How I Succeeded: Motorola’s Danny Adamopoulos

How I Succeeded is a regular series on Lifehacker where we ask business leaders for the secrets and tactics behind their success. Today: Danny Adamopoulos, GM Sales APAC for Mature Markets at Motorola.

Current gig: GM Sales APAC Mature Markets at Motorola

Location: Sydney, Australia

Current mobile device: Moto z3 play

Current computer: Lenovo X1 Carbon

One word that best describes how you work: Collaboratively

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

G-Suite is my life. It’s always there regardless of what platform I’m using. Google Docs, because it allows me to share work and collaborate with my team who are in multiple markets across the region, across multiple devices.

Google Music, because I can take my music anywhere. Working in the telco industry, I also change devices constantly – it allows me to keep everything in one place, without needing to worry about
reloading my favourite tunes.

Google Hangout allows me to stay in touch with friends and family when I’m travelling for work and similarly, it allows me to have face-to-face meetings with colleagues across the globe – the video function is invaluable working in a global company and ensures a personal connection

What social network do you find the most useful?

Social networks are like different horses for different courses and none more important than the other.
Facebook is for personal use, to stay connected and up to date with the lives of my family and friends,
which is particularly important to me due to my demanding travel schedule.
I use WhatsApp for an instant way to stay in touch personally and professionally. The end-to-end
encryption on all messages, photos, videos, etc. sent via this platform means I can talk business without
worrying.
LinkedIn ensures I stay up to date with industry and people news and last but not least, Twitter for
instant updates on global and local news or matters that interest me.

What were the most important lessons you learned while growing your business?

• Improvise, adapt and overcome is a rule I live by. There will always be hurdles thrown at you and
  how you work through and around those hurdles is what defines how you move forward.
• Set the tone for how you operate with your team from the outset, with a clear outline on output
  and expectations and you’ll eliminate opportunity for disappointment.
• As a leader, sometimes you need to let go of the reigns and see where people go. They may come up with an idea that is out of their job description, and I’ve learnt it’s good to nurture that. The best successes we’ve had in the business have been as a result of someone making an off the cuff comment, outside their area.

What has been the most surprising part of your business journey?

When you’re immersed in the business every day, it can sometimes be hard to see the forest for the trees. Being able to see outside the business enables you to look back in more clearly and tackle the
problems that at one point seemed unmanageable.

Someone outside of your work group can spark out of the box solutions to your business problems, just through a passing comment in an everyday conversation.

Similarly, something I’ve learnt over 25 years working my way up the ranks, is that people are our greatest assets. Giving your team a sense of ownership, and not dictating their every move, will make for a positive work environment, encourage great ideas, enable growth within the team and ultimately overall business success.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

Sizing up the situation and putting it into perspective. Having been in the industry for 25 years, I’ve seen and heard a lot. I can take a step back and look at a situation objectively and tell it like it is.

What’s your sleep routine like?

7 hours every night. In bed by midnight, up by 7am. Jet lag doesn’t bother me. When I’m home in Australia, it’s structured. I get my 7 hours sleep a night – usually in bed by midnight and up at 7am. When I’m travelling however, this routine does get disrupted.

What advice would you offer to other businesses on how to succeed?

Challenge your own and your team’s behaviours. Change your routines and get out of your safe zone. Ask the tough question and look past the first answer. Don’t let lack of resource or a busy schedule stop you from kicking goals. And most importantly, fail quickly, learn from it and move on. With every failure comes success.