Q & A
Marat : I have various experiences that are very individual . We have a good tradition in the company – to get as many young people from universities as possible for internship . We are selecting the best ones out of these intern programs . They usually perform and demonstrate the highest level of loyalty – they are easy to train and quick to take on new training because they are not spoiled with any specific set thinking . You can simply plant the seeds that will grow very fast in a year , and they will deliver the results that you expect very quickly . This is in relation to interns .
The other millennials who have already graduated , they are from the other companies – this is another story . As Siddique said , they have over-expectations and tend to underperform . I realized that the level of education after the collapse of the Soviet Union downgraded in Kazakhstan . I ’ m questioning the people in the same subjects I used to study . I still remember those subjects , but they don ’ t and cannot answer a few basic questions from the theory of mechanics or higher mathematics . They cannot answer even the basic questions . What else can we talk about if they didn ’ t study properly at university ? This is really kind of depressing that the level of education has declined in Kazakhstan . Sometimes you find ‘ stars ’, especially the ones we select from internships , who might be very easy to manage . So , it ’ s very individual .
Makhmud : I also have various experiences with this younger generation . In my opinion we just have to remember that we were young as well . I think Siddique is right , they expect too much of everything . I think a very important issue , as Eldar said previously , is that he had to find people who did well in university , who studied a great deal , and then place them in positions where they can accomplish work they are ready for . This is regardless of generation – the main principles , main values and characteristics in people remain the same . Hard working , thorough , imaginative – I think this might be in all of us no matter which generation we come from . Finding the right person and putting him / her through the proper tests and experiences is very important . In the past I had the following experience : we had a brokerage company and we made a ‘ future ten ’ team . They were interns we took from universities . After our company closed down in the middle of a crisis , none of my employees were out of jobs , they had all found jobs . I was flying back from Astana on Sunday and met a guy who was in this ‘ future ten ’. He said that he is now Chairman of the BTA bank in Belorussia . He was a graduate in 2010 . So , if you find the right people , you give them the right motivation , the job of their life , and they set the expectation high and then grow . I think everybody has the need and vision for the people required for work . You have to correctly point them out : innovative , creative , technological people who love to study and explore . Finding them is the secret I think .
Eldar : I will tell a bit about Harry Potter . Harry Potter is an analogy we have today . In business we expect people to be like a model of 300 Spartans . We need Spartans at work . And what we usually get – we get Harry Potters because they grow up as Happy Potters . They strongly believe in their skills , their competencies , sometimes imaginings . I think that today we have kids who are more knowledgeable than we were and they have more opportunities , more vision than we had . In our time , there were a few avenues to take , just a few opportunities and that was clear . Today they might be computer designers , game producers , or they may become writers . They are more knowledgeable , they have more opportunities , and yet that brings its own problems for us to face . In our times , our main challenge was gaining knowledge . Today , knowledge is no longer a problem . I mean you have so many electronics – it ’ s all available – online courses , books , so many channels , everything . But gaining knowledge was a challenge for us . We had to manage double digits , multiplying them to one another . Today there is no point in doing so as you ’ ve got the calculator to do it for you . In Kazakhstan , we used to be so proud of excelling in math , demonstrating a high level of multiplication through memorisation . When older generations studied , there were different concepts , understanding them and knowing how to use them , but we faced the challenge . We may not have used the proper equipment , but we were proud that we had conquered and obtained knowledge . That is something that separates the younger generation from us . We still pretend that we are more knowledgeable than they are , but I would say that ’ s not right . The problem that the younger generations face , the thing they unfortunately misunderstand , is acquiring the skills and competencies they need for getting the job . In our times we were required to participate and be a Pioneer or Komsomol member , and this is where we built many practical skills . From that point of view , we see the younger generations as missing some primary competencies , lacking self-motivation as they demonstrate how they are not really self-motivated . Actually they have so many opportunities that they cannot concentrate , and they still end up with no ‘ know-how ’. The second thing is their lack of responsibility and how they have become ‘ helicopter ’ parents unable to demonstrate the level of responsible we did . Third , they are not team players , which comes from all these computer games and social media people use , causing them to become more introverted rather than extroverted . From this perspective they are not good team players . I would say these are the three trends , which are missing . However in terms of the knowledge , they are more knowledgeable than us .
Anatoliy : My son is in the middle of it now ; he is a second-year student in university . He has two more years to study , and now It looks like he
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