Читать книгу The power of freedom - Ильдар Борисович Хусаинов - Страница 16

One of the main challenges entrepreneurs face is that people often use the saying "penny-pinching" to describe them. The nature of this perceived greed remains unclear, even though entrepreneurs themselves see their behavior as being frugal rather than greedy. The ability to evaluate every ruble and resource is an innate quality that varies in development from person to person, much like the capacity to share results and trust in the system and others. The intensity of these personal traits differs for everyone, similar to how the knobs on a mixing console are set at different levels.

Everyone knows and feels what qualities they possess. For example, I've come to realize that I can be a bit stingy, but I also consider myself a kind person. I can be persuaded to lend money if approached in the right way. I’m fortunate to have someone even more frugal by my side – he even suggests taking a pay cut himself. Let me share a work-related episode that left a strong impression on me – so much so that I decided to include it in this book. One day, Sergey Petrovich Shchepelin came to me and began persuading me to reduce his salary and that of some top managers, believing they were overpaid. We discussed this for about an hour, each expressing our viewpoints. This incident, like the story about hedging, reflects the culture of our organization and the level of trust within the team. Our employees aren’t afraid to discuss even sensitive topics because they have a sense of fairness.

It might be hard for some readers to believe that someone would voluntarily ask for a pay cut, but this became possible due to the culture we’ve created. When such a value system is established within a team, leaders and their subordinates become partners. Employees start thinking not just about themselves but about the business as a whole. This represents a high level of engagement that can be compared to maternal love. An employee is willing to do whatever it takes for the company's well-being, even if it means taking a pay cut.

I always oppose discussions about efficiency on a philosophical level – this is when someone raises the topic of efficiency without proposing any concrete solutions. For example, we recently optimized the work of our departments. Each department head would say, "We need to cut that department!" But I would respond, "Wait, what about your department? Shouldn’t we cut yours too?" And I would hear back, "Why should we cut mine? Everything’s fine here!" This pattern repeated itself every time we talked about optimizing anything. Everyone always insisted, "No, no, no – this applies to others, not us."

People are inherently unable to independently improve their internal efficiency. Here’s another example: Recently, our esteemed realtors actively began advertising on platforms like Avito and Cian. What happened was that prices on these aggregators started to rise, trapping us in a vicious cycle. We were covering demands while being asked for an even larger percentage of subsidies. Then we complicated matters further by subsidizing ads on these platforms. We reduced each realtor's expenses by up to 70%, paying for advertisements out of our own pockets. As a result, realtors lost touch with their actual expenses and began purchasing ads on Avito and Cian aggressively, causing those platforms to overheat from demand.

That's when I realized why being a bit frugal can sometimes be necessary and even beneficial. Why is it important for people to receive what they deserve, even if it costs a bit more than they can afford? It’s dangerous when global disparities allow things to be obtained cheaply. I often use this example: imagine what would happen if the government covered 70% of the cost of a car for every individual. Public transportation would become obsolete. Getting a driver's license would suddenly be advantageous. Owning a personal vehicle would be cheaper than taking a taxi, which is a reality. Thus, the cost of owning a car would align with the actual expenses of public transport. Some would gain an unfair advantage while others would lose out. The number of pedestrians might decrease because some would switch to cars. As a result, a cycle of incorrect processes would be set in motion.

Most of us don’t have an inherent tendency towards efficiency. That’s why marketers around the world easily explain why many women dream of buying a handbag that costs 150,000 rubles.

One important thing everyone should understand is how humans are wired. This is crucial because knowing human nature allows for effective management of various processes. I consider myself a kind person, but I’m also economical. For instance, I recently bought my mom a three-year-old used car with low mileage – only about 30,000 kilometers. A new Volvo like that would cost around 10 million rubles, but I found one with low mileage for just 5 million rubles. I believe the price difference is insignificant since the car is practically new. It’s all about finding that balance. I chose a Volvo, a premium brand, without regretting the expense. Of course, I could have bought something much cheaper, but it’s important to feel that balance. For me, it’s essential to spend money wisely. If I decided to gift my mom a good premium car, why not do so by buying a used one at half the price? She got an excellent vehicle that looked brand new.

However, when it comes to business, I fight for every ruble. I don’t waste money unnecessarily, neither on myself nor on anything extraneous beyond my personal needs. My main expenses are family needs and helping my parents. If I were living alone, I’d probably be in a small one-bedroom apartment and using public transport instead of driving a car. That aligns with my internal beliefs.

The question arises: how can we instill this same frugality into our systems on a philosophical level?

In this context, we have three main categories: greed, stinginess, and frugality. Once someone asked me, "What’s the difference between greed and stinginess?" I replied, "A greedy person thinks only of themselves without considering the needs of others. Stinginess is when you set high standards for yourself while also striving for savings for everyone." Frugality is the art of finding the golden mean between system development and resource conservation. If frugality could be expressed mathematically, it would yield a formula:

In companies, and more broadly, greed refers to the inability to share. In my view, stinginess is not just about being economical; it’s about using resources wisely. Frugality pertains to business: the ability to effectively conserve resources and energy while minimizing waste.

These terms may seem similar, but they are actually quite different. They are often confused, but for now, let's not delve into their semantics. Simply put, in business, the return on resource investment plays a crucial role.

I am a big fan of the concept of lean manufacturing. I’ve participated in internships, attended training sessions, and read all the books I could find on "Kaizen" and "Six Sigma" methodologies in the service sector, lean manufacturing, and how these principles are applied in Toyota factories. However, in my understanding, lean manufacturing is more about growth than simply optimizing current operations. There is also strategic frugality, which is less frequently discussed. Interestingly, it requires a more intensive use of resources.

For most people, the term "frugality" is associated with minimizing costs to achieve results. But I always teach my employees: "We need to achieve greater results with the resources we use. If you can achieve even better results, then use more resources."

The effectiveness of this approach is clear. We accomplish more without complicating processes. I will continue to develop this topic in the next chapter.