What is the role of a Business Manager?

A Business Manager plays a key role in an organization on the road to success. Besides being responsible for business development, they highlight opportunities and establish relationships. After talking to an IT consultant, this time we talk to Paulo Silva, Business Manager at Ytech. In this interview we find out about his routine, how he sees success, and what skills are necessary for the position.

 

 

Paulo: It’s usually very versatile and dynamic. Our days are rarely the same, although we also have some more procedural points that end up becoming more routine tasks. Our daily responsibilities depend on how we manage the week and organize it. It is important that everything is well defined and aligned. In practice, I ideally use the morning for the more administrative and bureaucratic part. The rest of the day is focused on the highest possible productivity concerning the growth of the company.

 

 

Paulo: The process starts in the recruitment department and then passes on to the Business Managers according to the candidate’s validation. When the profile fits and demonstrates to have the necessary know-how and soft skills, we find a balance point of expectations between our goals, resources, and projects we have allocated, to proceed with the hiring.

 

 

 

 

 

Paulo: Yes, but it is a relatively quick process. The main goal is to understand well the needs of a project and the candidate, working assertively to deliver the best possible value through valuable solutions.

 

 

Paulo: We have to look at the context and the market in front of us as it has been changing over the years. There is a total openness to new challenges and projects and this makes our work more interesting in finding the best talent, but more challenging in retaining the team. In other words, it is fundamental in this position to develop soft and hard skills in people management. In that sense, my job involves trying to arrange better conditions and contribute positively to the day-to-day life of a consultant taking into account their ambitions from the first interview.

 

 

Paulo: In a recruitment process I know that I am making that person’s life better, it’s not rocket science. It is something that takes some work, but it is not at all complicated. Everyone is like everyone else, you have to understand that diversity. People are very different: some people are closed and technically good and vice versa. There are all sorts, there’s no way of generalizing.

 

 

 

Paulo: Yes, it starts at the hiring, but then it extends to the course of the project. Often consultants are on a remote/hybrid system between their home and project facilities, which does not allow them to work closely with their parent company, Ytech. This needs even deeper supervision from us to better understand their day-to-day life and ambitions.

 

 

 

Paulo: Flexible. There was a person at Ytech who told me a phrase that I have memorized which was: “100% freedom, 100% responsibility”. For that, it’s important to know who we work directly with. I’m not an advocate of leadership that is the same for everyone, it is necessary to adapt to the people and the situation.  We must let each person have his or her learning curve, at his or her own pace, because not everyone learns or evolves in the same way and with the same speed. When I observe that someone is already autonomous enough, then I feel comfortable enough to demand results. We are dealing with people, so this care is decisive to achieve the best possible results.

 

 

 

 

Paulo: It is the results of all the work that is done on the Backend (laughs). It is not complex, but it is considerably hard work. We don’t control everything, in fact, in all the process phases, I would say we control only 5%. What measures success for a Business Manager is the number of consultants, growing your unit, and the company as a whole. That should always be the focus.

 

 

Paulo: For me, the way I deal with stress is as simple as having a hobby. It is very important to have one. Our work takes up many hours of the day, even when we get home. By having those leisure moments you can think about other things, so the stress level drops automatically. It is essential to have someone with whom you can talk even if they don’t understand anything about the subject. It ends up being a scapegoat (laughs). It’s not always easy to reconcile your personal and professional life. You have to like what you do. In that sense, you use it to your advantage: you use stress as a motivational mechanism and not as something harmful and toxic.

 

 

 

 

Paulo: In the life of a Business Manager we have to bear in mind that in every failure or obstacle there is a window of opportunity. The exit of a consultant from a project can make an interesting vacancy appear for another consultant who is a better fit. We have to know how to deal with it. When people don’t like their work, they get tired quickly.

 

 

Paulo: You have to keep your feet on the ground. We must be ambitious, but we must also know very well the reality and the respective ambitions. Before stressing, you have to plan. A good working environment together with the necessary synergies is the best way to deal with that pressure. Stress will always be there, but you end up underestimating it. It’s about demystifying the pressure and using it to your advantage.

 

 

Paulo: To be very proactive and resilient, first of all. Being communicative, having a good ability to reason quickly and logically. Also, you must be very perceptive and can be self-motivated. On top of that, be organized, I can’t say that I am (laughs), empathetic, and also persuasive.

Would you like to join Ytech? Have a look at our vacancies.