The journey of a Dialectican Manager — Client Service

It was exactly 3 years ago, when Elena Stamatopoulou first crossed the doors of our offices in Athens to have her final interview for our Client Service Associate role. Two promotions and a team of 17 members later, she offers us a glimpse of her own experience as a Dialectican.

Hi Elena, tell us a little about your background.

I studied Management and Business Administration in the University of Economics and Business in Athens, Greece, and then I did a Master’s degree in e-Business in Newcastle University Business School in the UK. Besides Greece and the UK, I have also lived in Hungary as an exchange student for 6 months. In February 2019, I joined Dialectica as an Associate in the Client Service team.

Why did you decide to start your career journey at Dialectica?

After completing my Master’s in the UK and even though I enjoyed living abroad, I wanted to return back to Greece. I applied for the Associate role because it seemed really interesting to me. Even from the final interview when I had to visit the offices in Athens, I was very much impressed by the company’s unique culture and energy around the building.

At the time, I was very anxious about job hunting as I did not have solid working experience to prove. What really took me by surprise about Dialectica was that the team did not focus on that, as previous work experience isn’t a prerequisite for the Associate position; I was assured that Dialectica’s training and ongoing on-the-job support would help me learn and grow my skills. Three years later, I am happy to confirm that I have very much developed professionally since joining.

What is it that you do at your job?

I first joined as an Associate and back then I was responsible for understanding our clients needs — across different markets and types of companies — and sourcing the best subject-matter experts for them. The aim was to bring the most suitable profiles in contact with our clients to enable them to address their project’s needs through expert knowledge and unique insights. It was not long before I became myself the project manager of several projects, speaking directly with our clients and coaching other new joiners around Dialectica’s research process.

As an Associate Manager, I was the account manager for the same client portfolio ensuring they get the best quality of service. At this level, you are learning a lot around account management, resources management, budgeting and recruiting.

Now that I’ve been promoted to Manager, I’m really looking forward to further developing my people management skills, growing beyond my team, and broadening my client portfolio. My favorite part of the job will always be growing my own team though; I’m currently managing a team of 17 talented people with whom I really enjoy working.

What is it that you enjoy most here?

The culture of Dialectica is amazing! Our offices are full of fun people and there is always room for new and fresh ideas and suggestions on how we can improve processes and make positive changes in general. The teamwork experience is truly unique and there is also ongoing support on the job and many opportunities for personal growth and development. If someone hits specific performance targets and develops crucial soft skills, from project and people management, to research, communication and so on, their career development at Dialectica can be fast.

Have you encountered any challenges in your career journey at Dialectica?

The skyrocketing growth of the company comes along with increased needs. For example, as more people are joining our Client Service team and we are all growing professionally within Dialectica as time goes by, the number of people that are climbing the ladder and taking over more crucial responsibilities is increasing day by day. This sounds and it is of course exciting, whereas the transition period from a less managerial to a more senior position can be challenging at times. For me this was the case, when while managing a team of ten people, I started managing an additional team and my full team grew to 17 people.

What does managing a large team of people feel like?

People management is one of the most challenging skills to crack! Each one of us is different, we all have our own personalities, feelings and we react, think and behave differently under the same circumstances. Discussing performance, helping and motivating your team to perform in a high-paced environment, these are things that you will face at some point in your career as a manager.

On the other hand, people management and interpersonal communications are skills that you continuously develop as you grow; I find that as my own team grows, I’m becoming better and better at it. At the end of the day, I always say that almost nothing can be more exciting than training, motivating and directing other teammates to optimize workplace productivity and professionally grow.

What is it that you value most about your team?

For me it is always about the people I work with, they are the reason I wake up happy to go to work every single day. I am particularly proud of the communication code that we’ve set as a team. Our principles are feeling empathy, being honest, fostering a safe environment and encouraging each other to share openly their ideas, opinions and views. Honesty, integrity, loyalty and motivation to grow and learn are the values that drive me as well.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

I am quite an active person, always trying to invest in outdoor activities; from running, and walking to hiking and exploring. I love hanging out with friends, but I’m also a cinefil, music lover and travel enthusiast.

Thank you, Elena, one final question: Do you have a favorite quote that motivates or inspires you?

Positivity is the key to happiness!

Ready to experience #teamDialectica? Join our Client Service team in Athens and Montreal!