How professionals work. Andrey Zevakhin, Head of Acronis Corporate University
The column “How Professionals Work” continues to acquaint readers of Megamind with the working habits of a wide variety of specialists in the Russian IT market. Andrey is the head of Acronis Corporate University . Born in Kirov, who still prefers to call Vyatka. After school, he moved to Moscow, learned to become a classical historian, while simultaneously mastering information technology.
In Acronis since 2006: Moscow, then Munich, now Boston. Andrei says to himself that he is a husband, music lover, traveler, gamer, active social user. networks, a fan of star wars and Moscow CSKA. Training geek.
Current location:
Boston, USA
Current location:
Acronis
One word that best describes how you work:
The English word passionate is best suited - passionately, with love for what you do.
How many hours a day do you work?
I owe my career to the 18-hour working days, which were many in the first five years of my work at the Acronis Russian office located in Altufevskoye Shosse in Moscow. With the move to Germany, and then to the USA, as well as with the birth of my son, I can no longer spend so much time at work. But my laptop can be opened at 5 in the morning and at 11 in the evening. Virtually I'm always available.
The famous saying “Don’t work hard, work smart” doesn’t actually work. If you want to grow professionally, you need to work both “hard” and “smart”. If you are not the only one who can put 18 hours of work into a nine-hour working day, you will have to work longer, and even delegation of duties will not save you, because there is no limit to perfection. Another thing is that there is always the right time management and task allocation - these skills should be learned first.
Current mobile device:
iPhone, iPad, Surface, and the old but beloved Blackberry Torch.
Current computer:
Oddly enough, the most common Lenovo X230.
What applications, programs, utilities can you live without?
Skype, What's Up, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram - to stay connected. Google Maps - to drive faster. Amazon - to buy without hassle. Pandora - to listen to good music.
What kind of life hack helps you save time?
I answer mail accumulated overnight from home, so as not to waste time on it when I get to the office. Well and yes, it is better to reply to mail immediately, not to let her accumulate in the inbox.
Which to-do manager do you use?
Built-in Outlook functionality and calendar.
What do you listen to when you work?
It is now fashionable to answer such a question that you listen exclusively to colleagues, customers and partners. This only happens to me during meetings and deliberations; Between them there is time for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters or Serj Tankian.
What are you reading now?
“Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done” by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan. An excellent book to understand that “execution” is our common area of responsibility, regardless of whether you are a manager, a unique specialist or a team worker: we are all in the same boat.
Which book of the last read was the most memorable?
"Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts. On duty, I traveled a lot in India and therefore was able to try on many situations that the hero of Roberts went through on myself.
Do you use electronic readers or prefer paper books?
Nothing can replace the rustling of pages and the smell of paper books.
How much time do you sleep?
Exactly as much as my one-year-old son Matthew gives. Most often from 11 pm to 5 am.
Are you an owl or an early bird?
Lark. I arrive at the office by 7 a.m. to catch my employees in Asia and Europe.
How do you have breakfast?
One well-known chain of American coffee houses has a slogan - "America runs on Dunkin." I often rephrase - “Zeva runs on Dunkin”. Many sellers know me by sight and remember my morning mantra: "big cold coffee, sugar free, six servings of milk."
How do you spend time on the way to / from work?
I sing songs to my one-year-old son, who is riding in the back seat.
What advice have you ever been given you can pass on to others?
Make sure that the following phrase does not apply to you: "I don't have time to sharpen the ax, as I am too busy chopping down the trees." This is something like the Russian "there is no time to think, you need to work."
Learn to properly allocate your time and tasks, set the right expectations with your internal and external customers, plan your day and week in advance, in a word, balance between quality and quantity - this will help you swim, not drown.