There’s a lot to learn about Christian Josewski, a team leader in merchant operations based out of PayPal’s Dublin office. He currently leads a team there and one in Berlin, making a monthly commute to those offices. But his daily commute to the Irish countryside, where he raises thoroughbreds with his partner of nearly 15 years, is also surprisingly unique.
Christian discusses his passion for horses, his early mornings and his drive to be a great leader for the teams he heads up at
PayPal.
What interests you the most about the merchant space at PayPal?
I like that you can offer small and medium-sized businesses a one-to-one approach and help them to grow their own business. You develop, or live, the trusted advisor concept.
How do you explain that to your teams?
I tell them that these are the livelihoods of the merchants. Our work can lead to more employment at those companies as we help them grow. I try to always encourage them to see the wider picture and not just the dollar signs. And that’s what makes what we do exciting.
You were spotlighted for leadership with an award in 2015. What makes a good leader in your mind and what advice would you give your colleagues?
First, you have to be brutally honest and open with yourself about your own abilities and skillsets. You have to be open to learn from your team as well as them learning from you. Trust is a big, big thing. A team leader can only be as successful as the team is successful. This is how I live.
I also empower my team. I have empowered them right from the start. I let them think and make their own decisions, and then they can use me as their advisor to support them and help them develop their own skills.
What does PayPal do to foster leadership?
I have undergone loads of leadership trainings, and we have ongoing leadership efforts, too. We have our own coach, basically, who attends sessions of ours when we coach our teammates. We then get feedback and support, coaching tools, new ways of seeing things and thinking about how to create the perfect coaching environment. It is nice to have the ongoing support – you don’t just attend one classroom training that you forget about over time.
I understand you actually do get up quite early.
Yeah. I live in Slane, which is approximately 40 kilometers away from Dublin. And I live on a 100-acre stud farm and have my horses with me. This is a hobby I’ve had for 25 years, and Ireland is the perfect country to have horses. I feed my horses every morning and turn them out at half five. And then I go into the office.
How many horses do you have personally? Are they racehorses?
My two oldest ones, they’re ex-racehorses. They’re thoroughbreds. I took them on after they finished their career on the racetrack, so I retrained them to become riding horses. And last year I bought my first foal, which hopefully will go onto the racetrack in Ireland next year. Fingers crossed he turns out.
How did you first get interested in horses?
I have always been fascinated with them since childhood. Then I went to the racetrack once when I was about 14 or 15 and I wondered what happens to them afterwards, you know? That’s when I decided that if I can only take on one or two and give them a decent life and promote a second career for them, so be it. And that’s what I’ve done. My last horse, she passed away when she was 29, so she had a long life after the races.
So, is most of your time outside of the office with your horses?
Yes, they are a big commitment. It’s not like a cat you can leave at home. It’s not just housing them and feeding them. You have to exercise them. Otherwise, they get bored. I obviously do my own holidays, but most of the time it’s horse-related anyway. We’re going to the south of France this year and I’ll take one of my horses with me, so I can holiday with the horse.
Riding through the south of France sounds like a terrific way to go on vacation.
Well, get yourself a horse!