Dr. Evi Prokopi, a Greece-based professional, shares her journey around the world with EVMO News, explaining how she got inspired to create a positive experience out of a negative one. In our interview, she tells us the foundation story of Cosmoleadership: the Global Leadership Association.
EVMO: “Hi, Evi, thank you for taking your time to tell our followers your story. Where were you born and how did your multicultural journey begin?”
Evi: “I was born and raised in Greece. I’m of Greek, Austrian and Russian descent so my DNA was already multicultural. I started traveling with my family at the age of 15 and my first trip was to Thailand and Singapore where I was amazed by the difference in culture and civilization. At that moment, I decided I wanted to see as many countries as possible and meet as many people as possible from around the world.”
EVMO: “How cool, what are some countries you have lived in?”
Evi: “When I started my studies, I took the opportunity and went to Finland as an exchange student. I loved the experience so much that I ended up living in Finland once I graduated. I then moved to the UK for my postgraduate studies before ending up in Canada, the USA, and Germany. I traveled to 35 countries so far, and worked with people from 58 countries.”
EVMO: “Awesome! Where did you work and what did it teach you?”
Evi: “I worked for many years at start-ups and multinational giants in Europe, North America and Australia. I realized that there is a gap when it comes to leadership skills and leadership development.
I witnessed many team leaders and company owners lacking leadership skills and wondered how this was possible.
As the President of the first Greek NGO, preventing school and work bullying, I know, leadership skills are something one can acquire later in life, therefore, one can study to become a better leader.”
EVMO: “What was the main thing that showed you that many leaders lack leadership skills?”
Evi: “I noticed that many team leaders do not want to improve their skills or learn new things, and several leaders try to bully and intimidate their subordinates instead of inspiring them and building trust. This type of work behavior demonstrates that some leaders are unable to cultivate respect and so they try to lead through fear, instead.”
EVMO: “Did you personally experience something of this kind in your work environment?”
Evi: “Unfortunately, yes. The straw that broke the camel's back was when I left a European company, because of bullying, and explicitly asked the owners to respect GDPR and relevant privacy laws that they were repeatedly violating. At that moment, I realized that there is no single official body promoting leadership best practices or educating current and future leaders.”
EVMO: “This is how Cosmoleadership: The Global Leadership Association came to you as an idea, correct?”
Evi: “Yes, I decided to do something about it, so I created a team of amazing people I have worked with from different countries of the world, in order to develop the first professional organization for leadership so that companies know whether someone is certified and meets the minimum leadership standards.”
EVMO: "How does Cosmoleadership work? Through workshops, webinars, classes, or network events?"
Evi: “We currently educate people through our best practices guide (the Leadership Bible), articles, and we will hopefully soon launch video interviews and podcasts. If we have the resources, we want to create courses and online events. When the pandemic is finally over, and everyone is well and safe, we would love to offer conferences where people can attend and network in-person.”
EVMO: "What are the top goals you have for Cosmoleadership you’d wish to fulfill within the next 5 years?"
Evi: “Increase awareness, create a community who wants to change the workplace culture for the better and launch Leadership Awards that will inspire people to be their best version when they lead one or more teams.”
EVMO: "How do you and your team prefer to drive awareness towards this project?"
Evi: “As we have limited resources, we increase awareness online, mainly through social media, such as Linkedin and Medium and we plan to expand on Youtube, Instagram and Twitter.”
EVMO: "What are your last words and advice to young people that wish to work in the business world during these times?"
Evi: “Never stop learning, always be nice, work hard, be patient, and take good care of yourself during this long journey.”
Cosmoleadership: https://www.linkedin.com/company/69467084
Cosmoleadership, the Global Leadership Association, is a team of talented leaders with diverse backgrounds, working in diverse industries, who are spread around the world. This team decided to volunteer and give some of their precious time in order to form the first body promoting management and leadership best practices.
Its mission is to promote dos, don'ts, fair and creative practices, and to educate future leaders all over the world . Its vision is to create safe workplaces, free of any form of bullying, where everyone can express themselves freely and excel at what they choose to do.
Cosmoleadership Founders:
Evi Prokopi, Greece, President
Success Coach - Project Management Trainer & Consultant - World’s Top 100 HR Influencer 2020 - Member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council – President of the NGO Diexodos
Diego Cresceri, Italy, Vice-President
Founder and CEO at Creative Words - Director of European Language Industry Association - LocLunch Ambassador - Top 50 Localization Industry Influencers
Ülkü Ferah Yelbaşı, Turkey, General Secretary
Multicultural Business Consultant
Yelena Novikova, Kazakhstan, Contributor
G20 Young Global Changer -2017, G20 GSI Young Global Changer -2018, International Speaker, Researcher and Contributor on ESG Integration and Public Policy
Dr. Evi Prokopi is a multicultural expert, having lived in six countries and worked with people from 58 countries. She has tremendous experience in recruiting, training, coaching, mentoring, leading and managing project management teams for Fortune 100 companies and start-ups.
Evi, the founder and President of Cosmoleadership, the Global Leadership Association, is the first and youngest Greek female to ever speak at the Global Project Management Institute Congress and she is one of the Top 100 HR Influencers 2020.
As a Certified Work Performance Assessor, a Success Coach and the author of “The Success Playbook”, she wants to empower people and help them achieve their personal and professional goals.
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