Business Leaders interview: Boyko Manev

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.

My name is Boyko Manev and I consider myself as hotelier and expert in the QSR sector. Quite versatile experienced gained through senior job roles in Europe, USA and Asia. Currently my role is Chief People Officer at KFC I Samex Team in Bulgaria. Simultaneously I am in charge with HR Department at small hotel group with 4 properties – Radina Group. 

What motivates you in your work and what do you find most fulfilling about being a business leader?

One of the things I like the most in my daily routines is that there are no 2 days a like. As I am in charge with HR department which is responsible for administration of almost 1’000 employees, as one can imagine you always have something “urgent” or extraordinary and requiring thinking outside of the box…. For example being able to equip 30 stores with the required team members to run the business can be a challenging job. 

What I find most fulfilling is that I have a lot of colleagues who say I am their role model and they want to be Boyko Manev one day… Due to my position in KFC I conduct a lot of interviews and it is often that people who come for senior roles tell me they are inspired by my book “If  I can do it – you can do it too” and seem they know more about me, rather then I know for them… It’s one of those moments that keeps me motivated to continue to be who I am and spread the knowledge and experience to my colleagues and peers. 

How did you develop your leadership skills and how would you define your leadership style?

I happen to have the chance and be blessed to work with experienced and devoted experts in the hospitality industry, not just locally, but with international experience. I have worked with GM’s from Germany, Greece, Chile, USA and UK. All of them have shaped me and added value to my profile and built me as a professional – broad minded and always looking for different scenarios, before making the final decisions. One can said I am strict, but at the same transparent leader with business acumen and result focused. 

Innovating is crucial in our very diverse industry. How do you stay ahead of trends and incorporate them into your global strategy?

At KFC, as part of Yum! Brands innovation and digital technology is always upmost priority when making business decisions. Being able to have kiosks in all our stores, having QPM / quality performance management system in our Kitchens, labour scheduling tool program and much more are just part of all digital solutions that gives us big advantage when comparing to other business in the QSR sector in Bulgaria. 

What do you consider to be the key component(s) of effective business operational development?

As HR I think that the most important thing for the success of one business is “to have the right people, at the right moment – at the right positions”. Not every person is beneficial for a company throughout his whole career. 

I am a truly believer that a person change his expertise through the years and has to work such job, that makes him giving his 101% of his abilities and expertize. If that is not the case, then the company is lacking the chance to progress with the speed it could and should.

How do you approach identifying areas for improvement within a company's operations?

In order to find a solution for a problem you first need to acknowledge the problem. I believe that if a person talks about an operation issue then he is halfway there of finding a decision, that should help the business. 

Every week we have 2 type of meetings – one with the LT and one with the Ops Team aiming to do a deep dive on the current tasks and focus on the activities for the next 2 weeks. This help us to focus and prioritize what needs to be done and not to waste time. 

Where do you think the most promising investments should be focusing on and/or made on?

One simple word – development. Whether is related to human resources, i.e. “people”, or expansion of a company, or even just developing a certain skill that should help one to grow in a career. Development is the key for progress and should be something that motivates us to go beyond boundaries and achieve the extraordinary through the “extra mile”.

What is or are your biggest career achievement(s)?

I was blessed to have the chance to work on 3 continents – Europe, America and Asia and to gain experience in multinational companies in hotels, restaurants and even environmental sustainability sector (green roofs)… It wouldn’t be a lie If I say that my career was so intensive that can easily cover 2-3 careers of other people.

Do you have examples where your leadership made a difference? If so, what were they? 

It would be correct to say that I have a big influence in all the companies where I have worked after 2011, when I left Radisson Blu. 

It was back then when I start shaping as top professional and involved in restructuring and reorganizational changes – whether it was to decrease the payroll cost or to help the company to expand and penetrate market. I have one motto “If you have a good idea – always put in writing – Memo or SOP – it will stay after you leave the company” – thus your good ideas will live much longer than you in one company. 

What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

“What’s the point of having it – if not using it: get rid of it!” We tend to have emotions and feelings in the most unnecessary occasions. If we can act like the surgeons and take those parts of the company that are “affected”, hence not beneficial – it should avoid us of taking wrong business decisions… 

How did you identify and seize opportunities for advancement in your career?

By being transparent to yourself and never wait for the “right moment” to come. Always seek new opportunities and be proud of yourselves of what you have completed so far. At the end of the day if we are not ok with the actions we take – we feel as we have made compromises with ourselves and this decrease our efficiency. 

Have you achieved everything you wanted in your career so far? 

Certainly not! I am always eager to go further and develop myself to be better. 

How important is personal development to your success, and how do you approach it?

I believe that personal development is the one that help the career development. If you are good in what you do – for sure there will be a moment when this will not be left unrecognized. One should develop himself through the years, which for sure will help him to expand his possibilities in career plan. 

How do you prioritise tasks when everything feels like a priority?

I have one very important advice to say “Don’t make your deadlines my deadlines, and I will not make my deadlines – your deadlines!” When prioritising tasks we need to look in to the bigger picture and see what would be the impact of our tasks on the company – only then we can have the right priorities in place. 

What was the hardest decision you have taken as a leader? 

Although many people around me find me heartless and unscrupulous, as I have fired much more people than I have hired – it is never easy to say “Good bye” to a colleague, especially when he/she has contributed 20+ years in the company and has done nothing wrong. Sometimes our actions are led only purely due to business decisions and not related to humanity… 

What steps do you take to measure your own performance?

There are different KPI’s which we in the HR use to evaluate our performance, but I believe the most important is if I as a CPO/HR help the company to expand and keep the costs in the right limits. Having enough people to open 3-4 stores in nowadays can be a big challenge. 

What does success mean for you as a business leader?

If the company meets its targets and my involvement is evaluated properly and I am having a considerably fair balance – work-life – then all is good. For me family and personal development are in the roots of being successful as a business leader.