Interview & Wordrap with Patrick Strauß
"Happiness for me is being able to do things every day that bring me joy."
The long-time technical expert of CORE smartwork, Patrick Strauß, has taken over the management agendas from Andreas Fill since the beginning of 2023.
Gurten, 28th February 2023 – In the fall of 2022, Andreas Fill made the decision to relinquish his role as CORE Managing Director. In Patrick Strauß, he has found a worthy successor who has always proven to be a cool head and a great support for the team, even in challenging times. In this interview, Patrick talks about his decision, his goals and the challenges that this job brings.
What does your career look like so far?
After graduating from HAK in Ried, I worked as a software developer and system administrator for an IT service provider. In January 2018, I started my first working day at CORE smartwork. It became clear relatively quickly that an internal technology expert was needed. So my tasks gradually shifted from project management to software development. At the same time, I completed a bachelor's degree in "Software Engineering" at Hagenberg University of Applied Sciences.
What made you decide to apply for the position of managing director at CORE?
Since my first day at work, I have been 100 percent behind our product. For this reason, it was quickly clear to me when Andreas informed us that he wanted to step down as Managing Director that I would apply. Of course, I discussed this step with my wife beforehand (laughs), but she is fully behind me - as is the CORE team.
What do you look forward to most in your job?
Whether through my voluntary work as a local branch manager for the Red Cross or the management of our software development teams, I have already been able to gain experience in team management over the past few years. Now I can apply this knowledge throughout the company. I'm also looking forward to seeing how our customers become even more efficient and successful thanks to our product.
What challenges are waiting for you?
A manager has to take care of a lot of organizational and personnel matters. It will be a challenge to continue to contribute my technical know-how and to ensure the sustainable success of the company through strategic decisions, but with such a motivated and committed team at my side, it is definitely manageable.
What do you expect from your team?
An open and honest culture is very important to me. As a manager, I see it as my job to set a good example and to live it myself. And for the future, I hope to continue to convince and inspire the team with my ideas.
What does CORE mean to you?
To achieve proven communication and business processes very quickly with little effort.
What are your next goals as Managing Director?
From my point of view, our communication and organization platform has enormous potential. As the new Managing Director, I would like to drive exactly that forward and also establish CORE as a brand in our industry. In addition to business success, however, I also want to continue to uphold the values and philosophy of our product.
Wordrap with Patrick
As a child I always wanted to be an adult – today it's sometimes the other way around.
My personal favorite place is at home.
I admire people, who consistently stand by their words and actions and alo take responsibility when something goes wrong.
Happiness for me is being able to do things every day that bring me fun and joy.
The last time I had heart palpitations was when my wife told me we were having a baby.
This personality I would like to meet: Daniel Ek (founder of Spotify)
My greatest talent is to keep perspective and focus on the essentials in the face of complete chaos an general overwhelm.
It annoys me, when goals can't be achieved due to inconsistency.
I create a good work-life balance trough my family and my volunteer work with the Red Cross.
My Motto in life is: Do it now, tomorrow could be too late.