“You need to be ready for change.”: Konstantin Josseliani

“I’m always led by the ‘Customer First’ philosophy, focusing on innovation and continuous improvement.” Konstantin Josseliani, President and CEO Janus Worldwide

Konstantin Josseliani has been a leader in the translation industry for over 30 years, driving Janus Worldwide with pure dedication, skill, passion and a willingness to see things from a new perspective.

As Stephen Hawking once said, “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change,” and in that regard, Konstantin is a visionary leader, who sees growth opportunities in changing circumstances, and tailoring appropriate responses to any business challenge.

“One of the defining features of my business success is an ability to perceive market trends and align development strategy accordingly”, says Konstantin.

Frank and insightful answers on questions addressed to Konstantin helped gain a diverse perspective on his personality, attitude to leadership, and life philosophy. What is your role in a business? What are you doing well, and where is there an opportunity to grow? Where do you find inspiration? Those and other questions reveal a hard worker, an innovator and a dreamer.

Ready for change: what has shaped me into who I am

My first degree was in translation; I graduated from the Moscow State Linguistic University, one of the top linguistic universities in the country. I started my career at SAP, a German company just entering the Russian market that needed their software and documentation to be translated into Russian. Working at SAP taught me a lot. I learned about translation technologies like Trados, and I got to know the principles of organizing large localization projects while working on SAP R/3 modules. Two or three years after starting as a translator, I became coordinator of the translation department, responsible for organizing translation of SAP products and solutions into Russian and other CIS languages. To expand my knowledge of business and management, I completed a second degree in economics at the Financial Academy.

Clear vision for translation industry advancement: passion for business

The translation industry is unique. We have a chance to interact with representatives of different industries and companies and develop in different directions. When I was working at SAP, I understood that for a high-quality translation you need to understand the subject matter you’re working with, not just know foreign languages. This combination of language, technology and practical skills makes for a unique environment full of incredible opportunities for professional development.

Business with a purpose: startup and growth

Starting my own company was a spontaneous decision. The outsourcing process at SAP was the push. As an IT company, SAP outsourced all non-key functions, including translation and localization. At this point, the tech skills I gained at SAP helped me out a lot, as did my economics background. Establishing my own business wasn’t easy, and our first office was a two-room apartment with 5–10 employees. But it was a fascinating process, since we were among the founders of the modern Russian translation industry.

Running a company: an opportunity to expand

Every year, we set goals as part of our approved strategy and record them in company documents. Last year marked the opening of our production office in Germany, growth in production and sales, as well as several presentations at international conferences (I gave five or six, which I think is too many). I wanted to spend more time at home and concentrate on strategic projects and plans for the company’s long-term development.

Holding the customer’s hand: recent milestones

Some recent events that stood out are our collaboration on HP global tenders and important meetings with key international clients – HP, Epson, G5, Fujitsu and others – that have enabled us to expend our partnership.

Fundamental leadership instruction: by… reading

I try to keep up with my reading. In fact, it’s a high priority in my routine. This year, besides dozens of Common Sense Advisory reports, I read about 15 new books. The two that stuck with me the most were What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith (a great book for leaders of all levels in any industry) and Mindfulness. A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman about how to maintain balance in modern life. I consider regular reading to be one of the most important methods of self-improvement for everyone.