Partner, Key Account Manager
David Fojtík
Something work-related
David founded our company in 2003 and found his true calling at humancraft. He enjoys leading this great team, getting new things off the ground, and working with clients to find meaningful solutions. He believes that people are the driving force behind business, and that culture eats strategy for breakfast. He enjoys speaking about the parallels between leadership in the mountains and leadership in business.
Something personal
David is a climber at heart, which is why he values freedom and big challenges. He has an unassuming presence and does not look like the kind of guy who climbed Everest without supplemental oxygen and became the first person in the world to ski down another eight-thousander, Dhaulagiri. Since he has three wonderful children at home, you are now less likely to spot him in the mountains and more likely to see him on the yellow scooter he regularly rides to work.
1) How would you describe your job in one sentence?
I lead humancraft, which these days mainly means coordinating our activities so that we keep moving forward and upward. :) I also still do sales, occasionally deliver training, and historically I have been responsible for our finances.
2) What has influenced you in life, and how does it show up in your work?
I still remember my dad explaining the Greek concept of kalokagathia to me when I was a child — an ideal of harmony between body and soul. And my two biggest passions are sport and reading. Maybe that’s a coincidence, maybe not. :) Sport brings purposefulness and discipline into my working life, while reading broadens my horizons and gives me plenty to think about.
3) Why do you work for humancraft?
Because I founded it with my business partners. :) What keeps me here is the great team of people, our company culture, and the adventure of entrepreneurship. I probably wouldn’t have stayed for 20 years if I didn’t simply enjoy it.
4) What has been your biggest challenge at humancraft so far?
The biggest challenge has been balancing our dynamic growth with the quality of our services. In terms of the number of people, revenue, and range of services, we have grown to a size where we have been trying for some time to implement the EOS system, which is similar to the scale-up approach that is better known in our region.
5) How does your work influence your personal development and career?
The very nature of our business constantly pushes me to keep working on myself. Personal development simply never ends.
6) What are the biggest challenges in corporate education today, and how is humancraft addressing them?
Besides the technology boom and generational change, one of the timeless challenges of our field — and not only ours — is the so-called “knowledge-doing gap”: why people do not actually do what they know they should be doing. The effectiveness of applying knowledge in real-life practice is around 15%, which is roughly the level of the steam engine. At humancraft, we are doing everything we can to improve that. :)
