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| Ciprian Vuza, Business Associate / Senior Trainer |
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After holding several management positions both in industry as well as Philip Morris Romania, Ciprian decided to make a radical change in his career and created his own training company. Due to his experience and training abilities he became one of our business partners. We asked him to say a few words about his previous experiences as well as his plans for the future.
1. Ciprian after a long time spent in a corporation, you decided to create your own training company. Why did you make this step instead of continuing your career in a corporate environment?
It's simple, I tried to envision the future. I looked at what I had done up to that point, what would have logically followed as well as how my life would look in 10-15 years. Of course all this was made in lab conditions because in real life I know other people that are better suited to tell you what will happen. What resulted wasn't that bad but it didn't really satisfy me. I was sure I could do more and better. I then asked myself if I could contribute to this particular field or do I have to wait for another opportunity. Since the opportunity part had very little chances of success I had to personally deal with the problem and here's the result. Why training? Because it's fun, elegant, interesting, the market isn't full, I am good at it, I know good people with whom I can work with and the initial investments aren't that high.
2. How do you use the experience you gained in the corporate environment in your new role as trainer and consultant? Does it in any way change the way you build and deliver your training programs?
I applied this experience the same way I gained it and was instilled on me throughout the years and roles I had. Whole-heartedly, with profesionalism, demureness, responsability and respect. I look at the context, i don't base everything i do on theory. I first of all think about the benefit and added value that I offer to the client. I care about the quality of the services I offer more than anything else.
The experience I gained in Philip Morris is, in my opinion, extremly valuable and I consider myself priviliged to have benefited from it. I think the experience gained in the corporate environment is a valuable asset for all those that have it, and when that corporation is among the first there is a certain degree of finese and refinment.
3. For over 2 years you held the role of Area Manager for Phillip Morris managing the local organizations in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. Was it difficult to adjust to this new situation? Were there any major differences concerning the way people work here as opposed to Romania?
It wasn't hard but rather interesting, exciting even. I worked in a mixed environment even before Philip Morris. At Cernavoda, this being the period I am referring to, besides the multitude of local "characters" that came there from all over the country willingly or forced by the party, there were also Americans, Italians or Canadians.
So it wasn't a completely new and different challenge. From the business point of view, organizational culture plays an important role and Philip Morris has a very consistent global approach. No matter where you are on the planet, people speak the same language, there is tremendous respect for people and company values. This is a very important advantage for those within the system. The environment of former Yugoslav countries is, I must admit, quite different. The war or wars, because there have been a few, ended not so long ago, and the memory of that period is still pretty much alive in everyone's mind. It's not easy to put together a high performing team out of people who have lost their loved ones, their assets, houses because of those around them. This was the greatest challenge I came up against and I am very happy I was successful.
I have to admit though that the fact that I was Romanian helped me a lot. Even though our image is a bit dodgy, to put it mildly, in the west, in those countries we are looked at with respect and appreciation. This already gives you a plus in terms of confidence and authority, elements which I knew how to use, capitalize, to use a more corporate term...
4. You recently took part in the pilot edition of "Nextep Entrepreneur". What did you think about the participants and sessions you took part in? How important is this type of training for an entrepreneur?
It was a new experience for me, special. I thought that the sessions were very efficient and practical once you learned how to use them as instruments. The fact that you start assimilating and experimenting from the very beginning of the session, but in a real environment though, surrounded by other entrepreneurs is definitely an added value. You have the opportunity to challenge, ask questions, solve your doubts, think and therefore exist... a little joke, but all this takes place in an environment where entrepreneurs don't talk from books and they aren't very forgiving if you do so. The fact that those present were involved in avid, constructive discussions and the notions we gained offered very pertinent answers to the problems that were identified, is a testament onto itself about the value of such a program.
Any self respecting entrepreneur that acknowledges the fact that he doesn't know everything, would have a lot to gain from such a program. There is only a question of the time you have available, what your priorities are and how you manage a busy schedule like we all have, but this can also be learned.
5. You have been a business associate for Human Invest for some time. What was the reason behind this partnership?
Human Invest has been a powerful and respected brand for some time and let's be realistic, many would like to be associated with it. I first had the chance to meet Viorel, then Richard, Rares, Bogdan, Alexandra, Ioana and Marina to mention those I spent more time with (I hope that I didn't upset anyone who hasn't been mentioned) and had a great time. A lot of times you just don't know whether the environment shapes the individual or the other way around, or who has the greatest influence? It's hard to draw a line, what is certain is that I was attracted by the work environment and their style.
What I appreciate most, beside all these positive things, is their attitude towards the customer. I think we have a lot of things in common and even more to share.
But in the end, it all started from an idea, an opportunity that we identified separately, but are now working together on. We already have a year since we started this project. Now we are in its final stages. We are working very intensely on this my associate and I on the one hand as well as Viorel and Richard on the other hand and we hope to make it happen by the end of the year.
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Human Invest is a Premier League company in the arena of training and organizational development consultancy services, present on the Romanian market since 1998.
We are recognized for conceiving and implementing programs which offer managers an authentic experience towards improving their leadership performances, and thus we support companies in becoming more and more engaged in delivering excellent services for their clients.
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