What European Founders Teach Us About the Future of Global Hiring (Filip Pesek)
Wed Jan 28 2026
Host Leah Cottham sits down with Filip Pesek, Founder and CEO of DonnaPro, to explore what European leadership teaches us about the future of global hiring. Filip shares his journey from door to door sales to building a virtual executive assistant agency that matches top European talent with CEOs and founders worldwide.
The conversation dives into the unique European approach to remote work, where planning and collaboration take precedence over instant availability. Filip explains how complex European labor laws actually drive adoption of flexible work models, and why European companies focus on sustainable productivity rather than constant connectivity. He also reveals the most common delegation mistakes founders make and shares a real example of how one CEO reclaimed 60 hours per month and took her first vacation in 4 years.
Key topics covered:
[00:00] Intro
[01:45] Door to door sales teaches resilience
[03:49] Leading yourself before leading others
[07:23] 3 biggest leadership shifts for remote teams
[14:07] Realizing founders become company bottlenecks
[16:23] Research phase for building DonnaPro
[19:32] European approach to leadership and planning
[22:01] Complex European labor laws drive remote adoption
[25:54] US vs European productivity mindsets
[31:46] Trust building in remote European teams
[38:36] Common delegation mistakes founders make
[43:06] The 10-80-10 delegation technique
[45:28] Reclaiming 60 hours monthly case study
[50:19] Sustainable productivity in remote work
[57:27] Testing leadership with the 10 day vacation scenario
This episode offers valuable insights for leaders building remote teams across borders and those looking to scale without becoming the bottleneck in their own business.
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Host Leah Cottham sits down with Filip Pesek, Founder and CEO of DonnaPro, to explore what European leadership teaches us about the future of global hiring. Filip shares his journey from door to door sales to building a virtual executive assistant agency that matches top European talent with CEOs and founders worldwide. The conversation dives into the unique European approach to remote work, where planning and collaboration take precedence over instant availability. Filip explains how complex European labor laws actually drive adoption of flexible work models, and why European companies focus on sustainable productivity rather than constant connectivity. He also reveals the most common delegation mistakes founders make and shares a real example of how one CEO reclaimed 60 hours per month and took her first vacation in 4 years. Key topics covered: [00:00] Intro [01:45] Door to door sales teaches resilience [03:49] Leading yourself before leading others [07:23] 3 biggest leadership shifts for remote teams [14:07] Realizing founders become company bottlenecks [16:23] Research phase for building DonnaPro [19:32] European approach to leadership and planning [22:01] Complex European labor laws drive remote adoption [25:54] US vs European productivity mindsets [31:46] Trust building in remote European teams [38:36] Common delegation mistakes founders make [43:06] The 10-80-10 delegation technique [45:28] Reclaiming 60 hours monthly case study [50:19] Sustainable productivity in remote work [57:27] Testing leadership with the 10 day vacation scenario This episode offers valuable insights for leaders building remote teams across borders and those looking to scale without becoming the bottleneck in their own business.