Q & A
but the principles are the same . Another thing that I try to implement in companies is honesty . CEOs and top managers must be honest about what is going on in the company . People will be happier and more trusting if they believe in us and what is being done in the company . In difficult times everybody should be making changes , or if it ’ s good times everybody should be able to share this in the form of teambuilding and other activities .
Marat : I believe that people are not attached to the company , they are attached to leaders . A leader is the one who provides many ideas , setting up values and the atmosphere in the company . I think the culture in your company depends on what you deliver to your staff . I personally do selection of the people for the company , I interview people mostly by myself . I tried to surround myself with people who are similar to me , having the same values , same way of thinking . People who can ’ t multiply to digit numbers in their mind are not possibilities to be employed , really .
Our company is the trading and analytical company , so you need to know numbers , need to remember them . During staff meetings , which happen two to three times a year , I always mention that the most important value is just ‘ what ’ s good versus what ’ s bad ’. So , if we speak about integrity and being a role model to others , treating others the same way you want to be treated . These are very basic values that are written in the Bible and other resources . Times are changing and we need to adapt to changes . From time to time I ’ m changing my approach in discipline , for instance . I remember I was very tough checking on people being at work on time . Then I stopped caring about it . Then we had casual attire for a while , and then we switched to business attire . I try to change my attitude to understand where is the best solution . You know that nothing is 100 % right or 100 % wrong , that ’ s why I ’ m trying to
Eldar Abdrazakov ,
Chairman of Centras Group of Companies
experiment with different kinds of culture , but the values are the same .
Siddique : I have a bit of a boring story . I studied ‘ Six sigma ’ management about 12 years ago and I realized that corporate culture is one thing . There should be a nucleus that is non-negotiable , there should be common values , like being good to your customer , integrity . These are the basics . But outside that shell , the outer shell should be evolving constantly . You know how we manage a 24-year young graduate is totally different from when I sit with my chief accountant who is 55 . Yes , we do implement the nucleus . This is the corporate culture , this is DNA of our organisation , and this is non-negotiable . But the outer shell is something that you have to constantly evolve . This is a constant movement cycle , another word would be – systemisation . Depending on your business , type of customers , vendors , geography that you cover , you have to systemise your business so a new-comer can relate .
Recently I had someone retiring after 24 years in the business . Systemisation replaced this person with a 32-yearold . And I was just looking at this whole evolution process and saw that this 32-year-old could replace the 66-yearold because he knew the system in the business . This is where you have to make a hybrid of human resources , technology , digitalisation and process approach . Frankly speaking I don ’ t want to fully rely on human resources . They are wonderful and loyal . But is this enough for your business ? No .
Julie : Excellent ! You lead me onto my next question . In your companies , as you mentioned , you have different aged people . You have those who are about to retire , retiring and young people . You have the X-generation , Y-generation and millennials .
What is the difference in how you manage a talent depending on what generation they represent ? How do you manage and maintain talent mainly with the younger generations ?
Siddique : You know , stability is always a core whether you are 25 or 55 years old . We all have a designed mind that requires stability : stability at work , home , in everything . What I find really amusing among the younger generation is that they expect too much stability .
Julie : They do ?
Siddique : Yes . At the same time they do not really know how to manage stress . They want stability . They think their job should be stable and everything should be stable around them , and that they should be served the way they like . But , are you willing to get out of your comfort zone to do things differently ? That is always a question I ask myself : " will the 25-yearold do the things we did ?" They don ’ t want to get out of the comfort zone , take challenges , risks , experiment . I had difficulty convincing one of them in Moscow to move to Almaty , because he didn ’ t want to leave his friends . For us it was like " go to Kazakhstan !". our question was “ where is it ?” and the answer was “ here ’ s the ticket !” So , my concern with millennials is that they are not ready to take challenges and do things to achieve results .
What is your experience with this younger generation ?
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