"The monk who became CEO": Thodoris Spiliotis thoroughly investigates the effectiveness of athonic management and explains its uses in giant companies
RED SIDE 9.12.2017 | 10:43 Source: LIFO
Thodoris Spiliotis, a successful technocrat with his book "The monk who became CEO" attempts an in-depth investigation of the way the Monastic State works. 70 15 It is no coincidence that the basic principles of athonic management have been applied for decades in global business giants, as their durability and effectiveness have been demonstrated over the years. As well as the fact that Mount Athos is one of the strongest brand names worldwide, a fact that makes it a very interesting case study in itself. These two findings were the trigger for an in-depth investigation of the functioning of the Monastic State in the Athos Peninsula by Thodoris Spiliotis, a successful technocrat known also from some innovative companies in the field of start-ups (E-SURVEY and E -STAFF), and which eventually led to the writing of a book entitled "The monk who became a CEO".
It is no coincidence that heads of large companies resort to the teachings of Oros to make critical decisions for the future and sustainability of their businesses, while various CEOs seek to gain experiential knowledge of Athonian management. It is no coincidence that basic principles of athonic management have been applied for decades in global business giants. Thodoris Spiliotis visited Mount Athos for the first time on the fifteenth of August 2002 with a friend and his father and since then he has continued to visit the Athonian State for pilgrimage reasons. "During the trip to the holy monasteries you cannot fail to notice the resilient and efficient organization and management" he says and continues: "It is no coincidence that heads of large companies resort to the teachings of the Mountain to make critical decisions for the future and the sustainability of their businesses, while various CEOs seek to gain experiential knowledge of Athonian management. Finally, it is no coincidence that basic principles of athonic management have been applied for tens of years in global business giants", he adds.
The journey to knowledge and research never begins by chance. Someone else always precedes and this is the journey of mind and thought. The visit of Mr. Spiliotis to Mount Athos, with all the experiences that surrounded it, constituted the passport for his own journey in the research of Athonian management. The conversations he had with his priest and his question "what does the abbot do?" were what sparked his thinking. After realizing from his words that during that period the abbot was away from the monastery, he immediately wondered how it was possible for everything to work with absolute precision and consistency at the time when "the head" was absent. "My admiration for the structure and organization that was clearly visible before me was the beginning of my own personal search for the secret of this success." His thirst for observation and learning grew progressively. "Seeing in practice the result of the successful organization of a self-governing unit with such dynamics, such as Mount Athos, you realize that the studied structure and organization of a group, a business, an organization, a society, is a non-negotiable condition for its progress and well-being and therefore must be its top priority in an era of high demands and multi-level competition" he explains. Thanks to his systematic and meticulous personal research, he identified and studied these principles within the Athenian State and presents them for utilization and reflection, in the form of a personal experiential record in his book. In this there are many examples of parallelism with multinational companies. For example, one of the principles of athonic management is the Rotation Learning Model. That is, it is considered good for the monk to have more than one task under his responsibility so that he can acquire new skills next to people who have more experience and can pass on their know-how. This makes him a macro-problem useful for the future of the monastery. One of the principles of athonic management is the Periodic Change of Tasks so that the monk acquires new skills.
One of the principles of athonic management is the Periodic Change of Tasks so that the monk acquires new skills. The general impression caused to someone touring the Athonian State and socializing with the monks for the duration of his visit, according to Mr. Spiliotis, is that everyone feels good about themselves and others The general impression caused to someone walking around the Athonian State and interacting with the monks during his visit, according to Mr. Spiliotis, is that everyone feels good about themselves and about others SONY Corporation president and CEO Kazuo Hirai has been hired at Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 1984 in the Marketing Department at the age of 24. He then became head of the International Corporate Relations Department. He moved to the New York office, where for many years he was head of the Marketing Department of Sony Music Japan. After 28 years, since April 2012, he is the chairman and CEO of the parent company SONY Corporation.
The Japanese management model highlights employees and places them in various positions and subsidiaries of the business to gain expertise and experience. It follows the Rotation Learning Model, where executives are promoted by moving through different positions in different cognitive domains. This helps them gain extensive experience in production, management and organization and develop skills in different markets and industries. At Amazon, too, every new hire starts working in the warehouses for at least one week, regardless of their specialty. With the help of the Rotation Learning Model, the employee develops and develops different knowledge and skills, since he goes through many positions and this helps him to leave the comfort zone. Another point touched upon in the book is the diet of the monks. Of course, the finding that it gives us a good example for the type of diet that we should follow in our lives is not current. Monks do not eat meat. They consume a lot of legumes and in some cases fish. They eat twice a day, small amounts, at specific times. In addition, moderation is observed in food, with the consumption of measured quantities. The quality level of their food is very high, as all the goods are organically grown and come from their fields. The cooking method is simple and healthy and the food they prepare strengthens their mental alertness and their resistance to physical exercise. The quality level of their food is very high, as all the goods are organically grown and come from their fields. The cooking method is simple and healthy and the food they prepare strengthens their mental alertness and their resistance to physical exercise. The quality level of their food is very high, as all edible goods are organically grown and come from their fields. The way of cooking is very simple and healthy and the food they choose to prepare enhances their mental alertness and their resistance to physical exercise. This is how they respond successfully to their tasks. Monks also take care of their physical condition.
Although they are fed twice a day, they are highly mobile and physically active. They exercise in a natural way through their agricultural and in general daily activities. Besides, for the execution of the services (tasks) one needs a good physical condition which is necessary for one to endure the daily tasks which may be more than one and last several hours. "Physical exercise is useful for workers. It is no coincidence that many overseas companies have gyms within their facilities. Other companies, again, cover at their own expense the subscription of their employees to a gym in case they do not have space within their facilities. It is good to ensure that the spirituality of employees is facilitated through their physical well-being (a healthy mind in a healthy body)" concludes the author of the book. Another thing to point out is the common focus. The monks all eat together as a family, at scheduled meals. In this way they achieve stability in their metabolism, while by avoiding the consumption of consecutive and messy meals or large quantities they facilitate the digestion of the organism, which allows them to mentally regroup and re-function. The general impression caused to someone touring the Athonian State and interacting with the monks for the duration of his visit, according to Mr. Spiliotis, is that everyone feels good about themselves and others. Photo: Spyros Staveris According to Mr. Spiliotis, the general impression given to someone touring the Athonian State and mingling with the monks during their visit is that everyone feels good about themselves and others.
"It is very important to feed the employees in a company. And by the term "diet" we do not mean diet in the narrow sense of the word, but also the process in which employees are in a common restaurant room and eat together. This is very important, as it gives the whole the character of the group-family. In large companies abroad and in Greece, all employees eat together or in groups. In this way, better communication is achieved and the spirit of teamwork, partnership and solidarity is spread", says Mr. Spiliotis. According to Mr. Spiliotis, the general impression caused to someone touring the Athonian State and mingling with the monks during his visit is that everyone feels good about themselves and others and this gives rise to inner harmony and balance in their relationships, elements that are a necessary condition for good cooperation. "Just think that these people follow this particular model of life 365 days a year without any need for a holiday or change and they are absolutely calm and happy. This in itself constitutes the biggest question for all of us who are experiencing a completely different reality, in which the goal in itself is the even temporary change of the everyday life we live. In the steep hermitages of Mount Athos.
In the steep hermitages of Mount Athos Given that in a society, family, group or business, man is the one who creates, supports, operates and develops it, the approach to all dimensions of each structure must be human-centered. From this point of view, it is appropriate to parallel the monks of a monastery with the employees of a company, small, large or even multinational, and through the necessary deductions to synthesize the secrets of success of the monks, as mentioned in the book, in terms of our self-improvement" says Mr. Spiliotis. The "Monk who became a CEO", in addition to being a management manual, can also be read as a travel guide, as it also has elements of a detailed record of how Mount Athos is structured, organizationally and administratively, and contains terrific observations that satisfy the reader's curiosity. "The book aims to inform in detail and thoroughly about the Athonian State and to mentally travel there to those who cannot visit it - for example women - through my own eyes.
I made many trips alone and talked for several hours with my spiritual father and also with other monks. Then I studied in depth the organization and structure of a well-tuned machine with excellent management, a model for today's businesses" explains Mr. Spiliotis. However, the most important teachings he keeps from his spiritual are the following: - Man needs to put duty above desire. – The fight has more value than the victory. – In your life be simple, modest and humble.
The book "The monk who became a CEO» is released these days by the publications iWrite, while the next stage is its translation into English and Russian.
Info: Thodoris Spiliotis is a graduate Electronic Engineer with postgraduate studies in London in Telematics and Business Administration (MBA). He has fifteen years of experience in the field of technology, holding until now high-ranking positions in leading companies in the areas of Innovation, Research and Development (R&D), Marketing and Sales. In 2014 he launched his own Start-up technology company that is active in customer experience measurement by implementing an innovative software via tablet. The product is called E-SURVEY (www.esurvey.gr) and has subscribers in Greece and abroad. In 2015, the company created a second innovative real-time electronic HR management application. The product is called E-STAFF (www.estaff.gr) and is very successful in foreign markets. He holds the position of founder and CEO in the business, while participating as a speaker at major technology, tourism and TEDx conferences.