The difficult tasks do not scare me, but rather motivate me

Introduce yourself in a few sentences..

My name is Georgi Iliev, I am 51 years old, born and raised in Sofia. I am a father of four children – three boys and one girl. For many years I developed and managed my own businesses, but after certain specific events that shook our society and state in 2013, I began to transform from a person with an active civic position into a politician. As of today, I am the mayor of the “Slatina” district, Sofia municipality, after its residents voted their trust in me three times for 6 years. In addition, I am also a member of the National and Executive Council of the political party Movement “Yes, Bulgaria”.

 

What did you dream of becoming in your childhood years?

Normal childhood dreams. Including being an astronaut as a child. Then, of course, the dreams changed – I had a period when I wanted to become a writer, inspired by my personal contact with my father and Svoboda Bachvarova, Zhelyu Zhelev, Marko Semov, and many others. My father, may he rest in peace, was a journalist, editor-in-chief, and director of a publishing house. This period lasted until I was 16 years old when I finished my secondary education in Sofia. However, my father passed away, and together with my mother, we went to India, where I started studying “Commerce” at Delhi University.

 

At what age did you earn your first money? Tell us an interesting story?

Between sessions at the university in India, I returned to Sofia at 18 years old in 1992, and my first job was as a porter in a student dormitory in Student Town. This is my first job position in my work book. At that time, Student Town was not what it later became. But it had already begun to take shape as a place for continuous entertainment. I had many funny stories with people who came in and out of the dormitory and often invited me to join their endless celebration.

Otherwise, the first serious money I earned was in 1995, when I created my first business – an advertising agency.

 

What are the main factors and examples that shape us as individuals at an early age and form our interests? What is your recipe for curiosity, sources of information, and inspiration at this stage of our human development?

Of course, the main factors and examples that shape us as people come from the family. Additionally, for my generation, the other big “engine” was books. Reading shaped us. It allowed us to “travel” in different worlds and eras, to draw strength and ideas from the experiences of the heroes, to broaden our worldview and develop our imagination. There were also many interesting magazines. Cinema also positively influenced us.

As of today, the most important thing for me that I want to teach children is critical thinking - the ability to sift facts from assertions, to reflect on them, and to analyze. This, in my opinion, is what is most lacking in our society in the modern fast-paced daily life.

My recipe for curiosity is for a person not to give up asking questions and seeking answers, as well as making incredible connections between different things. Regardless of age. 

 

Has there been any significant change in your perceptions in a more mature age about what motivates you to do or not do something? 

Accumulated knowledge changes a person, and from there a person changes their motivation. This is a constant process.  

I wouldn’t say there has been a change, rather I realized and was able to name what motivates me to do whatever it is. For me, there are no impossible things, difficult tasks do not scare me, but rather motivate me. I am motivated to act even when I see the solution to a given problem, and no one has taken it on until that moment.

At the same time, since childhood, I have been open to people. This trait has often put me in situations where I neglect my personal interest for the public good, which sometimes hurts my closest ones. But that is my life philosophy, and I cannot go against myself – I strive to be helpful absolutely selflessly with my actions for the many unknown people who seek assistance to turn their dreams into reality.   

I am also motivated by our children, in particular my own. We are obliged to provide them with a better, safer, healthier, more sustainable future, and I do not see what stronger motivation we could have to make whatever we can to make this happen.

 

Whose decision was it where to pursue higher education and what to study? Was this decision correct, viewed from today’s perspective?

I went to India with my mother, who worked at our embassy in New Delhi. But the decision about what to study was mine.

I consider that as of today, my university education in “Commerce” in the Indian capital, was the right choice. The homeland of Indira Gandhi is one of the places in the world where all countries have their representations. In college, I had classmates literally from all over the globe. There, I found myself in a multinational community, from which one has the invaluable opportunity to be impressed and absorb a way of thinking and perception of the world firsthand.

 

Share more about your interests, knowledge, skills, and hobbies?

My interests are  diverse because I am extremely curious by nature. Of course, some of them, as well as a large part of my knowledge and skills, are related to my businesses before I became the district mayor of “Slatina” – advertising, production, and trade in beverages. Others are under the banner of politics. After all, I have mainly dealt with these things throughout my life. However, I have one huge passion, which for me is something between a hobby and work – music. For over 20 years, I was known to some people as Zhorо-Gida, because I often was the person responsible for welcoming and accompanying world stars from the music scene who visit us. Now as a mayor – not so often anymore.

To this day, I eagerly await the time for some of the larger festivals in our country or in neighboring countries. For me, that is when the real rest comes. An example in recent years is the few days I spend at Midalidare Rock In The Wine Valley, among the bands and musicians with whom we have known each other for many years, and with some even in friendly relations.

I love to walk and whenever possible, I roam my beloved Sofia and enjoy it in all seasons.

When I was younger, I had more extreme hobbies. Before I became a father, I roamed the Himalayas and high mountains, I have bungee jumped. But now I am at an age where my hobbies are related to my children's interests.    

Reading is the thing I never stop doing. This is, I would say, the most useful hobby of mine. And I try to teach my children that.

 

Would you change your profession today and which fields of activity capture your interest?

Of my own accord, I would change it if I feel that I can no longer be useful in what I do or achieve something more. When I became mayor, my whole life turned upside down, and I had to leave behind my previous activities.

I would engage in quantum physics, but that will apparently be in my retirement years.

 

They say that personal branding is everything that people say about you when you are not in the same room with them. What would you like to hear today?

I would like people to say what I strive to show them every day - that “Georgi Iliev is a person who hears us, not just listens”, “who is with us, not above us”, “who makes decisions but does not isolate himself”, “who works for the good of the community”. I would like to hear that my personal brand is trust, openness,  accessibility, courage to say “no” when necessary, and readiness to extend a hand to anyone. 

Emotional intelligence, adaptability, and flexibility, as well as our soft skills are key conditions for success in recent years. How do you cope with the daily challenges of life to stay in good shape and mood?

I walk and during that time I think and rethink the issues I have to resolve.

When we talk about soft skills - I have always had the ability to negotiate.

In every life situation, I try to put myself in the other person's shoes. Even as a child, I played chess by myself and always the other one won.

I believe that putting yourself in the other person's shoes enriches you and gives you the opportunity to make the most correct decision. Empathy is an ability through which a person enriches themselves by “seeing” a given situation through the eyes of others. This is a way of thinking and acting against the prevailing blatant egotism that we sometimes encounter. To look at a situation through the prism of logic, to analyze possible approaches, and to choose the one that works best for you but also serves the interest of the other, I will always consider a key skill in communication, politics, and business.

 

What are the most important conclusions you have made so far for maintaining proper communication considering the different characters of the people you meet daily  – colleagues, friends, close ones? 

I have a principle since I was little - to always tell the truth, so I don’t have to remember what I lied about. This solves many problems in communication for me. However, being honest sometimes also creates problems in communication.

Another principle of mine is that I do not keep my ideas. When I come up with a constructive and good concept for something – I immediately share it, even though someone might steal it from me. I gladly give it away. Maybe I will see it realized, even by someone else. This does not annoy me, but positively energizes me.

There are also a few more key elements. First listen, then speak. People rarely expect a simple solution, much more often they want to be heard and supported.
I respect different characters — a person with a different temperament, a different way of working, a different perspective is not a “problem”, but an addition, if you will, an opportunity – to learn something new.
I strive to be clear and open, but not completely and not at any cost in front of everyone. When you say what you think and what you do, people trust you more, but how you plan to do it is not information for everyone.
Mistakes are inevitably part of communication - if you are open to them, they do not become an obstacle, but a bridge.
These principles help me in my daily life.

What do you think about money? What is their influence on your life? What is your advice to people who often ask themselves questions related to money and how sufficient they are?

Money matters - we cannot do without them. They provide the opportunity to learn, to develop ideas, to help, and to have security. But money is not a goal in itself. The most valuable thing is what you do with them - what opportunities you create for yourself and for others. My advice is - do not measure only the numbers in your bank account. Measure them as a means that helps you live according to your values, to be free to act, to help, to grow. Gather experiences, not money.

The best saved money is spent on travels, in my opinion.

 

What is the most valuable career advice that you would give to people?

Do not be afraid to dream and to try. There are really no impossible things.