Maryam Rezaei
Chrissoula Manolakaki
Panos Chreppas
Stamatis Tsagias
Asimeni TountaWhat does “Positivity” mean to you?
A supportive workplace culture is incredibly important to me.Having experienced uncaring sales environments and unhappy colleagues, I understand the importance of listening and including team members in strategic directions.
I have unfortunately been part of senior management team alongside an incredibly negative colleague.I found this situation extremely hard and I made a conscious effort to shield my colleagues from this person. I led beyond authority and spoke to each one of this negative person’s team one-on-one to reassure them they were valued and listened to their issues.I then discussed the company vision and our plan of growth and that we were all on the journey together.As these colleagues did not report to me directly this did cause an argument at management level but I was willing to experience that to avoid losing team members because of the negative management style.
Can you specify 3 things that you do to regain your positivity and your strengths after a disappointment at work/life?
Running on the hills near our house is a regular escape to reflect on the day to day and be without distractions. I also find swimming works well to be removed from technology and gather my thoughts.
My children have such a huge positive influence on my life, I am truly blessed with my son and daughter. Their innocence and love of play washes over me, we regular ride our bikes along the coast for ice cream, or play in the garden together.
Speaking with podcast guests has also provided me so much positivity as I have interviewed adventurers, motivational speakers and successful people around the world. I look forward to my weekly interviews and have made many friends through this platform that I can call on to help when needed.
How important is it to stay positive in achieving your goals?
Positivity is something I consciously work on in my life. I challenge myself to think differently about situations that may arise. I try to share this positivity with the people in my life that may not naturally be positive people. Founding a business is also a roller coaster of self-discovery that requires a lot of positivity and faith to keep going through the dips.
What “Positive Promise” would you like to give?
I promise to play 1 hour a day with my kid/s for 10 days.
Ian Farrar
Founder & Business Coach @ Far North Sales & Marketing
From an early age, I realised I could talk to people know matter their age, background or nationality. Inevitably I found success in commercial roles, solution sales were a perfect fit.
Unfortunately, I experienced severe burn out three times in my thirties due to workplace stress. Hospitalised and many tests later taught me a precious lesson. It’s not how much money you make, it’s how you make your money. With a young family and a substantial mortgage, I fired myself from the corporate world and founded a start-up business, aged 40.
I now work with clients to coach them through their business growth and strategy plans and work one-on-one with individuals to realise their potential. I deliver upskilling group masterclasses such as Business Model Canvas, Social Media Mastery and Sales Leadership.
Additionally, I host a popular business podcast, Industry Angel. The podcast has topped iTunes new & noteworthy, consistently achieving tens of thousands of global downloads. I interview industry leaders and entrepreneurs locally, nationally and globally resulting in a recent nomination for a European influencer award.