfectly illustrates how people tend to notice flaws in others rather than in themselves.

Recently, we discussed reducing commission rates for new real estate agents. This was proposed as part of an optimization strategy, but I am against such measures. I firmly believe that focusing on lowering percentages is not what a leader should prioritize. Instead, I prefer to think about how to create additional value rather than cutting back on anything. I told my deputy, "Our company values freedom and strives to improve. But you’re suggesting that when inefficiencies arise, we should compromise our principles and go against the company's values." Many people can talk one way but will abandon their words when circumstances change. Entrepreneurial culture does not tolerate that.

When I make high-level decisions, I always adhere to these principles in operational activities. By the way, I have never sworn or slammed my fist on a table – not once in my life. That’s another one of my principles. I truly believe that such behavior is destructive to a person. It’s not a form of culture; it’s a manifestation of ignorance. Controlling one’s emotions is what truly matters.

In our company, profanity is strictly prohibited. While it may happen in casual settings, it’s unacceptable at work. I know that in some companies, you can hear foul language during meetings, but that’s not the case here. I can imagine that among colleagues, informal conversations might occasionally include such language, but overall, it’s unacceptable and goes against our company’s cultural principles. At work, you need to adhere to certain standards.

For instance, during football games, my teammates swear constantly, even on the pitch. This always makes me uncomfortable, but I can’t tell them, "Guys, let’s keep it clean, okay?" In football, I’m just one part of the system and must play my role. Everyone has their own world, and I respect that. For me, it’s important to stay true to myself and my principles, even when those around me act differently.

I have always believed that what makes you really strong is being able not to succumb to external influences and not to follow poor examples. For instance, many people in my circle died from drug overdoses in the 1990s. I have never tried drugs myself and have always tried to discourage others from using them. If I found out that someone close to me was using drugs, I would immediately cut off all interaction with that person.

Individualists rarely manage to create a large system for other individualists. The truth is that only a strong team player can build a community where everyone can realize their potential.

I consider myself a team player. I have many friends and enjoy socializing. However, there are also many people I don’t know who seek to connect with me, and I can’t give everyone the attention they deserve. My assistants can arrange for three or four unfamiliar people to meet with me for half an hour once a year. Right now, there’s quite a queue of people waiting. I hardly ever speak at conferences – only a couple of times a year, and only when it’s necessary. I dedicate most of my time to work, family, sports, and spending time with friends.

If you’re surprised that “self-belief” isn’t listed among these key aspects of my life, let me clarify: it’s not essential. I don’t consider myself someone with high self-esteem and often struggle with various insecurities. But that doesn’t mean I can’t achieve success. It’s important for me to believe in what I’m doing, but I don’t necessarily have to have unwavering confidence in myself. In the entrepreneurial world, strong self-belief isn’t always the fundamental factor for success. What matters most is taking action and striving toward your goals, despite doubts and insecurities.

Chapter 11. About Goal Setting

If you have a small business, you can skip this chapter. However, if your business is already quite large or aims to become so, I strongly recommend paying attention to the following. The issue I raise in this chapter is a complex one for me. It often becomes quite pressing as the system grows.

Goal setting is one of the most crucial components of success. First, we establish our goals. Many find this process mysterious because it happens behind closed doors. Some people claim, “We don’t need any goal setting! The situation will tell us what to do.” Occasionally, someone asks, “What’s so difficult about goal setting anyway?” I wrote about goal setting in my first book five years ago. If you’re interested, I encourage you to read it.

Previously, I approached this topic from the perspective of resource allocation, but now I want to examine it from the standpoint of departments. A poorly defined goal can harm an organization or a division. You can easily get lost if you’re not following the right star. Confusing Jupiter with the North Star will surely lead you astray. Therefore, choosing the right goal is half the battle, especially for a company.

Goals reflect human psychology. When you’re in a good mood, all problems seem manageable, and you feel capable of achieving a lot. But when you’re feeling down, the world appears bleak, and it seems like everything is lost. People who set goals understand how important it is to have a tool for defining them. It needs to be competitive. Goals should not be set based on emotions. During the goal-setting process, it’s critical to adhere to clear rules and criteria.

When setting goals, we always consider two factors:

1. Financial Factor: This is particularly relevant when discussing performance indicators. We analyze all possible influences related to key parameters, such as the average interest rate. We develop models that account for the market's dependence on these rates and adjust our goals according to current conditions and forecasts.

2. Psychological Factor: The true goal should not be intimidating or cause excessive anxiety. It needs to be practical. All successful companies set goals that are very practical and realistic. The goals are clear, understandable, and appropriate. Success is largely defined by SMART goals, which I believe are more important than SMART tasks. Even if tasks do not always meet SMART criteria, the goal should always be focused on results.

Now, let's talk about larger companies like ours, which have multiple departments. In today's world, departments are parts of an overarching management system. Standardization – bringing the specific into alignment with the general – occurs before we start doing anything right or wrong.