Cyprus is a beautiful island, known as the birthplace of the gods Aphrodite and Adonis. It’s also the home of the oldest wine in the world, a fact that wine connoisseurs can appreciate.
It’s also the home of this month’s spotlight employee, Mikaela Koutrouza. While its Canada and Bangalore offices service as co-headquarters, the Cyprus office hosts the accounting function for the company. Mikaela proudly manages the accounting department, having done so for nearly four years.
While the position was quite challenging in the beginning, through hard work, dedication, and the support of her managers, Mikaela was overcome all the obstacles that cropped up. She also credits the great people she’s worked with previously for believing in her abilities and supporting her by taking the time to teach and listen.
Mikaela’s proudest moment during her tenure at Octasic was when she finalized the company audit in her first year. She was fully responsible for its coordination and execution in Cyprus, which was not something she had previously done. It was a large undertaking and helped her to realize her resilience and aptitude, and that she could rise successfully to challenges.
But did Mikaela always have her heart set on being an accountant? No, she did not. When she was in high school, she attended an audition for a school play. She had never engaged in an activity like that and had a great time. She liked the idea of being part of a creative team and acting in different roles. It then became her dream to be a famous Hollywood actress. Alas, reality took over and she found her way into accountancy. If anyone knows a director who needs someone to play a believable accountant, Mikaela is ready.
The Octasic Life
Joining Octasic has been a great experience for Mikaela. She is grateful for an environment that is positive and fosters teamwork. The communication between team members and the entire company is effective and has fostered health work relationships for Mikaela based on mutual support and trust.
A typical day for Mikaela begins early as she is a tried and true morning person. Because she likes to spend the majority of her afternoon doing things that make her feel relaxed, the early start helps.
Motivation
Goal achievement is important to Mikaela and she appreciates a challenge. Both failures and achievements are part of our daily lives, with each teaching us something different. Without the failures, the successes wouldn’t be as sweet and she’s learned throughout her career that in order to have more of the latter, you must believe in yourself. Only hard work and dedication will you be able to meet every goal that you set for yourself.
To achieve her big goals and stay motivated, Mikaela likes to be well organized and set small, manageable goals for herself every day. Meeting these micro-goals brings her one step closer to the big achievements. It also allows her to continue dreaming and planning for her future success.
During the other 12 hours of the day
When not leading her team, Mikaela enjoys attending pilates classes several days a week. It’s a rigorous combination of yoga, pilates, and TRX that pushes her physically but also increases mental alertness, energy, and contributes to a positive attitude. It’s the perfect getaway from a hectic day at work and keeps her centered and focused.
“νουςυγιήςενσώματιυγιεί”is a Greek phrase (translates to “a healthy mind in a healthy body”) that Mikaela lives by.
When she’s done with her pilates class, Mikaela enjoys cooking dinner and watching a movie with her fiancé. Her favorite movie genre is horror and thriller with lots of suspense. She highly recommends “Case 39,” “Orphan,” and “Don’t Breathe.”
When she’s looking to get away from work and take a longer break, Mikaela travels to Europe. Her favorite trip was to the Amalfi Coast in Italy during the summer of 2022. She’d long dreamt of visiting this beautiful location. It was her third trip to Italy and she’s found that each location she’s visited has been unique with its own brand of magic. The regional cuisine is a favorite of Mikaela’s, especially a delicious pasta dish with fresh ingredients and a good wine.
Last Words
Mikaela strongly encourages others to prioritize perfecting the ability to communicate effectively. It is the start of most relationships, be it personal or work-related, and taking a misstep in the beginning can affect those initia linteractions. Careers are often shaped from one’s ability to communicate well.Effective communication should allow you to express your ideas and feelings without disrespecting or hurting others.
