From Losing to Leading: How to Turn a Lost Deal into an Opportunity (with Pavel Soukenik)

What can a crowded bus in Argentina teach you about #leadership? What does Harry Potter have to do with starting a career in #localization? What can we do to weather changes in our industry? These are all questions that today’s guest can answer!

Pavel Soukenik is an industry leader, executive director, and adjunct lecturer in localization at the University of Washington. He has been a successful leader across multiple companies and multiple industries, and the wisdom he brings us in this episode is a testament to his gifts.

Pavel walks us through how he developed his matter-of-fact, can-do attitude and how we can apply it to the changes rumbling through the localization industry today.

We talk about:

- The challenges of small language markets

- How Harry Potter helped him get started in localization

- Adapting to new #technology

- Finding your personal leadership strengths

- Fundamental misunderstandings of AI’s role in the industry

- Losing clients and winning them back

- Insights from Argentinians

- Battling perfectionism

- And much more!

Join our Merging Minds host Javi Diaz every Thursday as he shines a light on the human side of an increasingly technological industry. On Tuesdays, Merging Minds host Gabriel Fairman brings you conversations with innovative thinkers from all industries where AI is causing tension, excitement, and innovation.

Subscribe and stay tuned for more episodes from Javi and Gabriel:

https://mergingminds.bureauworks.com/

You can connect with our guest Pavel Soukenik and learn more about him here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/psoukenik/

Check out Pavel's publication and podcast "Imitation: Zero" here:

https://www.imitationzero.com/podcast

More on Pavel's collaboration with Kevin O'Donnell on the online course "Strategic Localization: Mastering Influence and Global Impact" for professionals working in international teams on the buyer side can be found here:

https://global10x.substack.com/

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