Five important lessons that have shaped the story of an entrepreneur and recruitment expert

My name is Dana Kocane. I am a recruitment expert, founder, and manager of the "Tech Recruitment" company specializing in recruitment and executive search. I have been working in this industry for 12 years. Additionally, I enjoy sharing my knowledge on social media platforms and speaking at conferences.

I believe that one should never give up - not on oneself, not on their team, nor on their business partners. My company assists startups and medium-sized enterprises worldwide in finding specialists and high-level executives in the fields of technology (IT, digital marketing, design, and FinTech). Our mission is to create a world where entrepreneurs can achieve the growth of their businesses more easily. We educate entrepreneurs on effective hiring practices and building efficient teams because it's not just about recruitment, but also about transforming people's mindset.

Ever since my first trip abroad, I have been fascinated by different cultures and countries, and whenever possible, I travel. This passion for exploring the world is one of the reasons why we offer our collaboration partners the opportunity to find talents from anywhere across the globe. Relying solely on one market for talent acquisition is an outdated approach.

My mission is to inspire people to lead with trust in all aspects of their lives, personally and professionally. Being a trusted partner and celebrating the company's growth together is the most rewarding thing.

I understand the importance of time, so I aim to find a balance between leading my company and spending time with family and friends. I'm an avid reader, currently reading and studying the mindset of a leader as in my work I embody both roles - I manage and lead my team simultaneously. I've learned a lot over the years and gained valuable insights into how to create a lasting impact through my work. Here are five important lessons that have shaped my personal story:

Creating lasting impact - results, not unnecessary actions

Autonomy and the ability to live life on your own terms are values that hold a high place on my scale. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to work in various international technology companies as a recruitment specialist. Observing low-quality recruitment practices in companies, I realized how often it proves to be ineffective. Employees were chosen subjectively, leading to inappropriate candidate selections and financial losses for the company.

However, at that time, I lacked the power to influence those processes. I realized that the only way to gain greater freedom for myself and improve recruitment practice, making it more successful, was to establish my own company. Currently, I am involved in recruitment business development and senior executive search. By helping companies to find the right people, we educate managers about the recruitment process on a daily basis and try to show them that the recruitment process can be both easy and enjoyable. At the end of the day, the joy is in finding the right candidate. I wish to demonstrate that a recruitment agency can deliver professional and high-quality work.

Intentionally building a career and evaluating life's priorities

I am a living example that with continuous self-improvement and rigid time and resource management, one can build a dream career. I have had the opportunity to interview over 10,000 candidates and counsel more than 200 individuals, helping them find their dream job in their profession or embark on a new career path.

From an early age, I have been shaping my career. I firmly believe that the keys to personal growth lie in our own hands, which is why it is crucial to maintain motivation and apply the most effective strategies to achieve our goals.

Summing up the knowledge, methods, and experience accumulated throughout my career, I have created an online course to help others find fulfilling jobs. However, regardless of whether a person works for someone else or runs their own business, they will face burnout if they cannot manage their time and stress effectively. Even if a professional finds an excellent company with their dream job, without the ability to manage resources and work time efficiently, they may still experience burnout. I had to learn this lesson the hard way when building my own business. I handled all tasks, from designing marketing materials to writing content and preparing financial reports. This experience made me pause and reflect. Now, I consciously plan my time and resources more efficiently.

Be a leader and manager simultaneously

I first realized I had leadership qualities when we prepared a presentation for a popular song by the group "Spice Girls" during a talent night at school. Back then, I often took on the role of a leader. Of course, I never thought that one day I would lead my own company.

Ensuring autonomy and freedom for employees is essential to me. To achieve a balance between work and personal life, and to enable remote and autonomous work, effective management systems and processes are necessary. A leader should not rely on personal biases but should be wise enough to recognize them. Today, various systems are available to help manage remote teams.

I am confident that successfully leading a remote team is possible by establishing a culture within the company that is friendly and based on mutual trust. Trust is the foundation of everything.

Time is precious

I value the importance of time and friendships. I spend my weekends with family and friends, attending concerts, movies, or going on trips. I believe this helps maintain my energy and a positive attitude toward both work and life as a whole.

Books are a great source of inspiration for me, as they help develop both personal and professional potential. I have created my own book list that I gladly recommend to other leaders:

"The Culture Code"

"Leaders Eat Last"

"How to Win Friends & Influence People"

"How to Hire A Players"

"Victory Through Organization"

Since childhood, I have been passionate about the international environment, different cultures, and foreign languages. That's why I made an effort to learn Spanish and English at a young age. I wish to see and experience more of what this beautiful world has to offer, and whenever possible, I go on journeys outside of Latvia.

Values-based action

From time to time, I review my values to ensure I stay on the right track and don't deviate from my true purpose. Goals are temporary, but values last. Therefore, I evaluate every goal from a values perspective - whether it truly aligns with who I am and where I want to go. This keeps me on track and prevents me from getting lost in different opportunities.

Similarly, I pay attention to aligning values when selecting employees and strongly advise our business partners to follow. In our company, it's crucial that team members share company values. This creates a harmonious and effective work environment where people operate according to shared principles.

Believing in our values is essential for leadership and entrepreneurship. It helps us create a company that embodies our beliefs, fostering a strong and trustworthy team.

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