Overall we have a lot of young employees at KORRES. One thing that obviously saddens us all is that young children find it difficult to find work these days. In the past, in the 2000s we had a big problem finding young people for positions when now the “supply” is very high. Of course, I must say that in the last 3-4 years the situation is actively improving, but we went through a decade of a very difficult crisis and I am really sad for the young people who found themselves starting their worklife during these years-we also have many young people who left during this time. Now it’s about doing what’s best for these young people.

Obviously young people today are looking for a decent salary, which I think goes without saying and we can’t exclude it as a need. I also think they are looking, certainly more now than in the past, for decent behavior. I feel that the good environment and great attitudes of colleagues and leaders are extremely high in their pursuits. Thirdly and most importantly is that they are also looking for a personal challenge. I believe that young employees are looking to evolve further in work environments where they can become better and achieve more.

Well, I do not think that we should read manuals, but behave in a way we feel is more ethical- and make sure that we have partners who feel the same way. I feel much better when I’m working with partners who understand what’s right and then these people become leaders and then these leaders build teams around them, rather than have me or an HR department coming in and imposing whatever we think can form a “culture”.

The important thing is to build a chain of people who think in the same and right way, and that this is perpetuated further.

Our next leaders must be young people with corresponding values, who can inspire, direct and set the tone for adancement and evolution. This is the only way to build a good culture.

If someone doesn’t understand how important flexible work is to all of us, I think they’re out of touch. Remote working is good for everyone and is here to stay. For example, we have a partner who lives in Japan. He moved there 3 years ago with his family and we continue to work together regularly. You see, even in a long-term relationship like this, with such different schedules, at the other side of the world, we manage. As always in life, some may take advantage of remote working, while for others it is a tool of productivity and convenience.

When you have your personal dignity you can be more present from afar than if you are physically present, even everyday, in the office.

I don’t think we should force physical contact, in many departments in this job team management can work remotely. Of course, remote working does not replace physical presence at all when we have more complex issues to solve and our most productive moments are of course when we are all together. But being able to remotely enter one, two, three or more ZOOM rooms within the day, if you think about it, can make us more productive and also enrich our inclusiveness. People who couldn’t be there, now can be part of the team. This is what progress looks like.

There are jobs where degrees are necessary, for example if you are an engineer, an electrician, a lawyer or a doctor, of course. But there are other types of work, such as social media, communications, marketing or sales, where one can approach them having obtained dozens of other types of degrees. If we look at it from this point of view, I don’t know if academic knowledge is really important, because your personal drive and personal culture is what really counts.

One thing that I personally look for, especially in communications, in how we talk about our brand, are those “intangible” elements that are not described by a degree or some seminars. I will say it in a “naive” kind of way, but what really counts is: What books do you read, what music do you listen to, what things do you love, what brands do you like, what trips do you take, what do you post and photograph, what are your hobbies, passions, loves? This is what I want to see. You judge someone more by their personality overall than by whether they have graduated from any kind of university.

I’ve always had in my mind that what matters is to do things in the best way we can. We started extracting internally, working in the laboratory, supporting growers, avoiding chemicals in times when these notions were not “fashionable”. I remember trying to avoid chemicals during the late 90s and being told “This can’t be done”. However, we were trying and we succeeded because I felt that you should pursue what you believe has value.

Try to be your best self. This is what brings success: Being your best self and giving opportunities to younger people to be their best selves too.

This is how a personal path is built, a chain, a way of thinking that has led to the fact that now that we are 400 people and I don’t need to lead all of them. On the contrary, younger people have taken over and their personal values are now the values of our company. If you do things that you are proud of and do your best in everything, that is the right way. The labs are an expression of this logic and this is how we continue working, to this day.

No, that didn’t happen for me. What I loved was reading. I read many business stories of people who managed to create something from scratch. I was looking to learn things at a time when it was very difficult, I am a Pharmacist and I have also worked on the counter for many years. I remember going to the College of Athens and taking courses like “introduction to entrepreneurship, introduction to finance, management, marketing”-at that time university courses for adults did not exist. I was searching alone, we didn’t have the internet, Tedx talks, youtube, etc. So, I wouldn’t say that I had mentors, but, of course, many people inspired me with their quality and values.

I am optimistic. I feel that young people are more cultured, more sophisticated, and they have already seen so many things. It is easier to find yourself today compared to the past. Today’s younger employees are crossing boundaries, they own a broad and global point of view, they are building companies and communities on their own and not just in Greece. The difficulty of creating a brand in the 90’s was unimaginable, today younger people have the opportunity to do unique things and be seen globally. Overall, I think everything is going really well.

For example, we used to work 6 days\week , then 5 days\week, now some are talking about a 4 day working week and remotely, the digitization possibilities of technology are growing and the need for physical presence is now less, we have incredible access to information and the ability to send our message around the whole world. Young people use these possibilities tremendously.

It is very important that we never look at progress negatively. Consider that, when the cell phone came out in the late 80’s- early 90’s, there were many people who were embarrassed to use it, even though it was clearly a very useful tool. All these accusations about social media today seem a bit funny to me, the contribution is huge, society is moving forward, always finding ways to evolve. Of course a tool’s value depends on its use, but we must not forget that young people are the reason that progress is facilitated.

To myself, to my kids, and to friends, what I would say is that it’s incredibly important to figure out what you’re good at. I don’t mean marketing or numbers, but what personally makes you happy. Do you like talking to people, being isolated, selling things? I realized what I’m good at long after 30, at 35-37-38.

Look within yourself to see what makes you happy. When you understand that this is your part, that’s where you go.

For example, friends of my children who have finished the Polytechnic University and enter the laboratory often say “I can’t work here”. This is extremely important because they have an idea of what they want. If you like to do something else, look for directions there. What is easy for you in the most human notion, what excites you is what you ll be able to offer. That’s where your future is.

The second thing I want to say is “go with the flow”. It’s hard to strategize and think in order and positions, it’s a compulsion. Life brings things before us. Give your best self even if the work you are doing is “ridiculous” in retrospect to your capabilities. Try to go over yourself regardless. Do it all the way. It has happened to us many times as a company- a person comes to fill a certain position and at some point we just discover that this young person can do other things due to his\her behavior, quality and values. We have seen young people evolve in the organization, in the same and ultimately other positions, because of their character and quality.

So first, do what makes you feel happy and secondly, whatever it is, do it all the way. Trust the direction life gives you.