The task of writing this article was given to me by the team I lead. Some might think that’s absurd – after all, isn’t the leader supposed to assign tasks to the team, not the other way around? However, when they asked me to write an essay on leadership, I couldn’t turn down the challenge. If the team believes this essay needs to be written, and by me specifically, then it truly must be important. Perhaps some of you are still raising an eyebrow, but I assure you, by the time you finish reading this, it will all make sense.
My name is Alexandra Voronetskaya, and this summer marks two years since I took on the role of CMO at EvenBet Gaming. Before joining this company, I held leadership positions in other industries. This isn’t going to be a typical corporate article filled with data, tables, and checklists. Instead, it’s an essay where I’ll try to reflect on my leadership experience in a freeform way and, perhaps, inspire other leaders. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
The Unique Leadership Philosophy of EvenBet Gaming
2024 is the first full year that I worked at EvenBet from start to finish, and I want first to share my impressions.
EvenBet Gaming isn’t just a company — it’s a team built on trust and fresh ideas. What makes it truly unique is how it approaches hiring for senior roles. Unlike most companies, EvenBet doesn’t insist on prior experience in the gaming industry. Instead, it focuses on finding talented people who can learn, adapt, and grow into their roles. It’s a bold move, but one that shows the company’s confidence in its team and its belief that skills can be developed on the job.
This approach isn’t limited to hiring; it’s a part of the company’s DNA. CEO Dmitry Starostenkov and HR Director Daria Fot lead by example, fostering a culture where everyone feels trusted and supported from day one. Their hands-on approach ensures that every new hire, no matter their background, has the tools and guidance they need to succeed.
I’ve experienced this firsthand. Joining EvenBet as a senior manager could have been overwhelming, but Dmitry and Daria made the transition smooth and welcoming. They didn’t just help me settle in — they made me feel like I belonged. Their support and belief in my abilities made all the difference, and it’s something I’ll always appreciate.
This people-first mindset is a reminder of how important HR is to a company’s success. Too often, HR departments are seen as being about paperwork and planning office parties. But at EvenBet, HR is at the heart of the company’s culture, helping employees connect with the brand and become its biggest ambassadors. For me, as a marketer, this alignment with HR is invaluable. When everyone in the company believes in its mission, the brand becomes unstoppable and it’s impossible without the help of HR.
EvenBet’s culture emphasizes emotional well-being and teamwork. Challenges are tackled with openness and mutual support. Transparent communication, trust, and coaching aren’t just buzzwords here — they’re real practices that make the team stronger and more adaptable to change.
What’s even more impressive is how EvenBet keeps its values fresh and relevant. The team regularly revisits and updates them to match new goals and challenges, ensuring they remain meaningful. It’s a collaborative effort that builds a strong foundation for the company’s future.
At the heart of all this is a deep understanding of what leadership really means.
What Leadership Is Made Of
In today’s world, the term leadership is often associated with management, control, or supervision. However, to achieve high team performance, it’s important to look deeper. True leadership is not just about managing processes or hitting targets; it’s about creating an environment where every team member feels as though they’ve been given wings to soar. It’s about inspiration, not coercion.
Many people link leadership to coaching, although this term has sometimes gained negative connotations due to its overuse in the motivational speaking industry. Yet its essence remains relevant: a coach is someone who helps others unlock their potential, someone who not only guides but also empowers each individual to feel the strength of their abilities, the motivation to grow, and the drive to achieve more.
An interesting perspective on this topic is offered by Patrick Lencioni in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. He highlights the importance of communication, mutual understanding, and active listening. A leader who truly hears their team not only builds a culture of trust but also makes the company’s goals attainable. Through dialogue and genuine interest in people, the true strength of a team emerges.
Leadership, then, is an art — the art of inspiring, understanding, and creating an environment where everyone feels like an integral part of something greater. And it is in this art that the secret to high team performance lies.
What Motivation and Trust Are, and How They Influence Team Success
Motivation and trust are two inseparable concepts that form the foundation of a team’s success. Motivation drives individuals to act, set goals, and strive to achieve them. Trust, on the other hand, creates an environment in which motivation can flourish to its fullest potential.
Each person is unique in what motivates them, and a leader’s role is to understand what drives each team member. This could be a desire for professional growth, financial reward, recognition, or the pursuit of self-fulfilment. Understanding these nuances enables effective communication, which in turn impacts the quality of work.
A leader who can “read” different types of motivation can not only inspire but also prevent conflicts caused by misunderstandings. For instance, one person might value clear instructions and a structured approach, while another might thrive on creative freedom and flexibility. Adapting communication styles to suit individual preferences fosters a sense of respect and recognition, which strengthens trust.
Trust, in turn, serves as the cornerstone of all teamwork. Without it, transparent collaboration is impossible, and tasks tend to be delegated based on convenience rather than competence or interest. Transparency and openness in communication create a healthy atmosphere where everyone feels valued and engaged.
Motivation and trust are two sides of the same coin. Striking a balance between them allows leaders to build teams that not only achieve results but do so in an environment of mutual respect and understanding. This is the key to true team success.
Closeness to the Team or Authority?
Team motivation and individual motivation are two distinct processes, each requiring its own approach and attention. It’s crucial to understand that leadership is not only about being someone who can build relationships and trust but also about finding a balance between closeness and professional distance.
From personal experience, I can recall a situation where I faced a challenge in communication with a colleague from my team. We were working under high emotional tension, and at one point, there was a sharp and emotional piece of feedback. At that moment, I realised that it was important not to take things personally and not to make hasty conclusions. Instead, I paused and had an honest conversation with the person, without any external leadership attributes, without the “suit”, and without any status symbols. This allowed us to establish a dialogue in which it was important to understand each other, rather than fight for being right. The key takeaway for me was this: a true leader must be able to be a human in a crisis and openly talk about their feelings, rather than hiding behind formal roles.
The closer a leader is to the team, the harder it becomes to maintain the distance required for making objective decisions. While too close a relationship with the team can lead to a loss of trust, too much distance creates a barrier to effective work. It is essential to know when to be close to offer support and when to distance oneself in order to maintain clarity of thought and control over processes.
Moreover, motivating the team requires not only building trust but also implementing a culture of openness and self-development. It’s not enough to just set tasks; it’s also important to encourage the team to search for solutions and improve processes. When every team member understands that their opinions and ideas are valued, it significantly boosts motivation and engagement.
The Different Types of Motivation
Motivation is not just words, nor is it mechanical actions that can be turned on or off at the flip of a switch. It is more like a force that permeates every action we take, and every aspiration we have. It can take many forms, just as the people experiencing it can vary. And often, motivation changes, adapts, and takes on new forms depending on external and internal circumstances.
For me, motivation has always been an integral part of work. I’ve seen how it impacts the people around me — how it ignites a spark in their eyes and drives them to invest in their work, create, grow, and develop. But I also realised that its power is not infinite. Motivation can vary, and this variability is both its strength and its weakness. At one point, someone can find that their own motivation — or rather, its source — is no longer aligned with what the company is offering them.
Motivation can be both external and internal. External motivation is when you strive for something tangible, something measurable — money, recognition, career advancement. For example, you want to earn $10,000. You work, you achieve, you receive it, but after a few months, that $10,000 becomes just a regular figure in your bank account. You no longer feel the same thrill or drive that you did before. And that’s perfectly normal. External motivation quickly loses its power because it is tied to a result that, sooner or later, becomes achievable, and then familiar.
On the other hand, there is internal motivation, which, unlike external motivation, is not tied to material outcomes. It comes from within — from the person themselves, from their aspirations and values. It’s when what matters is not what you will receive for your work, but how you do it, what kind of result you bring to the world and yourself.
For me, internal satisfaction has always been more valuable than any external reward. When I understood that the quality of my work would influence the success of the company, when I felt that every step I took and every effort I made could improve something for the better — that was the fuel that pushed me to keep moving forward.
Motivation and Values
But what do you do when your personal values begin to diverge from what is happening in the company? When your inner motivation no longer resonates with the world around you? I once found myself in such a situation and was forced to resign.
At that time, I left the company not because I didn’t enjoy working there. On the contrary, the team was amazing, the goals were clear and inspiring. I was part of something important, I felt like I was contributing to a shared mission. But there came a point when my personal values no longer aligned with what was happening in the company. It wasn’t something sharp or obvious; it was a gradual process. The company began to move in a direction that no longer resonated with me. And that’s when I realised that motivation cannot be purely external or purely internal. Motivation is the harmony between what you want and what is happening around you.
When you face this lack of inner alignment, when the values that were once dear to you begin to crumble, you cannot stay where you are. My motivation no longer found validation in what I was doing. And that was the catalyst for the decision to leave.
Of course, every employee has their own reasons. And everyone works in their own way, even if the motivation might be similar. Some are motivated by external incentives — money, career advancement, or recognition. Some find meaning in the process of work itself, some are focused on the outcome, while others work for the collective goal, the team. All these types of motivation coexist in each of us. One may be more dominant at a certain time, but each one is important.
Motivation and Business Goals
For effective collaboration between a team and its leader, it is important to understand that each employee brings their own goals, values, and sources of motivation. To align the team’s objectives with the individual motivations of its members, it is necessary to create space for open communication and seamless information exchange.
One of the key aspects of a leader’s role is the level of access the team has to information. It is important that every team member knows the company’s goals and what needs to be done to achieve them. However, several pitfalls arise at this stage.
Firstly, how can you avoid information deprivation when employees do not receive enough updates about the progress of processes or changes within the company? Secondly, how can you prevent overwhelming the team with excessive information that could confuse them and lead to uncertainty? Finding a balance between these extremes is one of the key challenges for a leader.
Trust as the Foundation of Success
Every leader, sooner or later, faces moments when they sense that something is going wrong. This internal signal cannot be ignored — it’s the first step towards solving the problem. In my experience, I’ve learned that building trusting relationships with the team and ensuring transparent communication are key to overcoming any difficulties.
Trust within a team is the foundation on which productive working relationships are built. There are days when it’s hard to stay optimistic, and in such moments, it’s important to be able to openly say, “Guys, I’m struggling today. Support me, be the driver.” A team that is ready to lend a shoulder in tough times is a sign that the efforts to build trust are paying off.
Achieving this level of openness is not easy, especially when it comes to remote work. A dispersed team working across different time zones faces many challenges: limited overlapping hours, differences in work rhythms, and the lack of personal communication.
These factors make the process of building trust more lengthy and complex. The first year working in this format was a real test for me. But it was in these conditions that I realised how important feedback and a culture of listening truly are.
The Art of Silence
When I first joined the new team, I conducted introductory interviews, asking questions that might have seemed odd or unrelated to the work. But for me, it was important to understand what drives each of us. To do this, however, one must master the art of silence.
In the past, this was one of the most difficult skills for me to learn. Imagine knowing exactly how to solve a problem, but instead of providing the answer straight away, you guide the team towards drawing their own conclusions. It requires immense patience, but the result is worth it. When the team finds the solution on its own, it strengthens their confidence and cohesion.
The moments when you see the team succeed are the pinnacle of satisfaction for a leader. But who helps the leader themselves? Of course, it’s important to receive support and recognition from upper management. A leader also needs feedback to feel that their efforts are noticed and appreciated. But it’s equally important to listen to what your team has to say.
When I first started, it was not easy to establish the habit of regular feedback. The team was puzzled: why all these constant questions? However, over time, we learned to understand each other better.
Feedback is not just a tool for control. It helps a leader understand how their decisions are perceived and what the team members are feeling. Moreover, a leader must be able to listen — not just hear the words, but delve into the meaning behind them. Ideally, a leader spends 80% of their time listening, reserving the right to speak only at the very end.
Now, I’m convinced that if a company lacks a feedback culture, it not only slows down adaptation but also undermines trust.
Poison that Kills Trust
Trust within a team is a fragile thing. It’s hard to build but can be shattered in an instant. For me, as a leader, there is one thing that will undoubtedly destroy trust: lies.
One of the most vivid incidents that remains in my memory happened several years ago. At that time, the company was going through a difficult period: tight deadlines, resources stretched thin, and several parallel advertising campaigns that required immediate launch.
One of the employees messaged me in the morning saying, “I have chickenpox, I won’t be able to come in.” On the surface, this seemed like a legitimate reason. Of course, I accepted it. But how surprised I was when, later that same evening, I accidentally saw a photo on his Facebook. The picture showed him sitting calmly in a pub with friends, enjoying a fun evening. The photo had been posted just a few minutes earlier.
I always prefer the harshest truth, no matter how uncomfortable or painful it may be. If someone comes to me and says, “I can’t make it,” “I’m tired,” or even “I don’t want to do this,” we could have found a solution together. Perhaps we would have redistributed tasks, found more resources, or simply given the person time to recover. But a lie shuts all doors to cooperation and problem-solving.
Lying is not just a breach of rules. It’s a signal that the person does not respect the team, the leader, or themselves. And where there is no respect, there can be no trust.
The next day, I called the employee in for a conversation. The situation was clear. The explanations he tried to offer were absurd. I immediately told him that continuing to work together in this format was impossible. He was dismissed. This decision was easy for me because I knew that if I allowed the lie to go unpunished, it would poison the entire team.
To maintain trust within the team, it’s not only important to demand honesty but to be honest yourself. If a leader expects openness from the team, they must set an example. Admit mistakes, share difficulties, and keep promises. Only by doing so can you create an atmosphere where lying becomes impossible, and the truth, no matter how uncomfortable, becomes the foundation for growth.
Leadership and Empathy
A team, a company, a project — they are all like a living organism. In this organism, empathy plays the role of the nerve endings that detect the slightest changes. If someone is feeling tension, joy, or doubt, empathy allows you to notice it and react before the problem escalates into a serious conflict or misunderstanding.
I am often seen as a rational person, focused on numbers, facts, and results. But, to be honest, it is incredibly important for me to feel the emotional component of what is happening. This allows me to understand not only what someone is doing but also why they are doing it and what drives them.
Interestingly, even during interviews, I try to assess the level of empathy in a candidate. There are several tools that help with this. One of my favourite techniques is to ask about pets.
At first, it might seem like a trivial detail. But here’s what happens: the person starts talking, and the tone of their voice changes. The armour they may have worn into the interview suddenly falls away. They open up. Sometimes, the conversation moves beyond pets to talk about family, loved ones, or even values. Through this simple question, you can sense how the person perceives the world around them.
Empathy helps a leader to be attentive to the moods and needs of people. Sometimes, no words are needed — just a look to understand that someone on the team is tired, upset, or losing motivation. This is an important signal that helps you react in time, support them, or, conversely, give them space to recharge.
Empathy is also crucial because it builds trust. When people feel heard and understood, they begin to open up. This creates a special atmosphere where everyone can be themselves and contribute the most to the team.
A leader doesn’t need to know everything. What’s much more important is to be sensitive.
A Conclusion of Sorts
The end of 2024. I have to write an article about leadership. But why me? It would be much better and more competent if it were written by Daria Fot, our HR Director. After all, she should be the one talking about team management. Maybe I should step aside?
This was the first year that my team and I spent together from start to finish. We set very ambitious goals and achieved them. We successfully completed a whole series of large and complex projects. Was it easy? No, it wasn’t. But we managed, and everyone can be proud of the work done.
That’s why, when after such a challenging year, the team tasked me with writing about leadership, I realised that this is the kind of feedback every leader secretly waits for.
If you are interested in becoming part of the EvenBet team, check out our open positions.