Ильдар Хусаинов – The power of freedom (страница 6)

When I started my journey in business, my attitude to work was just beginning to form, and over time it evolved in many aspects. My productivity has always been high, but the period from 2008 to 2011 was a turning point for me: it was during this time that I fully developed as a professional. Our business entered a vibrant growth phase in 2011, flourishing like a rainbow after a storm. Over 14 years, a small company transformed into a serious brand, uniting more than 25,000 like-minded individuals in various cities across Russia and with representatives in several countries. The foundation of such success lay in the changes that occurred within me, and although these changes became less noticeable over time, they continued to have a significant impact on my attitude towards business and management.

The second business book I read was about the corporate life cycles. After that, I started reading everything I came across: books, articles. I subscribed to all the magazines and couldn't stop. I could devour a large, multi-page book in just three days. It was something incredible for me. I enjoyed it so much that I set a rule for myself: I read a book and right after that try to apply the ideas I gained in practice.

I started planning my actions according to the books I read: the world of books and the real world started to merge, just like in "The Master and Margarita." The more I read, the more I got amazed by the effect that reading had on my life and work. For example, after reading Claudio Fernández-Aráoz's book "The Talent Masters: How Great Leaders Make Great Teams" I organized regular meetings with top managers.

After finishing reading a book, I jot down what I need to do. Sometimes I record a voice message with my thoughts, and other times I simply write them down in a notebook. I don’t write anything in the margins of the books. Nowadays, I tend to listen to more audiobooks. I used to read texts, but when audiobooks appeared, I switched to them because, being an athlete I prefer to listen to them while walking or jogging. It’s effective, and my brain absorbs information better when I set the playback speed to 1.5 or 1.7 – it sounds like a bedtime story from my mum. If I have that opportunity, why not take advantage of it? I "devour" books one after another.

My mother grew up in a family of teachers and writers. Their home was always filled with books, and there was a special place for book subscription. As soon as a new book or novel was published, it would immediately appear in their home. In Urengoy, my mother also subscribed to many books, and our library was constantly growing. She could read a three-hundred-page book in just one night. Unlike her, I developed my love for reading when I was much older than a child. And one of the reasons I read many books is that they significantly improve my arguments. Books let me be competitive in discussions and easily provide evidence.

Reading books discovers various systems and connections, which helps me articulate my ideas. I realized this when I reached a certain level of literacy and began to notice that I could come up with arguments from different fields and justify my claims. This is part of my role as a leader.

Moreover, I always pay attention to how a person argues for their point of view. Sometimes, I deliberately provoke people into a debate to see how they defend their position. Even if I agree with them, I express an opposing opinion to test their argumentation.

I assess whether a person understands who they are speaking with. Sometimes people present arguments as if they were in elementary school. I always evaluate how well a person is aware of their interlocutor and the quality of their argumentation. The process of discussion and persuading someone of something is a whole world, and I could write a book about it. Most people don’t know how to argue effectively. They don’t understand that a problem can’t be solved at the same level it appeared; you need to rise to a higher level. If an interlocutor can provide that depth of argumentation, I would consider them as a potential employee.

For example, if we discuss moving to a new office, I’ll ask, "Why do we need this? What are we going to gain?" Many people would answer like, "We’ll increase revenue" and describe straightforward processes, but realizing that the other person truly doesn't understand is an art. When I see someone addressing exactly what will help the person realize why they are wrong, I mentally give them the highest mark.

If we debate about moving to a new office, instead of presenting obvious arguments, one could say: "Market share is critically important for us, and 25% of our partners and employees are not willing to work far from home. We could lose that slice of the pie." Such arguments demonstrate a deep understanding of the issue and strategic thinking. It could be also mentioned that opening a new office increases internal competition. There will be competitive mechanisms, processes become cheaper, and this gives us advantages. Here’s another example of effective reasoning in favor of the new office: "Don’t you agree that we need to learn how to work remotely. As a system, we become better when we strive to operate not on the principle of 'I see you and control you,' but on the principle of trust and independence."

Here are three levels of arguments: from basic to more profound, which truly resonates. It's essential for any manager to understand how all processes of argumentation work. There is immense power embedded in the system of argumentation. I evaluate people based on their ability to put forward their point of view.

I have a high success rate when it comes to persuasion. It requires intense mental effort. I need to quickly understand what the person needs, how they think, how they assess situations, their willingness to take risks, and why they might be resistant. Hundreds of questions race through my mind. Convincing someone who disagrees with you is the most energy-intensive task.

It's important to consider the mindset of the person you're dealing with. If you start a confrontation, you'll never reach an agreement. You need to be able to see things from your opponent's perspective and say, "Yes, but…" – and that takes a lot of effort. This approach to management, rather than simply enforcing rules, creates a unique environment within the company and fosters different relationships.

Sometimes, there’s a strong temptation to make a drastic decision, but that impulse is often misguided. I get it – I feel that way sometimes too. I remember one director at a meeting saying, “Sometimes you just want to slam your fist on the table and say, ‘Just get it done!’” That really captures the mindset of that type of manager.

There are also side effects to a gentle management style. Many people, for some reason, perceive kindness and openness as weaknesses. Some may even take advantage of this. In Russian mentality trust is often seen as a vulnerability. I see this in management. If people start to exploit my kindness and genuine desire to help, distorting my intentions, I can respond sharply and put them in their place. There’s a fine line that needs to be considered. In rare cases – less than 0.1% of situations – I might respond harshly if someone behaves inappropriately. For example, if someone in a meeting says to another, “Be quiet, can’t you see I’m talking?!” I might ask that person to leave the meeting.

Why does this happen? Because, as a result of my flexible management style, people from different cultures sometimes get the impression that it's okay to be harsh. There are two dimensions to consider: managerial flexibility and human softness. I believe that human softness is important, but it must have its limits.

As I grow older, I increasingly realize that responsibility means being willing to sacrifice a lot for the company. I've even started writing about this in my first book. I must admit, I've become a bit like Scrooge McDuck. I've come to understand that my company needs money. Even though we sometimes made over 100 million rubles a month, I found it hard to spend even 50,000. I kept thinking about potential tax risks and other unexpected expenses. Imagine earning so much money but being afraid to spend some of it because you might need it in the future. I counted every thousand, even with such high earnings. And by the way, all my concerns always turned out to be justified, even the most pessimistic ones.

Usually, coincidences happen over short periods of time. Perhaps I was internally prepared for them, which is why I noticed and followed them. In a person's life, there are usually only two or three significant random events. This could be meeting someone special or encountering important circumstances. Everything else tends to follow a more predictable path. Therefore, we should approach coincidences with caution, but also recognize the opportunities they can bring.

I want to tell you a story. I was flying to Kostroma from Gorno-Altaisk to make a speech at a forum. We took off in the morning, and guess what? I have a weak spot – I don’t handle flights well. I spent all four hours in the lavatory, throwing up non-stop. I handed the flight attendant 5000 rubles and asked her not to let anyone in because I couldn’t come out and explain why the bathroom was out of order for so long. She assured me everything would be fine. I was severely dehydrated, having drunk seven liters of water during the flight. When I arrived, I had to speak at 10 a.m. I hadn’t slept all night and felt terrible. My deputy saw me three hours after landing and suggested canceling my speech, which was scheduled to start in just an hour, but I turned down his offer and went on to speak anyway.