Leadership over others begins with leadership over yourself. This is the mindset embraced by Giedrė Teresevičienė, HR Director at Affidea Lietuva, one of Europe’s largest private healthcare networks, employing over 1,400 people in Lithuania. Her ability to navigate change and inspire teams was shaped on the ultramarathon track, where she continuously tests her limits.
“You can’t just stop when it gets hard. You can change your pace, but not your direction,” she says – a realization that helps her maintain focus in the healthcare sector, where competence must always be matched with humanity.
With more than a decade of experience in human resources management, Giedrė has built a broad portfolio of expertise, from organizational development, operational management, and employer branding to M&A and greenfield projects.
Last year, she completed the Executive MBA at BMI Executive Institute, an experience she describes as both professional growth and personal renewal. “It helped me pause and regroup,” she recalls – a chance to re-evaluate her leadership direction and prepare for a new phase of living and leading with greater courage and self-awareness.
– How do you help your team stay motivated in one of the most demanding sectors?
There are no random people in this field. Whether you work as a doctor, nurse, or in administration, responsibility, emotional weight, and sometimes even a sense of helplessness are part of the job. And yet, it is one of the most meaningful areas to work in: when you see that your effort contributes to someone’s health, that becomes a stronger motivator than any bonus. Private healthcare requires a lot of initiative and creativity. It is often said that it is easier here, but in reality, the responsibility is even greater – we set an example of how national healthcare standards can be raised.
Still, maintaining engagement and a sense of purpose is one of the biggest challenges today. The world is changing fast, people are tired, and burnout has become the norm. So our job as leaders is not just to motivate, but to help people understand why they do what they do. When a person feels meaning in their work, even the hardest moments take on a different weight.
– Affidea operates across Europe. How are changes in healthcare and technology transforming your work as a leader in Lithuania?
We often hear that Lithuania is learning from Europe. In truth, it is the other way around.
Our Lithuanian team has long been setting benchmarks for other countries in the group. Big things are born in small countries – from employee-driven initiatives to cutting-edge technological and AI solutions in healthcare.
The healthcare sector is rapidly digitalizing – from patient data management to diagnostics and workforce planning. Artificial intelligence not only speeds up decision-making but also helps create a more personalized patient experience.
Such shifts demand a new mindset – strategic thinking and the ability to see not just processes but the entire ecosystem. For me as a leader, this means a new level of responsibility: to not only envision the future but to prepare my team for it.
– What do you consider the turning point in your career?
I always knew I wanted to work with people, so HR was my dream even when it wasn’t a “popular” field. I found my place in healthcare twelve years ago and moved into leadership not step by step, but because I truly believed in what I was doing.
It wasn’t easy – healthcare has many entrenched norms. My first turning point was realizing that the system can be changed – not through revolutions, but through consistent, incremental steps. Even small changes, when made with conviction, can lay the foundation for major results.
My biggest satisfaction comes from seeing how initial skepticism turns into trust – when people understand that HR isn’t about control, but partnership.
Sport helped me realize this too: ultramarathons taught me that limits exist only if you believe in them. That mindset carried over to work – to not fear ambitious goals, even if they seem too big at first.
– You completed your EMBA at BMI Executive Institute last year. What did this experience give you – perhaps a new perspective on yourself and your leadership?
For me, the EMBA wasn’t just about studies – it was a pause, a moment to stop and re-evaluate. I had grown comfortable in my role, caught up in projects and decisions, and only then realized I needed to step back and regroup. Or, in some ways, to change myself.
We, women, still have fewer privileges in this world and the job market, so we need to consciously and continuously invest in ourselves. When you reach a certain stage in your career or life, you have to dare to learn again, to change, to rediscover yourself – not because you must, but because you want to grow.
The EMBA reminded me that leadership is not the end of a career – it is the beginning of a new phase, one where you learn to live more consciously, courageously, and expansively.
– This year, you set a Lithuanian record – running for 24 hours on a treadmill. What mattered more to you – reaching the goal or the journey itself? And how does this experience translate into your professional life?
I have always found the journey more interesting than the finish line. The finish lasts a few seconds, but the journey takes months – when you get up at 5 AM, fight your inner laziness, deal with pain and exhaustion. That process is my true driving force. When I ran for 24 hours on the treadmill, I realized it wasn’t about physical endurance – it was about inner strength, about how long you can keep negotiating with yourself. That “agreement with yourself” is crucial at work too – HR has its own marathons, moments when you need to make unpopular decisions, stay steady through change, and accept that results take time.
Sport reminds me: you can change your pace, but not your direction. Once you understand that, a certain calmness comes – you know you’ll make it to the end.
– Which qualities developed through sport help you most at work?
Sport taught me several important things – patience, consistency, and the ability to embrace discomfort. In ultramarathons, there’s no room for illusions: if you want results, you have to put in the work every day – even when you don’t feel like it, even when no one’s watching. It’s the same in business – real change comes from consistency, not occasional breakthroughs.
I also learned endurance – not only physical but mental. In sport, you realize you don’t always have to push to the limit. Sometimes it’s more important to pause, breathe, adjust your approach or strategy. When leading people, that’s vital – you don’t always need to sprint; sometimes it’s wiser to keep moving steadily at your own pace.
Sport also taught me to be honest with myself. In a race, you can’t fake preparation – it shows immediately. The same goes for work: if you’re not honest with yourself, the system will expose it sooner or later. That’s why I value openness in my team – not only about goals but also about reality: fatigue, doubts, emotions.
– As a mother of three and an ultramarathon runner, how do you find balance between personal goals, professional intensity, and responsibility for others?
Sometimes it feels like I live several lives – as a mother of three, an athlete, and a leader. At work, I’m rational, strategic, and demanding. In training or on the mountain trails, I trust my instincts. At home, I’m simply a mom trying to cook pasta and solve kids’ problems.
Balance, for me, isn’t about a perfect schedule – it’s about allowing yourself to be different. One day the priority is work, the next – family, and another – training or rest.
Women tend to push themselves to be perfect everywhere, but I’m convinced that strength comes not from control, but from adaptability and self-compassion.
When I allow those three “selves” to coexist, they enrich one another. The athlete gives me discipline, the mother empathy, and the leader vision. When you accept yourself as whole, everything falls into rhythm.