Crawford Partners, LLC

Delivers strategic consulting in marketing, strategy, leadership, organizational design, business transformation, executive coaching, and employee experience for private organizations focused on growth.  

I also partner with many leadership development, coaching, and organizational development firms to provide shared experience and solutions for a wide range of clients.

President

Thomas More University

Provided strategic leadership in adult enrollment and marketing for the university.  Designed new revenue models and channels to drive growth.  Responsible for all advertising, media placement, digital marketing and strategic initiatives.

Vice President for Digital, Graduate & Professional Programs

Founding Dean of the College of Business

Taught strategy, innovation, marketing, MBA skills, organizational behavior, etc., at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Assistant Professor

Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University

Assisted doctorate students in designing meaningful research.

Research Advisor for Doctorate of Management Students

Direct Opinions

Provided marketing strategy, sales, employee experience, customer research and analytics for clients across retail, healthcare, consumer products, and manufacturing.

Chief Marketing Officer

Convergys

Successfully provided cross-functional marketing leadership in creating solutions, designing business transformation, and developing innovative strategies that lead to growth.  Responsible for all value proposition creation, packaging, positioning, digital marketing, branding, creative services, web redesign, lead generation, sales center of excellence consulting services and voice of the client research.

Senior Director Marketing Strategy

University of Cincinnati

Enjoyed teaching Business Ethics and Quality Management Tools courses to students by designing a highly interactive curriculum.

Adjunct Business Management Instructor

Citigroup

Led sales and marketing business transformation efforts for private label cards, retention, and mortgage across seven sites.  Managed $230M in annual revenue, driving year over year continued growth.

Senior Vice President, Regional Sales Director

AmTrust Bank

Traveled throughout the country studying contact center best practices.  Designed, developed, implemented and managed all aspects of the retail banking contact center, internet web customer service and the B2B mortgage contact center.  The program won the National Teleprofessional Award for Call Center Excellence (ACCE).

Vice President

Partnering with Leaders to Define SUCCESS and Achieve It.

Thank you for visiting my profile.  I'm Angela Crawford, a strategist and leadership consultant who empowers people and organizations to grow through authentic connection and a relentless commitment to helping others succeed.

With over 20 years of strategic leadership experience, I provide organizational consulting, along with coaching and leadership development through my customizable Leaders SUCCEED Together© system.

Let's work together to define success for yourself and your organization--and achieve it!

Who I Help:
- C-Suite Executives in privately owned companies
- Senior Leaders tackling new challenges
- HR Professionals seeking leadership development solutions
- Education and Healthcare Administrators

How I Can Help:
- Provide consulting services across organizational development, HR, sales, marketing, and operations.
- Design custom leadership programs to attract and retain top talent
- Serve as your confidential sounding board with fresh perspectives
- Enhance team dynamics and performance with tailored solutions
- Navigate the unique challenges of education and healthcare leadership

Why Choose Crawford Partners?
- Extensive cross-industry experience
- Proven, research-backed Leaders SUCCEED Together© System
- Flexible, client-focused approach
- Deep commitment to your success
- Over 13 years of delivering results

Ready to grow your organization like never before?  Let's connect.

P.S. Even if leadership development isn't your current focus, feel free to pass my information along to someone who might benefit. I'm passionate about helping leaders become the best versions of themselves.

Angela Crawford

➡️ Here's what most leaders miss about organizational culture:

They think culture change happens from the top down through mission statements and company values.

The reality?

73% of culture transformation initiatives fail because leaders diagnose the stated culture instead of the enacted culture.

After studying Cameron & Quinn's Competing Values Framework and Schein's organizational culture theory, I've adapted a 4-phase diagnostic that reveals what's actually happening:

The Framework:

✅ Phase 1: Behavioral Evidence Gathering (Weeks 1-3)
→ Track decision patterns, not policy documents
→ Observe meeting dynamics, not org charts

✅ Phase 2: Informal Culture Assessment (Weeks 4-6)
→ Map promotion patterns vs. stated values
→ Analyze crisis responses vs. company principles

✅ Phase 3: Force Field Analysis (Weeks 7-9)
→ Identify reinforcing vs. disruptive cultural forces
→ Calculate net change pressure

✅ Phase 4: Integration & Action Planning (Weeks 10-12)
→ Plot cultural reality gaps
→ Design evidence-based evolution strategy

The difference? Companies using behavioral diagnostics see 3x higher success rates in culture transformation.

You know you've succeeded when: Your promotion patterns, resource allocation, and crisis responses actually match your stated values.

Which assumption about your company culture needs challenging?

Share your biggest culture gap discovery below. ⬇️

—

👉 DM me “GROWTH” to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

Angela Crawford, PhD

Business Owner, Consultant & Executive Coach | Guiding Senior Leaders to Overcome Challenges & Drive Growth l Author of Leaders SUCCEED Together©

Stop trying to find your one "authentic" leadership style.

Start being the leader your team actually needs you to be in the moment.

Conventional wisdom tells us to be consistent. But what if that consistency is the very thing holding your team back?

A single leadership style applied to every person and situation is a recipe for failure.

→ Your brand-new intern feels lost because you're too hands-off.
→ Your senior expert feels micromanaged because you're too hands-on.

The most effective leaders don't have one style; they are leadership chameleons. They use the Situational Leadership Model to accurately diagnose and adapt to the needs of their people.

It’s about flexing between four distinct approaches based on your team member's competence and commitment to a specific task.

🎨 The 4 Leadership Styles:

1. Directing (S1) 🎯
→ You provide clear, step-by-step instructions.
Perfect for the Enthusiastic Beginner (D1) who is eager but inexperienced.

2. Coaching (S2) 🤝
→ You still direct, but also explain the 'why' and encourage them.
Ideal for the Disillusioned Learner (D2) who has hit a roadblock and lost confidence.


3. Supporting (S3) 🤗
→ You empower them to lead the way while you act as a sounding board.
For the Capable but Cautious Performer (D3) who has the skills but is hesitant to own it.

4. Delegating (S4) 🚀
→ You turn over full responsibility and trust them to deliver.
Reserved for the Self-Reliant Achiever (D4) who is a true expert.

Your goal as a leader isn't just to get the task done. It's to develop your people from D1 to D4. That requires you to change your approach as they grow.

Ready to try it?

Try this for one week:
→ Pick one person on your team and one specific task.
→ Diagnose their Development
→ Consciously apply the matching leadership style (S1-S4).

Who's ready to become a more adaptable leader?

—

👉 Get free weekly tips and actionable guides by signing up for my newsletter at the link in my bio.

What if we’ve been wrong about what great leadership looks like?

We celebrate the charismatic, larger-than-life CEOs on the covers of business magazines. But what if the data told a different story?

In his groundbreaking research for Good to Great, Jim Collins and his team discovered something interesting:

The most effective leaders combine personal humility with professional will.

They were Level 5 Leaders.

And the climbing looks like this:

• Level 1: Highly Capable Individual 🧑💼
Makes productive contributions through talent, knowledge, skills, and good work habits.

• Level 2: Contributing Team Member 🤝
Contributes individual capabilities to the achievement of group objectives and works effectively with others in a group setting.

• Level 3: Competent Manager 📈
Organizes people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives.

• Level 4: Effective Leader 🧭
Catalyzes commitment to and vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision, stimulating higher performance standards.

• Level 5: Executive ✨
Builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.

Greatness is not a function of circumstance.

It is, first and foremost, a matter of conscious choice and discipline. The most powerful choice a leader can make is to subjugate their own ego to the larger goal of building something great and lasting.

You can't "fake" Level 5, but you can consciously cultivate its attributes.

—

👉 Get my free guidebook detailing the 7 essential steps for leadership growth.

Link in bio.

Have you ever seen a great strategy die a slow, silent death?

The year starts with ambitious goals and high energy. By March, the team is buried in the “whirlwind” (endless emails, back-to-back meetings, and urgent fires that keep the business running).

The whirlwind isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
But if left on its own, it can consume 100% of your time and energy.

That’s why most strategies fail. All your resources go battle against the whirlwind.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX), created by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling, is the proven system to fight back.

Before you can win, you must know your enemy:

⚡️ What it is: The energy it takes to run your daily operations. The calls, the reports, the fires.

🚨 Its nature: It is not evil. It is urgent. And urgency will always feel more important than importance.

⚠️ Its power: It can derail any initiative and act on your team every minute of every day.

The 4 Disciplines are your weapons to protect your most important goals from being lost in the storm:

1. Focus on the Wildly Important
2. Act on the Lead Measures
3. Keep a Compelling Scoreboard
4. Create a Cadence of Accountability

What’s your go-to framework to fight the daily whirlwind?

—

👉 Get my free guidebook detailing the 7 essential steps for leadership growth.

Link in bio.

70% of major change initiatives fail.

The dangerous myth? That the new ideas were flawed.

The harsh truth most people miss? It's almost always a failure of leadership.

For decades, we've watched leaders with brilliant visions underestimate the human side of change.

They treat it like a software update, issuing a memo and expecting everyone to comply.

They are unprepared for the inevitable storm of resistance, fear, and inertia.

The result is always the same: wasted money, cynical employees, and a failed initiative that poisons the well for future efforts.

But you don't have to be a statistic. Dr. John Kotter's research provides a proven roadmap for navigating the storm. His 8-Step Model is not a checklist; it's a sequential, disciplined process for leading people through turmoil.

Skipping a step is like leaving a hole in the hull of your ship.

Here is the 8-step voyage to lasting change:

Phase 1: 🌪️ Create a Climate for Change(You can't steer a ship that's tied to the dock.)

→ Step 1: Create Urgency. Make the status quo seem more dangerous than the unknown future.
→ Step 2: Form a Powerful Guiding Coalition. Assemble a credible and influential team to lead the charge.
→ Step 3: Create a Vision for Change. Develop a clear, simple "North Star" to guide every action.

Phase 2: 🤝 Engage and Enable the Organization(Raise the sails and remove the obstacles.)

→ Step 4: Communicate the Vision. Relentlessly, through every channel possible. Then do it again.
→ Step 5: Empower Others to Act. Remove the barriers—be it a legacy system or a resistant manager.
→ Step 6: Create Short-Term Wins. Build momentum and silence the critics with visible successes.

Phase 3: ⚓ Implement and Sustain the Change(Anchor the new way of working in your culture.)

→ Step 7: Consolidate Improvements. Use the credibility from early wins to tackle bigger challenges.
→ Step 8: Anchor in the Culture. Weave the change into "the way we do things around here."

What's your experience?
Which of these 8 steps have you seen leaders skip most often?

—

👉 Get free tips and guidebooks weekly by signing up for my newsletter at the link in my bio.

➡️ The highest-performing teams aren't the smartest, they're the safest.

Most leaders focus on hiring talent but ignore creating environments where that
talent can actually speak up.

Here's how 5 industry leaders master psychological safety:

Google: Project Aristotle discoveries

→ Team diagnostic surveys for psychological safety measurement
→ Blameless post-mortems focusing on systems, not people
→ GTEAM meetings discussing "how we work together"
→ Result: 67% higher performance in psychologically safe teams

Microsoft: Growth mindset transformation

→ Daily pulse surveys for real-time team health monitoring
→ Learning Fridays: 10% time for experimentation
→ Courage Conversations training for difficult discussions
→ Result: 35% increase in employee confidence to speak up

Pixar: The Braintrust model

→ No hierarchy in feedback, junior animators critique directors
→ "Plussing" technique: "Yes, and..." instead of "No, but..."
→ Rapid prototyping with expectation of failure
→ Result: 83% feel safe sharing wild ideas

Netflix: Radical candor at scale

→ "Keeper Test" for transparent performance conversations
→ 360-degree feedback including upward feedback to managers
→ "No Brilliant Jerks" policy, culture matters as much as performance
→ Result: 89% trust their manager to act on feedback

The pattern? All 4 companies:

→ Measure psychological safety consistently
→ Train leaders to model vulnerability
→ Normalize speaking up through structured processes
→ Iterate and improve based on feedback

Amy Edmondson's research shows 4 stages: 

✅ Inclusion Safety
✅ Learner Safety
✅ Contributor Safety
✅ Challenger Safety.

Most teams never reach stage 4, where breakthrough innovation happens.

Which stage is your team at? 

And what's one practice you'll steal from these companies?

—

👉 DM me “GROWTH” to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

Why do so many brilliant strategies fail?

It’s rarely the strategy itself. It's the organizational 'body' rejecting the transplant.

After years of advising leaders, I've seen the same painful pattern: companies pour months into crafting the perfect strategic plan, only to watch it stall, lose momentum, or die on the vine.

The cause is almost always a hidden misalignment.

A visionary strategy is useless if the organization's internal machinery isn't wired to execute it.
You can't ask for speed and innovation if your systems are built for rigid control.

The most effective leaders think like doctors. They don't just prescribe a treatment (Strategy); they run a full diagnostic MRI to see the entire system. That's the power of the McKinsey 7S Framework.

The old way: (Recipe for failure)
→ Obsess over strategy
→ Shuffle the structure (the org chart)
→ Hope culture and processes magically catch up

The new way: (Roadmap for alignment)
→ Start with shared values (the organization's heart 🤝)
→ Align the "hard" elements: Strategy 📈, Structure 🏢, and Systems ⚙️
→ And the "soft" elements: Skills 💡, Staff 🧑💼, and Style 🎨

When these 7 elements are in harmony, execution feels effortless. When they're misaligned, you get friction, burnout, and failed initiatives. The difference isn't the quality of your strategy, but the health of your organization.

Take 60 seconds to run a quick diagnosis.

Which of the 7S elements is the most misaligned with your company's strategy right now?

—

👉 Sign up for my newsletter and get my free guidebook detailing the 7 essential steps for leadership growth.  Link in bio.

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JSESSIONID

Heidi De Wolf MODA

70% of cultural transformation initiatives fail within the first year.

After working with 100+ leadership teams, I've discovered the pattern: Most organizations skip the diagnostic phase and jump straight to "solutions."

The problem is that you can't fix what you can't see.

Here's what a successful cultural transformation launch actually looks like:

✅ Days 1-30: Foundation Building
→ Complete comprehensive Cultural Assessment
→ Conduct Informal Culture Analysis (observe actual vs. stated behaviors)
→ Map your Cultural Force Field (based on Lewin's Force Field Analysis)
→ Achieve leadership alignment on desired culture using the Competing Values Framework

✅ Days 31-60: System Design
→ Redesign performance management systems
→ Optimize people processes and structures
→ Evolve communication patterns
→ Choose 2-3 strategic change levers

✅ Days 61-90: Launch & Early Measurement
→ Launch pilot programs with 1-2 teams
→ Collect behavioral and outcome data
→ Begin scaling successful elements
→ Develop 2-3 year transformation roadmap

Companies using this systematic approach see early momentum indicators within 30-60 days.

Things like increased awareness, leadership alignment, and initial behavioral experiments.

Reality check: True cultural transformation takes 2-3 years. This 90-day framework gets you started with a solid foundation.

What's one cultural blind spot your organization might be missing?

Drop your thoughts below. ⬇️

—

👉 DM me "GROWTH" to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

Cultural Transformation Toolkit: Your 90-Day Action Plan

After years of advising leaders on growth, I've seen a dangerous pattern.

Many organizations have a growth hope, not a growth strategy.

They default to one thing: "sell more of what we have."

This leaves them stuck in a saturated market, completely blind to the massive opportunities just over the horizon.

What is the typical pattern across the most successful companies? They navigate it deliberately using a compass.

The best compass for this is the Ansoff Matrix. It's a simple but powerful framework that outlines the four fundamental paths to growth, forcing clarity on your options and the risks involved.

Here are the four cardinal directions every leader must understand:

1. 📈 Market Penetration (Low Risk)
→ The Play: Sell more existing products to your existing market.
→ Think: Coca-Cola launching a new ad campaign to deepen its market share.

2. 🛍️ Product Development (Medium Risk)
→ The Play: Create new products for your loyal, existing customer base.
→ Think: Apple launching the Apple Watch for its massive base of iPhone users.

3. 🌍 Market Development (Medium Risk)
→ The Play: Take your proven products into entirely new markets.
→ Think: Starbucks taking its existing coffee shop model and expanding into China for the first time.

4. 🚀 Diversification (High Risk)
→ The Play: A leap into the unknown with new products for new markets.
→ Think: Virgin Group expanding from a record label into airlines, telecoms, and finance.

Most businesses live their entire lives in quadrant #1.

But true, sustainable growth requires a conscious strategy that considers all four.

What does your growth plan for the next 18 months look like?
Which of these four quadrants are you actually operating in?

—

👉 Get free leadership guides and tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.  Link in my bio.

Vision, Mission, Values... Do your team statements inspire action or just collect dust?

Most leaders have them, but almost everyone is messing them up.

These aren't just buzzwords. They're the operating system for your team.

Get them right, and you create clarity, alignment, and purpose.

Here's the simple breakdown of the only four statements you need:

1. Vision Statement: Your North Star
→ Dreams big about the future
→ Sets direction for everyone
→ Shows where you want to go

2. Mission Statement: Your Roadmap
→ Explains what you do now
→ Shows how you operate
→ Names who you help

3. Values Statement: Your Guardrails
→ Lists core beliefs
→ Guides behavior
→ Sets cultural standards

4. Purpose Statement: Your "Why"
→ Explains deeper meaning
→ Goes beyond money
→ Connects emotionally

When these four are clear and aligned, everything changes.

You don't just lead a team; you lead a movement.

Which statement does your organization need to revisit first?

Share in the comments! ⬇️

—

👉 DM me “GROWTH” to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

You hired the best. 

So why do they underperform together?

Here's what I keep seeing after years of executive team development: brilliant individuals thrown together and told to "figure out chemistry."

They rarely do.

→ Personality alone doesn't predict working style
→ Strengths assessments don't reveal values
→ Single-lens tools miss the team system dynamics
→ Individual brilliance ≠ Team excellence

Most teams get one assessment and call it done. 

But that's like diagnosing a patient with only temperature, you miss the complete picture.

What actually changes when you map the full picture:

Before: 

→ Teams talk past each other. 
→ Conflicts feel personal. 
→ Decisions take forever. 
→ Your best people quietly wonder if they belong.

After:

→ Leaders understand why they clash. 
→ Personality differences become productive tension. 
→ Decisions accelerate. 
→ Teams finally function like the sum of their exceptional parts.

The difference?

Four scientifically-validated instruments working together, not one assessment in isolation.

✓ DiSC reveals how they naturally communicate and handle conflict
✓ CliftonStrengths uncovers their natural talents
✓ VIA Character Strengths shows what motivates them
✓ Working Genius identifies their natural role in a project team.

That’s why I developed the Superpower Pyramid.  To create high-performing growth machines.

8 weeks. 4 assessments. 6 facilitated sessions.

📩 DM me "SUPERPOWER" to more.

The Team Performance Paradox

Quick question for leadership teams:

When was the last time you had a real conversation about how you actually work together, not just what you're working on?

Here's what I've observed: Many executive teams spend 100% of their time on strategy, execution, and results. 

And 0% on the operating system that drives all three.

You know the symptoms:

→ Meetings where everyone talks but nothing moves forward
→ The same conflicts surfacing in different forms
→ Talented leaders who seem disengaged or misaligned
→ Decisions that require endless loops of "alignment"

These aren't people problems. 

They're system problems.

Because every leader processes information differently. 

Makes decisions differently. 

Gets energized by different types of work. 

And contributes value in different phases of execution.

What successful teams understand:

Your meeting structure advantages some leaders and silences others. What feels "thorough" to one feels "paralyzed" to another. 

You're asking talented people to operate outside their genius zones.

The problem is that you're running a high-performance team on a one-size-fits-all operating system.

Introducing the Superpower Pyramid.

Through four scientifically-validated assessments (DiSC, CliftonStrengths, VIA Character Strengths, and Working Genius), leadership teams discover the unique combination of personality, talents, values, and working genius that makes each leader exceptional, and how to orchestrate them for maximum impact.

The 8-week program delivers:

✅ Clear understanding of each person's natural "superpower"
✅ A map of how individual strengths complement or conflict
✅ Practical strategies for collaboration that actually work
✅ A sustainable framework for ongoing team development

The measurable results:
→ 25-40% improvement in decision-making speed and collaborative outcomes
→ $100,000+ saved per retained executive leader
→ Enhanced stakeholder relationships through leveraged strengths
→ Accelerated organizational growth through optimized team dynamics

Ready to unlock your team's Combined Superpower?

📩 DM me "SUPERPOWER" to learn how the Superpower Pyramid can transform your leadership team in just 8 weeks.

What If Your Greatest Asset Is Being Underutilized?

From my Thanksgiving table to yours.  Thank you for your continued support, friendship, and engagement.  I am truly grateful and blessed for so many of you who are in my life.

As we look forward to the holiday season, let’s also remember to reach out and help those in need.

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Persuasion isn't manipulation. It's the most underrated leadership superpower.

Having great ideas is common. Getting the buy-in to make them a reality is what separates effective leaders from the rest.

After years of coaching executives, I've learned that the best communicators don't force, they connect.

They use these 8 persuasion secrets to build trust and inspire action:

→ 1. Show Genuine Interest: Remember personal milestones, not just project deadlines. It shows you care about the person, not just their output.

→ 2. Give Strategic Recognition: Praise achievements that directly reflect your team's goals and values. It reinforces what success looks like.

→ 3. Lead With Presence: Your positive energy and open body language set the tone for every interaction. Your team will mirror it.

→ 4. Display Your Human Side: Share appropriate vulnerabilities. It builds psychological safety and encourages others to do the same.

→ 5. Make a Personal Connection: Use names. This simple act makes your message more personal and impactful.

→ 6. Address Issues Directly: When you sense resistance, get curious. Ask questions to transform hidden concerns into productive conversations.

→ 7. Create a Positive Culture: Your authentic passion is contagious. It inspires your team and creates a magnetic workplace.

→ 8. Practice Radical Empathy: Actively work to see the situation from your team's perspective. It's the foundation of effective communication.

These aren't tricks; they are trust-building habits.

Master them, and you'll earn commitment.

Which of these 8 secrets will you focus on this week? 👇

—

👉 DM me “GROWTH” to book a free 30-minute strategy call.

And get actionable leadership tips right in your inbox every Wednesday.

(Newsletter link in my bio).

📣 A Quick Update for Those Who Follow My Work

Over the coming months, I’m making a small but meaningful shift in how I show up here on LinkedIn. You’ll still see me posting and sharing insights (I’m not going anywhere!), but my deeper focus will be on pouring even more value into my weekly Leaders Succeed Together newsletter.
Why the shift?

Because it matters to me that I can share sources, external links, research, and practical toolkits—the kind of helpful resources that social platforms don’t always make easy to share.  Posting a quick graphic is simple… but real growth requires depth, context, and access to the right tools.
If you’ve been following me because you care about:
✨ Becoming the leader you were meant to be
 ✨ Building positive, resilient cultures
 ✨ Navigating change with clarity, confidence, and purpose
 ✨ Helping your organization grow like never before

…then I’d love for you to join me on the newsletter side of things. That’s where I can go deeper, share exactly what I think will help you, and build something real with you—not just around you.

Here’s my commitment to you:
✅ No selling your information
✅ No spam
✅ No inbox overload

Just one email every Wednesday at 8 AM EST, filled with actionable insights, valuable links, tools, articles, and resources you can use immediately—or pass along to someone who needs them.

I’m incredibly grateful for the amazing people I’ve met on this journey to 25K+ LinkedIn followers. This next step is about building something even more meaningful—a community where leaders truly succeed together.
If you’d like to be part of that community, you can sign up using the View My Newsletter link in my bio.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
 Angela

A sneak peek of my newsletter this week.  Sign up in my bio to get the research-backed insights.

Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis

Accenture

Working for PPC Group Digital Strategy and Enterprise Architecture

Lead Enterprise Architect

SILVARE

FlexCar

Flexcar is a flexible car leasing company, with operations in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Mexico.

• Led the design, the team onboarding, and the development of a custom Vehicle Tracking and Management Solution from scratch, to a fully-fledged solution within 9 months.
• Redesigned the data ingestion of the IoT fleet using AWS Timestream, Kafka, and Sockets resulting in a 75% cost reduction and a 10x increase in data processing capacity nearing 1 billion data points daily.
• Designed and implemented a first-in-market mileage tracking algorithm targeting a benefit of 1.5 million euros.
• Changed the vehicle tracking technology strategy by introducing a new IoT vehicle approach and enabling the OEM data streaming capability to respond to changing conditions. 
• Architected and designed a custom fully fledged loyalty application with web and mobile clients, integrated with customer events from the core CRM system.

Director of Engineering

FREENOW

Beat was the fastest-growing ride hailing and fleet manager in Peru, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico.

• Created technical roadmap that improved the conversion on the driver registration for 50k drivers over 5 LATAM markets.  
• Championed the use of Machine Learning models in the registration flow to automate manual steps by up to 70% and built a proof of concept. 
• Built and developed a cross-functional team that delivered progressively complex assignments with an accelerating pace.

Engineering Manager (BEAT operations in Latam)

Piraeus Bank

• Part of the top 5% talent implementing agile transformation projects targeting Euro 300 mil revenue increase
• Executed digitization programs from design to delivery for 5 integrated applications with an estimated saving of €1,5 mil
• Coordinated and implemented corporate-wide core application changes in security and product features supporting €5 bn bond spin-offs 
• Orchestrated challenging integration projects within a limited time by leveraging team and network expertise

Manager @Innovation Technology & Systems Architecture

• Accelerated product delivery by ~10% by identifying and resolving bottlenecks, while facilitating roadmap planning, suggesting a better balance of product features, and setting development priorities for a major Cash Transfer Process initiative
• Expediated user actions by 34% by contributing product features and enhancing data visualizations
• Delivered architectural and UX contributions that increased user satisfaction and performance SLIs by 27-83% in major applications

Assistant Manager @Innovation Technology & Systems Architecture

EXUS

• Delivered manual process digitization for the GDPR flow, supported with integrations with internal and external banking systems 
• Championed digitization design for 'Restructuring Business Unit' application supporting complex legal operations for 50 corporate lawyers
• Designed and introduced custom DevOps software that streamlined 21% of BPM deployments 
• Resolved technical challenges and coordinated in premise large cross-functional team with the overseas development team for the 'Confiscations and Seizures' in a 2-years program 
• Delivered application redesign 'Yield of Confiscations'  that improved performance by ~400% and enabled new capabilities for business (delivering multiple times per day instead of once every night)
• Oversaw the implementation of agile transformation projects

Tech Leader & Technical Project Manager @Core Banking Systems of Piraeus Bank 

• Incorporated development process improvements affecting 25 developers and expedited software delivery
• Contributed the first Appian playbook with best practices and conducted 3 training workshops 
• Oversaw the onboarding of new fellow engineers
• Delivered architectural contributions that simplified software and enhanced user experience in legal processes
• Increased projects transparency with a new Analysis and Documentation pack for Appian projects

Tech Leader & Senior Software Engineer @Core Banking Systems of Piraeus Bank

"Dia Heiros"​ Fine Art Contemporary Byzantine Paintings and Murals

"Dia Heiros" is an iconic firm with artwork in preserved monuments and prestigious galleries
• Pioneered the creation of a digital library with assets used in the proposal and execution phase that expedited operations by 35%
• Designed a pigment analysis software that resulted in a 43% increase in paint production productivity
• Deployed a new website and an online campaign that resulted in 20 k visitors per month and a 10% increase in revenue
• Negotiated key contracts and created the pricing policy and terms

Project Manager & Lead Software Engineer

DHL Express

• Owner for the billing and collections of DHL Express' operations in Greece (~50mil Euro revenue)
• Managed on a day-to-day basis 23 employees (split between Athens and Thessaloniki) servicing more than 5,000 customers and managing an ~ 1 mil portfolio of risky collectibles 
• Integrated as Technical Program manager 3 billing systems and 2 teams with Global Processing Centre 
• Streamlined processes by championing and leading multiple initiatives and coordinating between local and regional cross-functional teams
• Improved the business cash flow performance by 3% YoY despite the impact of the credit crisis on our customers

Billing & Collections Manager (Customer Accounting Manager)

• Reviewed business operations in 5 departments to drive cost reduction by 15%, and suggested improvements to better align offerings with customer needs 
• Headed the Merging of Financial systems of two business units (Freight, Express)
• Mitigated a crisis acting as HR interim manager for two months

Business Controller (Internal Performance Auditor & Technical Project Manager)

• Reengineered customs processes and oversaw the implementation of a new billing system yielding 150k Euros additional revenue per year
• Oversaw the implementation of the collection application in the Oracle AR module
• Audited processes in IT and Customer service department and suggested improvements using lean process management

Costing Manager (Service Profitability & Cost allocation Models)

• Selected among the European colleagues to support quality testing for the new reporting solution
• Designed and developed an software application that automated 85% of reporting activities saving 1,5 days of work and ensuring on-time reporting for monthly financial figures

Financial analyst (Group Financial Reporting, Forecasting & Budgeting)

Tech Director | Enterprise Architect | Follow for insights on Leadership Development and Career Growth | Leadership & Career Mentor | Top 20 Linkedin Greece (by Favikon)

I help C-level executives and senior leaders navigate high-stakes technology transformations that are blocking growth, burning capital, and threatening critical milestones.

Companies bring me in when they face complex challenges that sit at the intersection of technology, strategy, and people. My focus is on restoring momentum by architecting solutions and uniting cross-functional teams to execute them.

What I tackle:

- Large-Scale Transformations
Managing the immense complexity of enterprise-wide technology shifts, such as infrastructure migrations or post-merger integrations.

- Technology Crises
Stabilizing systems and projects that threaten launches, funding, or corporate reputation.

- Product Stagnation
Overcoming legacy systems and technical debt that prevent innovation and the release of new features.

- AI Strategy & Implementation
Moving from abstract ideas to a concrete AI roadmap that drives business value.

My approach is built on two axis: 
1/ Immediate results. You need to solve the immediate crisis to survive the day.
2/ Sustainable change. The most durable results happen by helping the right people from different functions to work together and drive sustainable change.

Recent Results & Experience:

- Shaped the digital strategy for a billion-size company, to effectively allocate 8-figure investments and launch their first custom-developed product.

- Initiated and shaped the enterprise-wide AI strategy for a multi-national group, synthesizing over 100 distinct opportunities into a unified, actionable roadmap.

- Slashed total ownership cost by over 75% while redesigning a fleet management product for a car leasing startup to handle 10x growth.

- Shipped first-to-market features for a B2B growing startup, targeting millions in new ARR.

I am always open to connecting with leaders facing complex growth and technology challenges.
DM me - I'm here to help.

People are everything.
Whether you develop them or hire them, your team’s intelligence defines your growth.

Here are 11 signs of highly intelligent employees:

They “cheat” on their job with a side hustle.
They’re driven by curiosity, not distraction.

They treat everyone equally.
Respect is their default setting.

They resist micromanagement.
Independent thinkers don’t wait for instructions they create solutions.

They skip meetings that don’t matter.
Focus matters more than attendance.

They help others grow.
Success multiplies when it’s shared.

They avoid gossip and politics.
Impact > Impression.

They save for freedom, not comfort.
Financial independence gives them courage.

They’re fine being the dumbest in the room.
Learning beats ego.

They’re open to new ideas.
Flexibility fuels innovation.

They learn without being told.
Curiosity never waits for permission.

And what matters most:
They’re humble, intentional, and always improving.

Greatness isn’t about playing it safe.
It’s about curiosity, courage, and constant growth.

Which of these do you see in your team?

📌 Save this for your next hiring decision.
♻️ Repost to help more leaders recognize real talent.
Follow Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis for leadership frameworks that work in real life.

Technology Strategist | Software Strategy for Growing Companies | Leadership for Growth, Change, and Innovation

People are everything.

Most people don’t fail because they can’t.
They fail because they stop showing up.

And here lies the biggest trap of all: 

❗ Showing up is not a matter a physical presence. 

It's not about clocking in and out 
- or sitting in every meeting. 

Showing up, is all about intention: 
- Its discussing with the intention to listen and understand.
- Its attending a meeting with the intention to learn or help. 
- Its solving the most important problem every week.

Most of all, showing up is believing in yourself. 

It's a deeper understanding that you don't have the luxury 
of letting feeling great or crap 
get in the middle of your performance. 

We all have bad days. 

When nothing works.  
When you’re tired.
With meetings you don’t want to join.
With goals that suddenly feel too far away.

That’s where progress hides. And huge confidence in the end of it.

Keep showing up. Even when you don't feel like to. 

Especially when you don't feel like to. 

💚  Shoutout and image credits to: Richard Goold

♻️ Share if this resonates
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The Trust Triangle Every Leader Should Build

Most leaders think trust is built through results.
It’s not.

Because trust doesn’t grow in big moments.
It grows in balance between doing, showing up, and caring.

The follow-ups.
The check-ins.
The promises kept quietly.

I’ve seen leaders chase motivation.
They give speeches, set goals, rally teams.
But the energy fades fast.
Because people don’t follow inspiration.
They follow reliability.

Here’s the truth:
Trust isn’t an emotion.
It’s a system.

Every strong leader builds their Trust Triangle on three simple foundations:

Competence → Can you do what you say?
Consistency → Will you do it again and again?
Care → Do you actually have my back?

Miss one corner, and the whole structure collapses.

You can be skilled but inconsistent → people lose faith.
You can be consistent but cold → people disengage.
You can care deeply but lack follow-through → people stop relying on you.

The strongest leaders balance all three.
They deliver.
They show up.
They care.

That’s the triangle that holds every team together.

Because when trust becomes your foundation,
leadership becomes effortless.

📌 Save this before your next leadership meeting trust isn’t given, it’s earned daily.
♻️ Repost to help more leaders build balance through competence, consistency, and care.

Everyone wants success.

Very few want the discipline.

They want 800K+ followers.
Not 2,250+ days of posting.

They want a successful business.
Not 15,000+ hours of work.

They want freedom.
Not the darings it demands.

But you must pay the price of success. 

It's discipline. It's hard work. It's determination.

Every. Single. Day.

Here's what also includes: 

- Staring at problems that no one wants to solve
- Going out of your comfort zone frequently
- Having to flop today to win big later
- Having the ugly discussions 

Not sexy. Not fun. 
But necessary.

The reward is real. 

But it only goes to those who fall in love 
with the daily process of earning it.


♻️ Share with your network if this resonates
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The biggest career lie we're told is that burnout is a badge of honor.

We trade late nights and busywork for the promise of security and appreciation, confusing effort for impact.

But the market doesn't care how hard you work.

It cares about the problems you solve.

Stop trading hours for dollars. Start building value that commands a premium.

The market rewards:

🔹Rare Skills- Not just seniority.
🔹Unique Value -Your specific knowledge.
🔹Leveraged Impact- What you do in hours that takes others days.

Your goal isn't to be the hardest worker in the room.
It's to be the most difficult to replace.

Your 3-step blueprint:

1.Shift Your Mindset: You are paid for your impact, not your attendance.
2.Build Your Foundation: Hard work is the baseline, not the finish line.
3. Audit Your Value:Ask yourself:
"What critical problem do I uniquely solve?"
"What skill do I have that is both rare and valuable?"
"Where do I create 10x the output for the same input?"

Don't just work hard. Work on the right things.

Make yourself irreplaceable.

♻️ Repost to spread the message
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Many professionals believe success comes from working endlessly.

They push through exhaustion, isolation, and burnout…
because they think there’s no other path.

Been there for good!

Until I read the Fortune article “My $2.25 billion exit taught me that Silicon Valley’s obsession with 100-hour weeks is actually sabotage.”


Understood that all want the same things:
Security. Appreciation. Growth.

But effort alone doesn’t create any of them.

The market doesn’t reward:
→ Early mornings
→ Long hours
→ Constant busyness

The market rewards:
→ Rare skills
→ Unique value
→ Meaningful impact

And above all, it rewards:
• Your specific knowledge
• Your character

Both are impossible to copy 
- that's the staff that makes you hard to replace.

Here’s the mindset shift to unlock real growth:

1. Understand: You’re paid for impact, not effort
2. Treat hard work as a foundation, not a differentiator
3. Ask better questions to maximize your value

Questions like:
→ What problem can I solve that others can’t or won’t?
→ What expertise do I have that’s uncommon?
→ What can I do in hours that take weeks?

Don’t chase pay for your time.
Build value that earns a premium.

Become that person they can’t afford to lose.

♻️ Repost if you agree
➕ Follow Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis for practical career growth insights

Never confuse leadership with management.

I was looking at the 1980s video of the young Steve Jobs yesterday. 
He was talking about the future of the personal computer.

It's a masterclass in the distinction.

He wasn't just managing Apple; 
He was evangelizing a future that didn't exist.
He inspired action through vision, not just authority.

Here is the difference:

➡ Leadership is about Inspiration. 
It’s painting a picture of the destination 
so compelling that people are motivated 
to embark on the journey.

➡ Management is about Execution. 

Managers focus on how. 
They set and delegate tasks.
And hold people responsible for following the course. 

One is not better than the other
—they are two halves of a whole. 

But confusing the role is where organizations fail.

It's hard to master even one. 
Few excel at both. 

Tag a true leader you know below ⬇️ 
➕ Follow me (Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis) for more

Most people focus only on their top performers.

But the real competitive advantage often comes from the underdogs 
the ones who stay quiet, stay consistent, and stay overlooked.

Not because they lack talent.
But because no one ever unlocked it.

Turning hidden performers into high performers isn’t complicated.
It’s intentional.

You start by showing appreciation 
→ recognising the specific qualities they bring instead of rewarding only the loudest voices.

You understand their values and stress patterns 
→ not to pressure them, but to support growth.

You seek to understand first
→ staying curious instead of assuming attitude.

You give meaningful assignments 
→ work that stretches their potential instead of burying them in busywork.

And you speak last
→ so they have the space, confidence, and ownership to share ideas.

When you apply these strategies, you don’t just manage people.
You elevate them.

Before you use any approach, check the essentials:

→ Risk is failure recoverable?
→ Capability do they need support first?
→ Time can you coach them properly?

And then you set the foundation:

→ Clear outcomes
→ Guardrails
→ Decision rights
→ Check-ins
→ Support

Because high performers aren’t born
they’re unlocked by the right leader.

♻️ Repost if this message resonates
➕ Follow Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis for more insights on leadership, growth, and turning potential into performance.

Most teams don’t lose motivation because they’re weak.

They lose it because the system slowly kills their spark.

People show up wanting to contribute,
but over time they stop trying 
not because they lack talent,
but because they lack trust, freedom, and support.

The old management model relied on:
→ Authority
→ Control
→ Compliance

It treated leaders like policemen,
focused more on enforcing rules than inspiring results.

But the world has changed.

Modern leaders create environments where people want to perform.

They shift from:
→ Controlling to communicating
→ Dictating to empowering
→ Doing tasks to shaping vision

Because the truth is simple:
Motivated teams do better work.

They take ownership.
They solve problems faster.
They stay longer.
They build better products.

Not because they’re forced to 
but because they feel seen, trusted, and valued.

If you want to lead in today’s world, start here:

Inspire instead of dictate.
Listen actively.
Celebrate wins.
Delegate with trust.
Align around a shared vision.
Invest in growth.
Implement their ideas.
Share the credit.
Be kind.

Leadership isn’t about control.
It’s about creating momentum.

And momentum happens when people have the space to do their best work.

The future belongs to leaders who build environments
where greatness happens naturally.

Which leadership shift resonated with you most?

♻️ Repost if this message resonates
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Motivated teams do better work.

We’re all living under the pressure of where we “should” be.”
→ The next goal 
→ The next promotion 
→ The next big milestone.

Nothing seems to be enough, for the single reason.
Success is a journey, not a destination.

You will never be “there”. Never be “made”. Never be “ready”
What you’re missing is appreciation:
→ Struggling in your career? You’re building resilience.
→ Feeling stuck? You’re gaining clarity on what actually matters.
→ Not where you want to be? You’re developing the skills for your next level.

Growth isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it is boring, tiring and slow.

I’ve chased validation too.
I wanted to prove I was capable.
And I used to hate these “slow seasons.”

But then I realized:

The stories we admire
aren’t built on overnight wins.
They’re built on the backstage nobody sees:

→ The waiting
→ The learning
→ The failing
→ The trying again

What if this moment right now,
is exactly where you’re meant to be?

The launchpad for your next chapter:

→ Acknowledge how far you’ve come
→ Embrace what this season is teaching you
→ Trust that you’re being prepared for something bigger

One day, you’ll look back and realize:
Every step mattered. Even this one.

Which lesson is your current season teaching you?
Share it below if someone needs your perspective.

♻ Repost to remind others they’re not behind
➕ Follow Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis for leadership & career growth courage

Most people think the loudest voice wins the room.
But it’s usually the calmest person who holds the real power.

Because in high-pressure environments, perception becomes reality.

If someone loses control while you stay centered,
you don’t just win the moment you win the room.

Composure is a competitive advantage.

Here’s the mindset shift great professionals make:

You stop trying to win the argument.
You start aiming to win the room.

You let others get emotional.
You stay grounded in facts.
You become the adult in the room.

And when things escalate, you don’t match their energy.
You redirect it with clarity, calmness, and facts.

That’s what quiet strength looks like.

The real test of leadership isn’t volume.
It’s control, presence, and the ability to shape the room without forcing it.

Be the calm that changes the dynamic.
Be the person people look to when things get messy.

Which part of this resonated the most with you?

♻️ Repost to help more people lead with calm confidence
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Most people think the loudest voice wins the room.

Many managers get the title.
Very few grow into the leader their team actually needs.

Because the moment people step into authority, they often forget the three things that made them great teammates in the first place:

What it felt like to not be in charge.
That they can be wrong.
And the importance of staying close to the people doing the real work.

Mediocre managers give orders.
Inspirational leaders give context.

Mediocre managers defend their opinions.
Inspirational leaders stay curious and listen.

Mediocre managers distance themselves.
Inspirational leaders stay present, grounded, and connected.

The leaders teams trust the most aren’t the ones above them
they’re the ones beside them.

If you want long-term influence, remember this:

Your authority doesn’t create loyalty.
Your empathy, presence, and humility do.

Which of these leadership reminders hit you the most?

♻️ Repost to help more people lead with intention
➕ Follow Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis for practical leadership insights.

Many managers get the title.

Smart employees don’t stand out because they work the hardest.
They stand out because they think differently.

They challenge assumptions.
They protect their focus.
They grow without waiting for permission.
And they bring a level of maturity, humility, and curiosity that quietly elevates every room they walk into.

These are the people who lift teams, shape culture, and create the kind of progress that can’t be forced or faked.

The truth is simple:
Highly intelligent employees don’t need attention they create value.
They don’t play politics they build trust.
They don’t chase titles they chase growth.

And if you’re lucky enough to have even a few of them on your team, your entire organization feels the impact.

Because great teams aren’t built on noise, pressure, or ego.
They’re built on people who are self-driven, respectful, focused, and constantly improving.

Look through the signs in the carousel and ask yourself:
Which of these qualities already exist in your team?
And which ones do you want to attract more of?

📌 Save this for your next hiring decision.
♻️ Repost to help more leaders recognize real talent.
Follow Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis for leadership frameworks that work in real life.

Smart employees don’t shine through hard work alone.

Many managers rise to the top.
Very few remember what leadership actually looks like.

Because the moment someone gets authority, they forget the three things that made them valuable before the title:

What it felt like to follow.
That their ideas aren’t always right.
And the power of staying close to the work and the people doing it.

Mediocre managers command.
Inspirational leaders communicate with context.

Mediocre managers trust the title.
Inspirational leaders trust the team closest to the problem.

Mediocre managers create distance.
Inspirational leaders show up consistently and visibly.

The leaders people trust aren’t the ones above them
they’re the ones who grow with them.

If you want real influence, remember this:

Authority can make people listen.
Empathy makes them care.

Which leadership reminder spoke to you the most?

♻️ Repost to help more managers lead with intention
➕ Follow Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis for leadership frameworks that actually work

Many managers rise to the top.

In 3 words, AI is the following in many people's minds: 

- Terrifying.
- Uncomfortable.
- Impossible to learn.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Marie Curie said once: 
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood". 

Her truth holds today more than ever:
Nothing in AI is to be feared, only to be understood. 

Yes, the fear will linger… 
until you understand.

But here’s the secret most miss:
Fear isn’t a stop sign. It’s an arrow. 

It points you toward what matters most 
— growth, leverage, and relevance.

✅ Why understanding AI (especially LLMs) 
changes everything:

⏱️ Save 3–5 hours/week by automating 
- deliverables drafting
- research on everything online 
- editing communication

🚀 Upgrade output quality 
from “good enough” to “client-ready” 
or even "Woaw" factor 
by curating new insights and information.

🧠 Learn complex concepts 10x faster 
- Use notebookLM to visualize and summarize 
- Use LLMS to ask questions and role-playing

💡 Unlock creativity & insight 
— prompt your way to new angles, frameworks, 
and solutions you’d never have found alone.


This isn’t about replacing you.
It’s about amplifying you.

Image Credits: Justin Welsh

♻️ Share with your network if this resonates.
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Most workplaces don’t suffer from a lack of talent.
They suffer from a lack of inspiration.

76% of people feel uninspired in their role.
The cost is massive missed opportunities, emotional exhaustion, stalled growth.

But it doesn’t take dramatic change to fix this.
It takes intention.

Start with genuine appreciation.
→ A small, honest “I see you” moment can shift someone’s entire day.

Hold meaningful 1-on-1s.
→ Listen without defense.
→ Understand their fears, ambitions, and challenges.

Create real growth opportunities.
→ Align work with what they want for their future.
→ Bring their ideas to life.
Growth is fuel give it generously.

Model respect and kindness.
→ Consistency builds trust.
→ People do their best work where they feel safe.

Show appreciation daily.
→ Warmth, humor, gratitude these tiny signals build deep loyalty.

Ask for feedback and act on it.
→ Speak last.
→ Let them shape the environment they work in.

People don’t need perfect workplaces.
They need leaders who make them feel valued, heard, and supported.

Your team deserves that.

♻️ Repost if this resonates
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3 Ways to Commit Professional Suicide in the Era of AI:

1️⃣ “That’s how I’ve always done it.”

2️⃣ “I’ll wait for the AI bubble to burst—then go back to the proven way.”

3️⃣ “AI has nothing to do with our job in [X].”

I hear these even from successful, respected people.
Not because they’re stubborn or out of touch.

People resist change not out of laziness, but out of loyalty
- to a proven process
- a hard-earned reputation 
- to a team they don’t want to destabilize

They often become the most unintentionally vulnerable.

→ They push away new ideas
     not to block progress, but to protect what works.

→ They stay closed
     not from arrogance, but from exhaustion.

→ They stay stuck
     not by choice, but by gradual, invisible drift.

And the worst part?
They rarely feel the gap—until it’s too late.

Not just in skills 
but in opportunity, influence, and relevance.

💡 The roles that survive won’t be the ones 
with the deepest domain expertise 
—but those who pair it with adaptive intelligence:

→ The humility to unlearn.
→ The courage to prototype and not perfect.
→ The discipline to ask, “What if this changed tomorrow?” today.

This isn’t about replacing humans.

It’s about upgrading how we bring our humanity to work:
our judgment, empathy, creativity, and ethics
—now augmented, not automated.

The question isn’t “Will AI change my job?”
It’s “Who do I become if I fly along with it?”


Image Credits: Emma King

👇 Curious or Comfortable?
Let’s reflect—no judgment, just awareness.

♻️ Share with your network if this resonates.
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Success isn't a trophy for high IQ or skill. It's a reward for running the less glamorous game of prioritizing problems.

The belief that success proves you're more worthy
—smarter, more skilled, more virtuous
It's a trap.

It's often about ego, not outcomes.

I've yet to meet people limited by their IQ or work intensity.
Most are limited by their focus on their routine.

As one sharp piece of advice puts it: 
"If you want to win, you have to rearrange your brain 
to lean into those big, hairy problems 
and figure out how to cut off the hair and de-risk."

That's your role as a leader, manager, or entrepreneur. 

The highest leverage comes from solving the problems 
others avoid or can't figure out.

That's it. That's the job.

Your mission is to become the Chief Problem Solver. 

This requires building a relentless weekly loop:
1. Identify your single biggest constraint.
2. Focus all available resources on solving it.
3. Measure the impact.
4. Repeat.

One problem. One solution. 52 weeks a year.

To navigate reality, use this simple matrix to prioritize your battles:

- Small, Low-Risk
   Limited reward. (Prioritize the less complex)

- Small, High-Risk
   Limited reward, high risk. (Avoid)

- Big, Low-Risk 
   The unicorn. (They don't exist)

- Big, High-Risk with Solvable Problems
   The Bingo Quadrant. This is where the real game is won.

The best of us don't just "think differently." 
They build systematic muscles for problem identification and execution.

And a fair warning
This work isn't glamorous. 

It means:
- Living inside friction.
- Facing uncomfortable truths.
- Fixing what everyone else ignores.

But this is precisely where all the leverage is found.

The question isn't if you're smart enough. 
It's if you're brave enough to stare down the one problem 
that matters most this week.

Agree?

♻️ Share with your network if this resonates
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Most high performers were misunderstood long before they were celebrated.

They weren’t loud.
They weren’t stressed.
They weren’t trying to prove they were working hard every minute.

They were steady.
Focused.
Quietly excellent.

But because they didn’t “look the part,”
they were overlooked until they found a leader who saw more.

That’s where real leadership shows up:

Not in managing top talent…
but in spotting it
developing it
and protecting it.

The best people rarely scream for attention.
They just need someone to recognize their potential
before another company does.

If you’re a leader, remember:

Your greatest future stars
might already be in the room.

You just haven’t looked closely enough yet.

Which leadership shift from the carousel hit you the most?

♻️ Repost to help more leaders recognize hidden talent
➕ Follow Yiorgos Tzirtzilakis for practical leadership & team-building insights

Greatness is misunderstood before it’s praised.

AI is rewriting the narrative of experience. We are all new to this. 

Why not hire for the 
- willingness to learn 
- curiosity 
- entrepreneurship 
and the intention to deliver? 

For decades, experience has been the gold standard. 
But in an era where AI rewrites workflows, tools, 
and even entire job descriptions overnight…

And this will only keep coming in waves in every sector. 
Rewriting the rules every few years,
in ways even the smartest of us can't predict.

👉 The most valuable experience now is
how recently someone learned something new.

Beginner's mindset is coming up huge. 
 
We’re all beginners again
- in different ways 
- at different speeds
but beginners nonetheless.

So why not shift the lens?

✅ Hire for willingness to learn 
over years listed on a résumé

✅ Prioritize curiosity and experimentation 
than over-fitted experience

✅ Value integrity, resilience, and intent to deliver
Tomorrow's path will never be clear again

A fresh perspective isn’t just “nice to have”
— it’s becoming a strategic advantage.

And character? 

That’s the one thing AI can’t replicate nor replace.

Get future-ready. 
Get ready to unlearn, relearn, and grow.

❗ What do you think? Am I missing something? 🤔

Image Credit: John Sanders
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