.png)
Thank you to the 1,400 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 questions!
I hope reading
7 Questions with Andrey Kuzin
helps you in your leadership.
Â
Cheers,
Jonno White
7 Questions with Andrey Kuzin
Name: Andrey Kuzin
Current title: CTO
Current organisation: Smart AXIATA Co., LTD.
Andrey has 15 years of experience in mobile telecommunications. In that time, he has developed a broad skill set and gained a comprehensive understanding of the industry, working for several well-known operators and vendors.
Beginning his career in engineering before going on to focus on project management, he has extensive experience in managing complex telecommunication projects in various countries. He was instrumental in the successful merging of Hello Axiata and Smart Mobile into Smart Axiata. The network merger proved to be a key foundational pillar of Smart’s growth, with the combined subscriber base and revenue establishing Smart as a leader in the Cambodian telecommunications industry.
Andrey is a natural leader, striving to continually grow together with those around him and make sure that his colleagues realize their potential but also enjoy themselves doing so.
.
1. What have you found most challenging as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise?
The balance between setting the vision and managing operations.
2. How did you become a CEO or executive of a large enterprise? Can you please briefly tell the story?
I left a large enterprise to join a small startup. That startup became a large enterprise in the next 10 years. That's a very brief story.
3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?
wake up, a cup of hot latte as a breakfast. Dip checking my schedule for today and figuring what will be the most urgent things to do. And then go down the task list or if there are meetings, go participate there. In the afternoon, find some time to speak with managers, reply to Team conversations/emails.
4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?
Once I was told by my manager - "you do all the work by yourself, talk to me if you feel you need help". Essentially he gave me full cart-Blanche and that changed my mindset from employee to leader. It happened when I was 24yo. There were many other lessons after that.
5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?
Thinking fast and slow - helped me to understand how actually flawed our "gut" decisions are.
6. How do you build leadership capacity in a large enterprise?
identify people who are culturally fit for the enterprise and give them freedom along with accountability. By freedom, I mean no micromanagement, guide and maybe some guard rails for new team members but not more than this.
7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise so far?
Life and work are full of conflicts fueled by misunderstandings. Those misunderstandings are mostly the result of selective perception. So nearly all of those conflicts are easily resolved by simply listening first and talking later. Not only will the conflict be resolved but you will build a stronger team based on a better foundation.