CEO and co-founder of Applover Piotr Sedzik has received many honors from different publications.
In 2018, Piotr Sedzik was named a finalist in Forbes Magazine’s 25 Under 25 list. The next year, Applover was named by Deloitte as the “Rising Star” in the CEE region. Then, in 2020, the company was ranked 24th in the Fast 50 company list.
Aside from Applover, Piotr Sedzik is also the CEO of Smart Citizen. The company “studies urban agglomerations to improve the quality of life of their citizens.”
According to Piotr Sedzik, Applover stands out because they have a “really unique energy.” They make sure to convey this energy to the client as soon as they start working together.
Piotr Sedzik and Applover also make sure to stay “very much involved in every project.” Effectively, they “become part of the client’s team.” They are “always eager to advise, propose and together create the greatest possible value for the client’s organization.”
As a leader, Piotr Sedzik knows that he has to delegate tasks “if you want your organization to grow and your team to want to work with you.”
Piotr Sedzik is not alone in Applover. The company “consists of many different links that must effectively cooperate with each other and be effectively managed for the company to develop further.”
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We are always eager to advise, propose and together create the greatest possible value for the client’s organization. Piotr Sedzik, Applover
Jerome Knyszewski: What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Piotr Sedzik: I believe that we are distinguished by the really unique energy that we have in our company and which we give to the client when they decide to cooperate with us.
Moreover, we are very much involved in every project, we become part of the client’s team.
We are always eager to advise, propose and together create the greatest possible value for the client’s organization.
Jerome Knyszewski: Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Piotr Sedzik: In my experience, it is important to have a dedicated and well-coordinated team around you, then you feel a common motivation and a shared road to the goal.
This allows you to always lean on someone and learn from their experiences.
Moreover, you need to have the ability to separate work from private life.
When you leave the office, you should let your mind go off from the work-related issues. In my opinion, having some hobbies that you really enjoy helps with this.
And last, but definitely not least — efficient delegation of tasks to team members.
Thanks to this, you know there is always someone who is responsible for their areas and that there is not everything on your shoulders.
What is more, engaging your team in key areas in the company, so that they also take responsibility for them and can always help you.
When you start to delegate properly, your company will thrive and you will be able to go on vacation and let your steam go off.
Jerome Knyszewski: None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Piotr Sedzik: I must admit that I am really grateful to my parents. I always could count on them, in every situation.
It gave me a lot in the context of starting my own company because I had no fear that if I failed, what would happen next.
I mean, there was fear, but it was smaller. Thanks to my parents, because I knew that even if I did not succeed and lose all my savings, they would help me and somehow I would get back on track.
You can make more risky decisions thanks to this and you can be just more courageous when it comes to starting your own business.
Jerome Knyszewski: Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. Delegating effectively is a challenge for many leaders. Let’s put first things first. Can you help articulate to our readers a few reasons why delegating is such an important skill for a leader or a business owner to develop?
Piotr Sedzik: Delegating is a must if you want your organization to grow and your team to want to work with you.
You are not alone in a company, it consists of many different links that must effectively cooperate with each other and be effectively managed for the company to develop further.
The larger the company, the more of these links there are and the more it is necessary for everyone to know what their role is and what are their goals and how it will translate into results in the organization.
When you give people responsibilities they feel engaged, they know they have an impact on their area of expertise and they do their best to make it happen.
Most importantly, you can’t do everything by yourself, even if you feel that you could do something better.
Firstly, there would not be enough time for it, and secondly, it would be completely ineffective.
It is much more useful in the role of a leader that they have a good plan of work at each level, and that they distribute the appropriate tasks so that the sum of work done at each level contributes to the development of the organization.
In addition, by appropriate delegation, we allow individuals in the organization to spread their wings.
Give them responsibility for specific topics. They are often specialized and much more competent people in a given plot.
Thanks to this, they will do the tasks better, and this will contribute to the development of the organization.
Delegating is a must if you want your organization to grow and your team to want to work with you.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you help articulate a few of the reasons why delegating is such a challenge for so many people?
Piotr Sedzik: You need to trust your team and leaders to delegate.
You have to feel confident that you hired the right people who are up to the task. In my opinion and experience, delegating is challenging, when you have:
- Limited trust
- Feeling that you will do something better yourself
- No 100% control of the topic
- Inability to communicate the purpose of a given task
- Mismatch of tasks to a given person.
So when you take care of these areas, delegating is much easier and your team can thrive at their new challenges.
Jerome Knyszewski: In your opinion, what pivots need to be made, either in perspective or in work habits, to help alleviate some of the challenges you mentioned?
Piotr Sedzik: First of all, you need to understand that good delegation is beneficial for the leader and the company.
It has a number of benefits and significantly improves the work of the organization, at the same time making people feel better and more confident in the organization.
They can prove themselves and take responsibility for it, and in nowadays organizations, people want to take this responsibility and have an influence on what they do.
Do good and give back — I really trust that this works well for everyone. Piotr Sedzik
Jerome Knyszewski: Thank you for all of that. We are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Piotr Sedzik: I believe that if you are given something, try to share it with others. Do good and give back — I really trust that this works well for everyone.
If you are lucky enough to not struggle during the global pandemic, right now, try to help others.
At Applover, we are always operating with this idea in mind.
That was why we decided to join Tech to the Rescue initiative and support NGOs that help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thanks to it, we helped a great organization that allows you to easily donate to charity while shopping — Altruisto.
Jerome Knyszewski: How can our readers further follow you online?
Piotr Sedzik: You can follow me on LinkedIn. I try to share some updates from Applover’s life there.
To be updated on what is happening at Applover, you can also follow us on social media and visit our blog.
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!