Leonid Altukhov says that opportunities are greater at home than abroad for the Russian employees of multinational companies. The reason, says Altukhov, a Moscow Energy Institute graduate and IBM employee for 10 years, is that Russians best understand their own environment — something valued by multinationals today.

The Leader: What are your main responsibilities?

Mr. Altukhov: Business development in Eastern Europe and Asia. And the marketing of IBM solutions. When dealing with a customer who is seeking an IBM solution, I try to understand the business objective of their organization. I also need to know the objectives of each person in the organization. After that, I try to help people in the organization to achieve its objectives — with the help of IBM technologies and the education I’ve got.

The Leader: What attracted you to IBM?

Mr. Altukhov: When choosing somewhere to work, it is normal to want to work in a leading company. IBM is a unique company in the IT industry. It can provide customers with a whole set of integrated solutions for the establishment of a good IT environment.

Small companies such as dot.coms and start-ups can be successful in a niche market. But if you want a broader range of solutions, then IBM is the only choice for the moment.

The Leader: What was your main challenge when you arrived at IBM?

Mr. Altukhov: My main challenge was to understand that IBM is a big corporation, because prior to that, I had worked for a small company. At IBM, you need to understand that you have huge resources behind you, and you need to know how to use those resources. It is also important for new people to understand corporate culture: how people inside IBM communicate and how they do different things together.

The Leader: Was it hard to make the transfer from the hardware department to the software department?

Mr. Altukhov: It was a challenge for me. But from another point of view, I already had experience with IBM hardware such as mainframe platforms and some experience with software. So I had a background from a technological point of view. I also had an understanding of how to drive and develop a business.

The Leader: How flexible is a career at IBM?

Mr. Altukhov: It is very flexible. I began in one department, and now I am in another. One can look at IBM as several companies. So, at IBM you have huge opportunities for growth, whether they are inside one division, or in moving from one to another.

The Leader: What is the main area of growth for IBM in Russia at the moment?

Mr. Altukhov: For IBM, our main area of growth in Russia is our mainframe business and our software business, UNIX. I hope that the software business will be one of the most successful businesses in Russia. We have the right interest from the market — from IBM technologies to IBM Internet and e-businesssolutions, to IBM systems management, IBM data management and to business intelligence.

The Leader: In which area are you employing the most staff?

Mr. Altukhov: Most IBM development labs are located in the US, some are located in the U.K., Germany and Japan. Here we just have the sales organization and that is where we employ the most staff.

The Leader: What kind of experience and behavioral qualities do you look for in a salesman?

Mr. Altukhov: I look for someone with the ability to drive a business, and to understand people. The ability to work in a team is also important, because it is impossible to achieve results without teamwork.

The Leader: Do you find it hard to find the right people?

Mr. Altukhov: It is hard to find people with leadership skills and business drive. It’s not an easy task, but it is possible, especially in Moscow. Secondly, there is the problem of giving them knowledge about how to do things at IBM. That is an issue, not just for IBM, but for all international companies. For example, the approach to ethics is different. When you are working at IBM, you need to remember that you are not only a private person, you represent a company.

The Leader: Have you had a brain drain problem?

Mr. Altukhov: Presently, no. For the moment, people who are working in international companies in Moscow get more opportunity to grow than if they go abroad. This is because they understand their own environment the best. Some of our colleagues do go to other countries within IBM, however. That is a way to grow within IBM. It is a smooth transition because IBM has the same rules all around the world.

The Leader: How possible is it to get an entrance- level job at IBM without connections?

Mr. Altukhov: It’s possible. But it is understandable that if someone can recommend someone to me, then it will help us to make a choice. But either way, each candidate will be evaluated according to their skills. The HR department selects candidates for interviews, according to my specifications. They then give the candidate to me to evaluate.

The Leader: What do you look out for in a resume and in an interview ?

Mr. Altukhov: Sometimes, what is written in a resume isn’t as important as how it is written. When you read a resume, you can see what matters to a candidate and what doesn’t. It’s not really a tough problem to work out whether or not someone is competent. The difficult thing is to understand whether or not the candidate can implement their knowledge in real life.

The Leader: Why did you chose to study for an MBA?

Mr. Altukhov: The MBA is a way to speak with people in the same language. I started my MBA two years ago. I had to make a choice between education without a job and education with a job. I prefer to have a job, so I decided to take part in the distance-learning program of the Open University, London.

The Leader: What is the secret to success?

Mr. Altukhov: We have a good journal at IBM. It is called "think." That is essential. You need to think every second of every day, wherever you are. The second point is that you need to work, work and work. And above all, work effectively, because before you work, you need to think. You need to identify what it is you need to do and decide how you are going to go about doing it.