Working solutions come when a person is calm

Introduce yourself in a few words..

As the owner of "Taurus Consultants" for the last twenty years, I have been actively consulting in the field of human resources, mainly focusing on headhunting. Since 2018, we have been conducting training for leadership and team development with the help of horses together with the equestrian base "Sparata". In the last few years, I have also been engaged in creative writing. In 2023, my first novel “The Simulation,” and in 2024 the second – “Little Sins.” Both books are in the portfolio of the publishing house “Knigomania”.

How would you describe your career in a few words?

Looking at it from today, it seems logical, but also fluctuating. It changes without sharp turns and jumps. The fact that I did not enter the classic corporate HR gave me the freedom to move along the path of my personal choice, rather than the choice of shareholders or the owner. Of course, such freedom carries its risks and responsibilities. You do not receive a constant monthly income, you need to think long-term, to anticipate trends and events. But even those cannot always be predicted. As it was with the Covid crisis. No one expected the world to close down for almost a year. But even then, I had to react adequately, and together with psychologist Detelina Stamenova, we created a quite successful product – Soul Assistant – a live podcast for employees, where we discussed topics related to mental health. With all this, I want to say that my career is not linear, but pulsating. There are peaks, valleys, and I always hope it leads me to something interesting.

What was the most important choice that shaped your path?

Perhaps the choice to take on TAURUS Consultants. The company was previously developed by Daniela Osikovska - a serial entrepreneur. I was in her team when she offered me to make a hundred percent management buyout. This was a serious commitment – acquiring the company was no small financial commitment, I had to be fully responsible for the business, I had a team to whom I also had to care. And at that moment, the global financial crisis hit. There is a story about a mouse that did not drown in the milk because it churned cream while trying to swim. Something similar happened then. I had to mobilize all my resources to move forward. The crisis ended, and I was still on my path. 

What would you like to know at the beginning of your career that no one told you?

Not to worry too much. A person thinks best when they are calm. That’s when the working solutions come.

How do you approach the change from one profession to another? Do you also engage in creative writing?

If a person feels drain in one profession, they can seek themselves in another. In consulting, every project is different, and that has kept me in this profession so far. But on the other hand, I have missed the creative element. I have been a passionate reader since childhood, literature has excited me, I have touched upon creating texts as a journalist for the newspaper “Capital.” And here came a moment when the urge to tell my reading of life through creative literature led to the creation of the novels #“The Simulation” and #“Little Sins.”  At the moment, I practice two professions – one feeds the body, the other - my spirit. Writing is also work. It requires knowledge, research, concentration, and most importantly – time. And like any other job – to do it well, it must be done with curiosity and from the heart.

What skills do you think will be key in the next 10 years?

Cognitive and analytical skills. Critical thinking – the ability to view information and reality without being swayed by primal and manipulative statements. Verifying information and the way we acquire it will also be key. The ability to place a given case in context, to see the big picture, to discern the truth behind the story in it. There is also something that seems to be becoming a deficit, and that is imagination. Imagination does not only affect creative professions; it is needed in all important moments, related to analysis and judgment, to decision-making, scientific inventions, and even empathy – to imagine how the other feels. My concern is that with technologies, this function of the brain is diminishing.

What is the biggest mistake you have made in your career, and what did you learn from it?

I have certainly made more than one mistake in my career. Sometimes you have to make choices that are ethical but not in favor of the business. However, I do not define those choices as mistakes.

How to recognize a toxic work environment and when is it time to leave?

There is a critical moment in recognizing a toxic environment – a person is still conscious and establishes a problem related to neglecting good performance, constant and malicious criticism, unreasonable excessive demands that do not correspond fairly to pay and benefits. And it is precisely at this critical moment, which is still at the beginning, that a person must gather the courage to leave. Usually, however, they decide to give it a chance, to check if they are wrong. They are not wrong. Then it becomes more difficult. Frustration increases, but the strength to leave – decreases.

What would you do differently if you could start over?

I would start writing earlier.

How to maintain our motivation in times of stagnation?

By changing the focus to an activity or hobby that is enjoyable. Not everything is contained in career, let’s not forget that there is also personal life, and close people who care about us and need our attention.

How to achieve a balance between professional and personal life?

My experience is to integrate them and not oppose them. If I put them against each other, tension arises.

What is your definition of a “successful career”?

When the narrative of success is organic. I do not deny marketing, but 90% of the noise created is false. And when it quiets down, the really good work is seen.