Anna Krasovskaya: My Top Priority is Living Happily

In early September, Belarus celebrated Oil, Gas, and Fuel Industry Workers’ Day. “City of Women” had the pleasure of speaking with Anna Krasovskaya, the director of the A-100 gas station group of companies, about her professional journey in this seemingly non-female business.

Joining A-100 and Initial Steps

Anna Krasovskaya joined the company in the spring of 2015, during an economic crisis and a period of significant industry transformation. Competition intensified, and Russian companies became more active. Krasovskaya considers herself lucky to have received an offer to join the team at that moment.

“I am a project-oriented person. I love challenges and seeing results. A-100 is a strong and successful player in the Belarusian market. This raises the bar for you as a manager. You need to deliver outstanding results efficiently, be fast and flexible, yet responsible and attentive, living up to the brand’s standards. Working at A-100 requires a high level of professionalism. You can’t blame others for failures because A-100 employs top-notch specialists and genuinely good people. Overall, working here is about constant development and challenges.”

Transitioning from IT to Oil Products

Before A-100, Krasovskaya had no experience in the oil products sector but was a professional manager in the IT field. She believes that a good manager with sufficient experience can transition to different sectors.

“You can’t be a complete novice when entering a new field. However, having a good education, managerial experience, and a desire to develop is a formula that allows you to adapt to a new industry. You need to understand the subject area, have a clear grasp of the employees’ competence levels, and those who can assess them. You have about six months to dive into the technology and specifics of the business. That’s how it was for me at A-100.”

Challenges and Adaptations

The most challenging aspect for Krasovskaya was understanding that people working offline differ from those working online, a realization stemming from her IT background.

“They are not better or worse—just different. They have different triggers, dreams, benchmarks, opportunities, and fears. When you transition to another field, you change not just the sector but the paradigm. And that’s great!”

Proposals for Company Changes

At the start of her tenure, the company was undergoing significant changes, including management shifts and a transformed market situation. Krasovskaya’s hypotheses worked, as evidenced by customer evaluations and visible results at their gas stations.

“We were the first to introduce the Convenience format, added ready-to-go food to our menu, brought in the most modern coffee machines, and make the best coffee and hot dogs. I know that A-100 has many opportunities ahead. Last week, we celebrated the company’s 27th anniversary. I really want the company to continue developing and transforming.”

Learning from Mistakes

Krasovskaya was fortunate to have a wise first manager in her IT company who taught her the importance of learning from mistakes.

“When you make mistakes, the most important thing is to understand what went wrong and find a solution. Mistakes are a part of life, and our reaction to them is our conscious position. Regretting is unproductive. It’s better to take action and correct the situation. If that’s not possible, find the strength to propose an alternative.”

Core Principles

While principles are important, Krasovskaya believes in the ability to revisit and revise them.

“With age, you become more tolerant and accepting, perceive situations more easily, give second chances, and offer alternative options. However, I believe in having boundaries and maintaining your ‘field,’ trying not to encroach on others’ and not allowing them to trample on yours.”

Building Relationships within the Team

Krasovskaya prefers a professional approach to relationships within the team, akin to a sports team where players are chosen based on their professionalism and shared goals.

“If we’re talking about business and work collective, the main filters are professionalism, results, and efficiency. Passing through these, we get the right attitude: not hindering others’ realization, taking responsibility for your actions, and contributing to the overall result. I understand that I need to find my team players. Does it always work? No. But a team is a process, not a state.”

Choosing New Employees

Over the past year, the company has revamped its hiring system to focus on potential professional results.

“We interact through projects, assess how comfortable it is to work together. But the main thing is to stop exaggerating the importance of the hiring moment when a specialist ‘must’ work for 20 years. This is a utopia; it doesn’t happen. We live in a rapidly changing world: people constantly compare and choose the best—this is a normal evolutionary process that allows us to experiment and find our people. It’s important not to be afraid of making mistakes and to admit that you might not be a good fit for each other. Or to be able to admit that the shared history has ended when you realize that you can no longer offer anything to the company, just as it can’t offer anything to you. The most difficult task for an employer now is to try to verify whether what a person ‘sells’ in an interview corresponds to reality and to find out how much you coincide in the value system.”

Monitoring Work Performance

With a large team, Krasovskaya focuses on results rather than processes.

“I don’t monitor everyone’s work because it’s impossible. I try not to monitor the process but focus on the result. I tell my colleagues that I need ready-made products and projects from them. Along the way, I can be a mentor if advice or recommendations are needed, but that’s a voluntary story.”

Motivating Colleagues

A-100 is an advanced company that uses KPI and OKR. Krasovskaya believes that motivation is a personal matter.

“Relying on others to motivate you is not the best option. It should come from within when a person knows exactly why they need to strive for a set goal. For more insights on professional development and motivation, you can refer to authoritative sources like Forbes.”