Be a Captain in Your Industry! 4 Wise Tips from Kyivstar’s Head of the Network Operations Center
What sparked your interest in your field of expertise?
For Yuriy, his passion took off while serving as a chief engineer in the army. Now at Kyivstar, Yuriy often reflects on how his interest in telecom began during the army.
“I was responsible for a lot of streams of communication with different units in Ukraine and the world. I worked with telecom equipment and got to know a lot about Kyivstar,” recalls Yuiry.
“I liked to investigate the construction of base stations. I would constantly research info about the newest technologies. Someone introduced me to telecom work and I became motivated to start a career in the field after the army.”
That’s pretty cool, right? During our talk with Yuriy, we learn even more cool things about not just finding your passion, but also how to make a true impact in your industry, like Henry Ford (read the amazing quotes). Let’s dive in!
1. “There is no man living that can not do more than he thinks he can.”
- Henry Ford
One of Yuriy’s hobbies is building. In fact, his father and he built the house he currently lives in. It took four years.
“It was a difficult challenge, but it showed me that nothing is impossible. If you have a dream but reaching your target seems difficult, you can get there step by step,” attests Yuriy.
Yuriy emphasizes that we must test the limits of what we can do. This is something he learned while serving in the army. That’s where Yuriy began to understand what it takes to achieve more, like Ford says people can do.
Specifically, Yuriy honed his communication skills in the army and became more willing to adapt and take on difficult and new tasks. He now applies these skills and philosophies to his work at Kyivstar to take the team further.
“Another main thing is honesty. In the army, we’re speaking about human life, so being honest is vital. I always try to be honest with my team members. This is how you establish trust and make the correct decisions. This also ensures I’m responsible for my words. I’ve stressed the importance of honesty with my team at Kyivstar,” says Yuriy.
“Also, the army taught me to be solutions-oriented. We can gain new skills and come to new understandings based on the process of solving a problem and seeing different outcomes. And you can apply those learnings going forward. At Kyivstar, we can even create a solution and automated process that simplifies things and expands capabilities.”
2. “My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.”
- Henry Ford
This next Ford quote connects to something crucial Yuriy learned while in the army: how inclusion can make a team better.
“There are a variety of people serving in the army in Ukraine, with many coming from different geographical regions. You must learn how to talk to different people with different views and opinions. As leaders, we must create an atmosphere that’s inclusive so that diverse groups can work effectively together. This is how we improve ourselves and find the best solutions.”
This idea of inclusion and diversity bringing out the best in a team also connects to another one of Yuriy’s hobbies: growing roses. After all, different roses carry different meaning. For instance, red signifies love and passion, while yellow symbolizes joy and friendship.
“I love growing roses because there’s beauty in every different kind,” exclaims Yuriy.
“Just like we can find beauty in each type of rose, so too can we find the great qualities in every different team member. If we give different people space to contribute, we can evolve into something better.”
Additionally, to continually improve throughout your career, experts assert that you must surround yourself with people that will push you. To do that, you have to hear a diverse array of ideas and study various skills and methods.
To make that happen, spend time with friends that bring out the best in you. Chances are you’ll be interacting with a unique and fun group of folks.
3. “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
- Henry Ford
During a month’s work in the network operations center, Yuriy and the team encounter 11 million alarms from their 70-plus monitoring systems. Needless to say, that seems intense.
The secret to dealing with all that successfully is first being ready. Second, it’s to have the right approach.
Yuriy’s team is organized by regions and staff are generalists capable of doing lots of different things. Generally, their work is comprised of four shifts and there are additional engineers for support, as rush hours require it.
“We’re the center nerve for Kyivstar’s cellular network. Team members attempt to analyze and solve problems without calling on the second-line engineer. They want to learn and improve so they can solve the problems too and improve the network.”
Sounds like exciting work, right? Ask Yuriy more about the team, and he may just convince you to apply.
“Leadership is very supportive and you’ll be on a good team. You’ll learn more things than at other companies. It’s funny to speak about this topic. I have two people on my team who had other offers from competitors but they decided to work with me. It’s about the people, the team, and the potential for growth. You can accelerate your career path here.”
For Yuriy, the focus on learning and development is essential. Learning is what empowers employees to achieve great things and the ability to learn is one skill necessary to propel the team to sustained success.
hanks to our commitment to learning how to tackle new issues, we’ve been able to automate 90% of alarms already. When we approach a new, unique problem, we take time to learn what it is and how a solution can be automated. This motivation to continually learn is how we optimize processes for Kyivstar.”
4. “The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.”
- Henry Ford
Ford’s quote highlights this truth: Our knowledge and skills are most valuable. Yuriy keeps this thought in mind when interviewing candidates for the team.
“People who can learn in a short period are best for the telecom industry. You must be able to absorb information. I’m looking for fast learners. I hire for potential.”
Yuriy stresses to his daughters this same philosophy (especially when they won’t show him their grades at school).
“If they have a bad mark at school, they may try to hide it. But I know what their grades are. It’s quite humorous. When this happens, I sit down with my daughters, discuss the importance of honesty, and we talk about how to improve marks. There is always opportunity to build more knowledge,” states Yuriy.
Speaking of knowledge in today’s world, it may seem like machines will be able to do everything soon. But building knowledge remains critical. As many visionaries say, there will always be things humans do better than robots.
“For instance, humans can connect the dots better when it comes to solving unique issues for telecom equipment, such as understanding the influence of weather conditions like snow in a certain area. We need human input to dissect the data the machines give us and pinpoint the problem,” describes Yuriy.
“Machines can do a lot for us at Kyivstar, but there are situations where humans are needed. We must teach ourselves what machines can’t. That’s how we make a future for ourselves.”
You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do
- Henry Ford
The last piece of advice is clear: Go seize the day. As our discussion with Yuriy has illustrated, if you challenge yourself, surround yourself with people who make you better, and continually learn and build knowledge, you can become a legend in your field.
So, don’t wait any longer. Start living and get to work. The roses will start to bloom sooner than you expect.
