Stefan Engel and Erik Budde On 'The Future is Now' with Fotis Georgiadis
Stefan Engel, Vice President and General Manager of Lenovo’s Visuals Business, in the Intelligent Devices Group. Erik Budde, founder and CEO of GigaPoints
Technology continues to move forward, regardless of COVID-19, and in many cases, because of COVID-19 we are seeing faster developments see the light of day. Fotis Georgiadis is helping bring these advancements to light. Two recent interviews, excerpted below, discuss 'The Future is Now'. Reach out to Fotis Georgiadis to help build your brand, your image, and get ahead of the competition.
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Stefan Engel, Vice President and General Manager of Lenovo’s Visuals Business, in the Intelligent Devices Group
What are a few “Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Having empathy in leadership is as important as being right. In any large organization, you need to collaborate with people in other departments and even in other companies to achieve lasting success. Making the right decisions is important, but it’s just as important to be empathetic and diplomatic towards others in order to get things done.
Hierarchy shouldn’t get in the way of helping customers. Early on in my career, I did an internship in a large German company, selling chemicals that helped make foam in detergent, bubbles and more. At the time, demand was always higher than supply. A customer called me in desperate need of more supply to produce bubble fluid for kids to blow bubbles with. I recalled my own childhood and how much fun I had blowing bubbles as a kid, and wanted the same for other kids. Unfortunately there was not enough supply through my usual channels. So I looked up an internal contact list and called the head of the department with this request. He picked up the phone and reprimanded me, that I should have gone to my superior to reach out to him instead because of his seniority to me. I was shocked. This is a lesson that I took with me for the rest of my career. I made it a point to never let seniority get in the way of serving customers or having open dialogue with my teams. To me, helping a customer is always more important than internal hierarchies. As for the end to my earlier story? Well, I did end up helping the bubble customer and was very proud of myself for that.
There’s no such thing as work-life balance. Work is a part of life and not separate from it. If you’re not happy at work, then a part of your life is un-balanced and you must fix it. Finding the right career path to suit your interests is important. If you are passionate about what you do, it will make those long nights seem shorter and you’ll be excited to start each new day.
Very often, systems define the process, and not vice versa as it should be. When companies renew their IT systems, ideally they define the process as it should be and implement the system in a way that reflects this process. But often times, a great idea may get turned down by the killer phrase, “Our system does not allow that”. Of course, systems can’t be easily changed, but if there’s a will, then with time, patience and persistence, there’s often a way.
Not everyone wants to become a manager, and that’s okay. Sometimes, people work better on their own, preferring to only focus on managing their own time and priorities, vs managing a team. Some excel as individual contributors, and others as managers. The key is to play to each team member’s complementary strengths.
Read the rest of the interview here1.
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Erik Budde, founder and CEO of GigaPoints
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
1. Startups are roller coasters. One day, everything is awesome and you’re on your way to becoming the next Facebook. Then a week later, something happens and you it seems like the company is doomed. Managing those emotional swings is one of the most important things you can do.
2. A startup is a reflection of the founders. Flaws and all. Google is the way it is because that’s how Larry and Sergey are. Oracle behaves a certain way because of Larry Ellison. Be prepared to see your weaknesses on display in your organization (since you probably won’t appreciate your strengths).
3. Startups can be incredibly rewarding. Being able to say, “I built this,” is really unique. Lots of people have ideas. But not a lot of people are willing or able to take an idea and turn it into something that touches thousands or (hopefully) millions of people. I hold great respect for everyone that even attempts it.
4. But you definitely don’t do it for the money. I haven’t had a salary for 12 years. The successes can be enormous and that’s obviously what a lot of people focus on. But risk-adjusted, you’re almost certainly better at a big company.
The full interview is available here2.
You can reach out to Fotis Georgiadis at the below-listed website, email and social media links to discuss how he can help your brand and image.
About Fotis Georgiadis
Fotis Georgiadis is the founder of DigitalDayLab. Fotis Georgiadis is a serial entrepreneur with offices in both Malibu and New York City. He has expertise in marketing, branding and mergers & acquisitions. Fotis Georgiadis is also an accomplished VC who has successfully concluded five exits. Fotis Georgiadis is also a contributor to Authority Magazine, Thrive Global & several others.
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1 https://www.fotisgeorgiadis.com/the-future-is-now-lenovo-vp-stefan-engel-on-how-wireless-monitors-will-shake-up-the-tech-scene/
2 https://www.fotisgeorgiadis.com/the-future-is-now-erik-budde-of-gigapoints-on-how-their-technological-innovation-will-shake-up-how/