There is a great deal of discussion lately in Greece about the need to reduce labor costs (i.e., salaries) in the private sector in order to increase Greece’s competitiveness. The theory is that by reducing their labor costs Greek companies will be able to deliver cheaper products and services, thus become more competitive, increase...
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Panayiotis Vitakis
Panayiotis Vitakis (twitter: @vitakis) is Director of Technology and Operations at Upstream, one of the largest mobile marketing companies in the world. His past experience includes roles in the telco and IT industries in Greece and in the US. Panayiotis holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Lafayette College and a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University. He is one of the founders of Manylogue.
When you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
Why managers can rarely be makers
After reading Paul Graham’s post and Seth Godin’s post about makers and managers I couldn’t help but think that a manager at any level of an organization operates on a manager’s schedule by definition, not by choice, and that for a manager to operate more as a maker it takes a lot more than...
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How to stand out in a jobless market
One of the most alarming trends of the Greek financial crisis is the continuously rising unemployment. Companies in all sectors of the economy are downsizing or altogether shutting down, creating a market where thousands of highly educated and skilled people are competing for fewer and fewer job openings. In this bleak market, I have...
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Reacting to layoff rumors
Whenever I read stories about rumored massive layoffs I am reminded of the striking differences I have witnessed in the way those potentially affected react to such rumors. The reactions are usually a reflection of the overall company culture, morale and work ethic. In companies where bureaucracy and politics rule, people tend to react...
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When entrepreneurs call it quits
One of the most telling characteristics of successful entrepreneurs is their undaunted optimism, even under the most difficult circumstances. This optimism in the face of adversity is so strong that it is often perceived by others, insiders or outsiders, as unfounded, misguided and even financially dangerous. Yet, entrepreneurs simply refuse to consider failure as...
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In search of a ‘messiah’
Individuals can make a huge difference. Coco Chanel is credited with single-handedly (albeit accidentally) turning sun tanning from a sign of poverty into a global fashion trend when in a 1923 cruise from Paris to Cannes she stepped off the Duke of Wellington’s yacht with a startling suntan. In a less haphazard turn of...
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Only take a NO from someone who can say YES
Any business developer who has successfully navigated through the maze of corporate decision making and purchasing processes can tell you that a deal cannot be closed until it is approved by the person who has the power to say yes. What is also true, but often forgotten, is that an opportunity should not be...
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Prevention is better than cure
In his recent post Nobody is Perfect, Nikos Moraitakis argued that employers would benefit much more from focusing on cultivating employee strengths, rather than trying to build the “perfect” employee by changing or improving on employee weaknesses. Of course, Nikos doesn’t forget to make an exception for the “amelioration of shortcomings that are inhibitory...
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The paradox of top performance
Top performance in any facet of life can only be achieved when someone’s heart is really into what they are doing. Of course, loving what you do is not by itself sufficient as other factors such as talent, hard work, opportunity and luck weigh in. Ultimately, though, excellence cannot exist without desire and enjoyment....
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Multitasking in meetings
About a year ago I picked up a new habit: multitasking in meetings. I decided that bringing along my laptop to every meeting would give a hefty boost to my productivity since it would allow me to: take notes directly on my laptop, saving me all the time it takes to transfer notes from...
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