N. Anastasopoulos (AGT Group): Aim high, stepping firmly on your feet

Modern businesses are complex organizations with many and increasing demands, says Mr. Nikos Anastasopoulos CEO of AGT Group, who adds that the position of the modern CEO cannot be a “one man show”.

– Who is AGT Group and in which sectors does it operate? Who are its customers?

AGT is a Greek business group founded 25 years ago by three friends and fellow students at the Polytechnic. After 25 years we are together, above work, with daily engagement and with the same passion.

We provide Constructions and Engineering Services to large private and public Organizations, supporting their large investments consistently and efficiently. We maintain a clientele of the largest Greek companies and multinational Organizations in the sectors of transport, energy, telecommunications, organized retail, food industry, pharmaceuticals and packaging.

We have multinational clients who trust us with their investments in Greece and abroad, in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and we are proud of that.

– Despite the adversities of the last few years, AGT is making a significant upward trajectory, even in the midst of a crisis. How did you manage to reach such a high level?

As a company we emphasize organization in all areas of our activity and make sure we are consistent in our commitments to our customers. This allows us to maintain long-term relationships of trust with them.

At the same time, we continuously invest in new technologies and apply modern organizational methodologies. These make us a modern and dynamic company that not only listens to the needs of its customers but can also follow them and support them responsibly. Our customers are champions in the field in which they operate and in order to be close to them, we maintain the same mentality and invest in it every day.

We have a select group of skilled and experienced executives and operate like a big family. We take care of our people and they in turn take care of our customers.

We have also maintained for 25 years excellent trading behavior and have sound financial data.

The above made us and keep us resistant to crises, which more and more often strongly affect the markets.

– A young executive who has the ambition to become a CEO, what would you advise him?

A new executive should know that by deciding to pursue the CEO career, he is setting himself up for a constant challenge. He should search deep within himself for his fundamental motivations, those that will accompany him in the effort and give him impetus. He will have to decide how willing he is to challenge, inspire and constantly reinvent himself.

Along the way to achieve his goal he will have to work really hard and sacrifice many things.

The CEO chooses to star and this requires strong commitment, constant motivation, vigor and a high sense of responsibility. What many aspiring new executives may not know is that the top positions are lonely and you should be prepared for it and have the mechanism in place to manage it.

Modern business executives are capable and hardworking people. After all, they have been evaluated by the market. They also have a high IQ, are citizens of the world, educated with many recruits, far more than the executives of earlier eras.

As long as they desire it, believe it and dream it, they will achieve it. So I advise them to ground the decision deep within themselves and commit to it.

– What abilities and skills do you think new and promising executives will be required to possess in the future?

Modern businesses are complex Organizations with many and increasing demands, stemming from both current market volatility and an ever-expanding regulatory framework.

The position of the modern CEO cannot be a “one man show”. However talented, gifted and prominent a CEO may be, the success of the Organization he manages does not depend solely on him, but on every cell and organ of the business. What, in fact, is increasingly evident in modern businesses, is that they do not need old-fashioned leaders, but managers who are flexible, with broad perception and empathy.

Consequently, the position of the modern CEO is probably more demanding than ever. The markets are changing at an extremely fast pace and you must not only monitor them but also adapt your Organization in time to accommodate them. The environment is changing and so are the needs of societies. This requires a broader knowledge of becoming across the spectrum of markets and societies.

Rapid changes call for quick decisions and determination. Don’t be afraid of the mistake and don’t stay in the protection of monolithicity. What got you here is sure not to get you into the future alone.

You must maintain a high sense of responsibility because your decisions affect the company’s employees, its partners, shareholders and to a lesser or greater extent society itself.

To constantly improve and be open to the new.

Be simple, humble and approachable. Aim high, landing firmly on your feet.

– Is a CEO’s personal engagement with societal issues part of his/her role?

A CEO cannot stay away from the issues that concern society. Abstaining from them leads to a substantial inability to carry out your duties successfully. Let’s not forget that the organization run by a CEO has employees, partners, customers, who as people make up societies.
If you are not participating and engaging, then you are not listening and thus unable to adequately translate the needs of society, which collectively affect the way the market, states and ultimately the entire planet works.

But beyond the professional prerequisite, as a leader you must care, not only about the company you manage and its people, but also about the issues that concern people in general.

Businesses are part of society and you have been chosen to manage one of its Organizations. Modern leadership requires commanders who perceive global needs and adapt the structure and operation of their Organization in these directions.