"A GOOD LEADER DOESN'T HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING" — AN INTERVIEW WITH KATYA, HEAD OF AFFILIATE AT GAMBEAT

In any field, there’s a fairly widespread belief that only someone who understands every detail of every process they manage can become a manager. And while this may hold true in some fields, in IT in general—and in affiliate marketing in particular—this belief is very far from the truth. After all, there’s such a wide variety of processes in this field that it’s simply impossible to be an expert in every single one.

Today, Katya, Head of Affiliate at Gambeat, will talk about what makes a good affiliate manager, how to build a team of “the right people,” and why a single coffee meeting can be more profitable than weeks of online discussions.

Katya, you’ve been working in the affiliate industry for three years now. What key lessons have you learned during this time from a management perspective? 

Managing a team isn’t about control; it’s about teaching people to think in a way that allows them to make the right decisions on their own, even without me.

At first, I thought a good leader had to know absolutely everything, control every process, and quickly solve any problem. Now I realize something else: a leader’s main task is to build a team capable of working almost autonomously—a team where everyone understands their role, takes responsibility for the results, and works toward a common goal, rather than just completing individual tasks.

You can’t build a team like that on trust alone. It starts with well-structured processes, clearly defined areas of responsibility, and clear ground rules.

Another important lesson for me is that you can’t blame someone just because they made a mistake. First, you need to honestly ask yourself a few questions: Were the guidelines clear? 

Were expectations clearly defined? Did the employee have all the necessary tools and information to complete the task correctly?

If the process isn’t documented and the rules exist only “in the manager’s head,” then it’s not the employee’s mistake—it’s the manager’s responsibility.

And only when there are transparent processes, agreements, and uniform rules for everyone can we talk about personal accountability for failing to follow them.

For me, a strong leader isn’t someone who constantly monitors or looks for someone to blame. It’s someone who creates a system in which the team works as a single unit, capable of moving forward even without the manager’s constant intervention, and who influences the person responsible for that area. 

If we focus specifically on your area, we see that affiliate marketing combines two key strategies for finding partners. The first is constant spamming in chat rooms and weekly online conversations. The second is informal meetings at conferences or simply at a coffee shop. In your opinion, which of these approaches is more effective? 

In my opinion, one good networking opportunity can yield more than hundreds of messages. 

Over the years, I’ve realized one simple thing: we all want human connection. No one wants to be approached solely with a sales pitch or yet another offer. It’s much nicer when people are interested not only in work but also in what you’re into, what you love, and what your interests are.

That’s exactly how trust is built. I’m convinced that the best partnerships don’t start on Telegram or with a message like, “Hi, here are our rates.”

They start over a cup of coffee, during dinner after a conference, or simply with the words, “Let’s get to know each other.” Sometimes one hour of face-to-face conversation is worth more than several months of messaging and even the best commercial offers.

That’s exactly why I always recommend attending conferences, meeting people, and building relationships. Because in affiliate marketing, people work with people. And trust is very often the reason why people choose to work with you specifically.

Part of any manager’s job is regularly resolving crisis situations. How do you handle such situations, and how do you find solutions? 

Crises are part of a manager’s job. Over the years, I’ve come to realize one thing: crises in business are inevitable. The market changes, partners change, and the company’s priorities change. What worked yesterday may not yield results today.

It is precisely in these moments that a leader must be able to quickly analyze the situation, make decisions, and take responsibility for them. 

I’ve come to the conclusion that in crisis situations, it’s not the person who thinks the longest who wins, but the one who adapts the fastest. Very often, there is no perfect solution. 

There’s only the best solution at that moment, based on the information you have.

Of course, sometimes decisions turn out differently than expected. But it’s much worse not to make a decision at all. If something goes wrong, I don’t look for someone to blame or think, “If only we’d done it differently back then.” I look at what exactly influenced the outcome, what conclusions can be drawn, and what needs to be changed to do better next time.

I’ve stopped being afraid of making mistakes. Now I’m more afraid of wasting time because of indecision. A mistake can be corrected. Lost time—no.

Another important aspect of a manager’s job is team building. What should you look for when screening candidates to find that special “right” person? 

I never hire based on skills alone. I hire someone I’ll be working with every day. Can they take responsibility? Do they want to grow? Do they ask questions when they don’t know something? To what extent do their values and approach to work align with the team’s culture?

But now I’ll share one little trick that I pay the most attention to during interviews. I always watch how a person thinks when they don’t know the answer.

In affiliate marketing, new situations arise almost every day, and it’s impossible to know everything. That’s exactly why it’s much more valuable to me to hear:

“I don’t know. But I’ve already thought about how to solve this, and I’d start by…”

rather than:

“I don’t know.”

or

“I was waiting for someone to tell me what to do.”

I don’t need people who know the answers to every question. I need people who can think for themselves, take the initiative, and look for solutions. Because technical skills can be taught. But this kind of approach to work—that’s much harder to teach.

I suppose the key challenge for anyone in our field is time management. How do you balance life and work without losing your mind? 

A career isn’t a marathon. To be honest, that’s one of the most important lessons I’ve learned. There was a time when I was working 15–16 hours a day. I thought that the more I worked, the faster I’d achieve results. But reality turned out to be different.

It didn’t lead to a breakthrough, but rather to burnout, nervous exhaustion, and a point where it became difficult to analyze the situation objectively and make the right decisions. That’s when I realized one simple thing: the brain needs rest, too.

Now I try to stick to a simple principle—the 8-8-8 rule—that works for me: 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work, and the same amount of time for life outside of work. It’s often during rest that the best ideas come to me, giving me the chance to look at a problem from a different angle and make better decisions.

For me, success isn’t about working harder than everyone else. It’s about being able to keep up the pace for a long time without burning out or losing sight of who I am.