Owner and Senior Soft Skills Trainer
Per4mance Training
Total years of experience :42 years, 8 months
We put a lot of emphasis in understanding well the gap between the desired skills and attitudes and existing skills and attitudes.
We have developed several excellent tools to do this.
Then we design a solution customized to the unique needs of each client. We apply the solution (can be a training program or coaching). Then we evaluate the improvement (is the gap smaller now?) and try to estimate or calculate the Return-on-Investment.
Louis Vuitton) and several customized training programs.
• I have trained and coached many Presidents and members of the Board of Directors in Greece and Moscow. Several Presidents appreciate and still enjoy my personal executive coaching and mentoring - some of them - for more than ten years each.
• Through a Video-conference facility I have trained several hundreds of managers and directors from five African countries (Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya) with the financial support of World Bank in Washington DC.
• I have also conducted several training programs over the web, working with the Greek Atomic Energy Institute (Democritus) and financed by the European Union.
• I have been working in Moscow on a project basis since 2005. On February 5, 2010 I moved my office to Moscow.
• Some Russian companies that I trained are: Alfa Bank, BAYER, BBDO, GMS Clinics, Lafarge, Luxoft, Manpower, Pioneer, Raiffeisen Bank, Richemont (luxury watches and clocks), Swedbank, TNT, Trust Investment Bank, Togas Textiles, TVOY DOM, Ventra, and Xerox.
• In November 2011 I delivered a speech to an audience of Russian project managers during a convention organized by Luxoft in Moscow. You can watch me presenting in the following videos. The participants rated the quality of my presentation with 96% satisfaction, the highest of all eight presenters. Please click on the following links to watch me presenting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLiiDeVpgOw (part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8IfoyC5oHo (part 2)
• I regularly teach at the Moscow Business School. Please visit the following link for more info: http://mbschool.ru/about/tutors/13937.
My last seminar was on "Sales Management and Strategic Marketing" and took place in November 20 and 21, 2013. The participants rated me with 92% satisfaction. There was an "educated interpreter" involved in this program.
• I hold several recommendation letters from Companies like IKEA, Louis Vuitton, Tvoy Dom, Cosmote etc.
• Since I am a certified Master Trainer - Trainer of other Trainers - I have trained and developed several people in Greece and Moscow to help them become professional trainers and "educated interpreters". To this end I use sophisticated and very effective performance measuring tools and training/coaching methods to develop them.
• In 1996 I visited Dale Carnegie Training in New York and proposed to the president to represent them in Greece. During my first visit I was granted a 10-year contract by Dale Carnegie Training Inc and represented them as a master franchisee and Master Trainer in Greece. This contract was completed at the end of 2005. I refrained from renewing my contract with them.
What I learned in this business activity: • The main lesson I learned in these 20 years is that "nothing is impossible"
• Every single moment in my career was a step bringing me to the next level
After Sales Director (9|89 - 7|93)
Fiat Auto Hellas - Athens (FIAT and Alfa Romeo products)
What I was doing: • I was responsible for the Technical Department and Parts and Accessories Department for all FIAT and Alfa Romeo Dealers in Greece
• I was reporting to the Global Technical Service Director in Torino
• Forty one subordinates were reporting to me
• I was supervising the following departments to ensure their proper operation according to the Policies and Procedures: The Training Center, Customer Relations, Preparation of Literature, Solving Complex Technical Problems, Administration of the Warranty, Center of New Car Preparation (PDI), Preparation of the Budget, Development of the Network of Dealerships, Marketing Activities, Parts and Accessories Competitive Analysis, Back Orders, Service Level (for parts and accessories) and Lubricants
• Within a year from my employment the company reached the market leader's position
• I invested a great amount of time and energy to reinforce communications within the department, within the company and with the dealers and authorized service outlets (about 1.000 employees and workers in Greece)
What I learned in this job: • Solving technical problems - no matter how complex - was the easy part of the job. The tough part was to go along with people: clients, bosses in Italy, bosses in Greece, subordinates, heads of other departments, dealers, suppliers etc
Service Manager - After Sales Director (6|81 - 7|89)
General Motors - Athens (Opel, Isuzu and all General Motors American products)
What I was doing: • I was responsible for all technical and non-technical after-sales issues for the country of Greece and for all General Motors products, OPEL, ISUZU and all American GM products
• I was reporting to the European Service Manager in Russelsheim / Germany
• Supervising all Training Activities on new products and technical issues
• Solving Technical Problems, handling Customer Relations, Supervising the Administration of the Warranty, Preparation of the Budget, Development of the Network, Marketing Activities, Training the car Dealers and their personnel on technical and organizational issues.
• I was employed the very same day General Motors established business in Greece (June 1, 1981)
• Therefore, I had to build the after sales activities one-by-one from scratch
• I created, presented and explained the Policies and Procedures manual for the Greek GM dealers and their personnel
• Although I was only 31 years old, my German and other European colleagues and superiors were consistently expressing their appreciation to me for establishing a very demanding operation in a few months of hard work
What I learned: • I learned the German way of thinking, communicating and working
• I also learned that integrity may take some time to be recognized by others, but it's worth the effort
A non-exhaustive List of My Services
Developing New Skills and New Attitudes
• Systematically diagnose and measure training needs by using different measuring methods (short workshops or individual interviews)
• Develop customized training programs that help the customer achieve their unique business results
• By analyzing feed-back from participants, we continuously improve our training approaches
• Develop more self confidence and self esteem
• Transfer new concepts that guide people to correct decision-making
• Improve interpersonal skills (go along with all kind of people)
• Develop leadership skills
• Develop managerial skills
• Take decisions and solve problems in a structured way
• Help people understand performance management and its benefits
• Establish commitment by introducing a performance management system
• Develop the complex set of skills needed for convincing others
• Control stress, control anger
• Overcome fear when speaking in front of people
• Motivate subordinates, vendors, suppliers, customers etc
• Develop excellent communication skills (including listening skills)
• Develop outstanding presentation skills (VERY high level)
• Putting creativity and innovation everywhere in the business
• Develop subordinates
• Develop excellent delegation skills
• Managing time ( in fact managing ourselves)
• Coach a team to compose a company vision
• Coach individuals on the job
• Manage change and manage continuous changes
• Manage conflict
• Develop strategies that achieve pre-defined business results
• Earn the cooperation of all parties involved
• Learn how to praise in a credible way something well done
• Generate participation in meetings
• Create a specific personal profile for trainers
• Train other trainers and develop them further
• Create a personal profile for non-trainers (a tool to help modify behavior)
I am flexible to work on a project basis, temporary or in a way that suits to your needs. I am willing to relocate and/or travel to successfully perform my duties and achieve our pre-defined business results.
I was responsible for the Technical Department and Parts and Accessories Department for all FIAT and Alfa Romeo Dealers in Greece
I was reporting to the Global Technical Service Director in Torino
Forty one subordinates were reporting to me
I was supervising all Greek FIAT and Alfa Romeo Dealers and Authorized Service Operations (roughly 1.000 employees).
I was also monitoring the following departments to ensure their proper operation according to the Policies and Procedures:
The Training Center, Customer Relations, Preparation of Literature, Solving Complex Technical Problems, Administration of the Warranty, Center of New Car Preparation (PDI), Preparation of the Budget, Development of the Network of Dealerships, Marketing Activities, Parts and Accessories Competitive Analysis, Back Orders, Service Level (for parts and accessories) and Lubricants
I was responsible for all technical and non-technical after-sales issues for the country of Greece and for all General Motors products, OPEL, ISUZU and all American GM products
I was reporting to the European Service Manager in Russelsheim / Germany
Supervising all Training Activities on new products and technical issues
Solving Technical Problems, handling Customer Relations, Supervising the Administration of the Warranty, Preparation of the Budget, Development of the Network, Marketing Activities, Training the car Dealers and their personnel on technical and organizational issues.
BIET was famous for developing strong practical skills to their students. I loved working the lathe and other workshop tools. Often we were asked to manufacture items made of iron by using a saw and a file. Later on, this practical skill proved very beneficial for a successful career.
British Institute of Engineering Technology (10|68 - 2|72) London Mechanical Engineering Certificate. (British Institute of Engineering Technology specialized in "Heat and Heat Engines" and "Workshop Technology") Seminars: I have participated to scores of seminars conducted in Germany, UK, France, Czech Republic, USA, Italy, Greece, Cyprus as well as in other countries, on subjects related to Human Relations, Marketing, Organization, Management, Leadership, Negotiation Skills, Sales Techniques, Communication, Customer Satisfaction, Presentations Skills, Selling Luxury Goods etc.