Name: Mauro Paulo

Title: CEO on Changing Lives

Organisation: Changing Lives

Hi, I’m Paulo Of Angola, a young man and employer. Since I was little, I learned about entrepreneurship from my parents, cause they are entrepreneurs and now, I love so much this world.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Mauro's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

At the beginning of my career I could even say it was dealing with people, but today, I see that it's all about communication and understanding. When plans are not communicated in advance and clearly, this creates difficulties for the achievement of objectives to be delayed and this generates frustration.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

It all started when my parents decided that I should take a business management course in high school when I wanted to take a technical course like electricity or construction. At first, I had no taste or interest in the area, until I discovered that the reason my parents decided that I would take this course was so that I would have the ability to manage their businesses, and they, throughout my studies, allowed me to experience in practice how business management worked, until love was born in me and I fully understood everything my teachers taught at school, then love materialized into notable achievements that made one of my mother's clients Make me an offer to work in your company as main manager and accountant.

After a thorough analysis, I decided to accept the proposal and then I embarked on this journey to build my professional personality as a leader, but unfortunately, the story didn't last long, because the owner of the company was a foreigner of Spanish nationality who unfortunately violated workers' rights a lot. and human rights, so I informed him that if he continued with the same stance, despite the salary, which was very good for me, I would give up on the partnership, which at first changed his stance and then committed the same crimes again, so I preferred to give up .

I went back to work with my parents and then I decided to open my own business, which in the initial phase had its difficulties, which made me give up on it as soon as I received a state proposal to manage a private project shared with the state, a project that counts with more than 130 establishments and more than 500 employees, locations on one of the largest arteries in our capital Luanda.

After that, I had other experiences in 2 other companies where I worked as an administrative and public relations manager where I had good results, as a consequence, the sales volume and the quality of the service provided were very well highlighted. Due to personal dissatisfaction, I preferred to abandon these 2 companies and join another, this time an international company of South Korean nationality, Coway, where in 2 weeks of work I accomplished a remarkable feat, and won the award for best salesperson and demonstrator of services at a sales level.

Africa, which aroused the interest of the brand's representative at the African level, the following month I was once again the best salesman and recruiter at the African level which gave me unique distinctions and made me earn in just 1 month and a half work an offer to become a team leader, as a team leader I strived to diligently fulfill my role and due to the remarkable work of my team, we were distinguished with the patent for distributors of the Coway Neutratech brand, and with that, I achieved to reach the management of the company's franchise and today this franchise is in the TOP 3 of the largest in Africa.

Today I am developing a new project with an international company from Bosnia that is already present in more than 10 countries and extends to Africa.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

To be honest, my work day starts the day before. I start by first outlining in writing in my diaries what I need to accomplish, then I outline the means to achieve them, and then, according to what I have delimited, I will carry out each stage of my work every day, selecting only competent people up to the task. help me achieve my goals. Before going to sleep, I review the next day's tasks, and early in the morning, I prepare myself and those involved with a very early call to find out if everything is ok with them and create a good disposition in them to carry out their tasks.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Never wear someone else's shirt before yours. Being part of a company is the same as helping someone else build their dreams, so remember to first build your dreams by building someone else's dreams. We are all replaceable within any business structure, except within our family.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

I even read a lot, because I'm also a writer, but I don't usually read books about leadership, although there are some on offer that I've never read. I learn best by seeing things in practice and with oral explanations of how things work. That's why I watch a lot of videos of financial and motivational speakers like the Brazilian: Joel Jotta, Pablo Marcal, Leh Araujo and Leandro Branquinho and the Angolan Ivanilson Machado and I speak whenever I can with a great reference and friend I have in this business world, the Portuguese Andre Semiao. Drinking from these people and some of them captured in short phrases or content that I then try to investigate and study more about, without forgetting to apply all the suggestive conclusions I pick up, has helped me to be successful in my career.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

I would ask him to focus more on knowledge than on money, to understand that money is only the consequence of a job well done, and that in time the blessings of his efforts will come, late, but they will come. So focus on your professional growth and yourself as a person, these particularities will take you far.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

In general, I will always remember that ingratitude is always paid for with a good gesture, I remember having given my best and sacrificing my dreams to build the dreams of those I considered friends, I believe that my contribution was decisive for today he was living his dream as a reality, and in the end, I was put aside as if it were nothing and had no relevant role.

That's why I said before, "Never wear someone else's shirt before yours", someone else's dream is not yours, and in it, at some point, you can be discarded, that's why I'm investing in myself all the time.n.