Welch’s arrival in Croatia and his appearance on May 17 were crucially contributed by: a) old Croats who came to these areas, b) an economics professor, and c) a large domestic company
|
Written by: Miodrag Šajatović |
Those who have listened to Jack Welch live claim that he is an unmatched motivator. After meeting him, many embark on bold projects. |
|
Finally, it has officially begun! After months of preparation, last week’s press conference marked the finale of what is the most significant event for Lider this year – the Adris Business Forum. The main star will be the famous management guru, the most respected global director in the last 20 years – Jack Welch. He is a business leader whose methods and moves, which he executed as the head of General Electric, have been ‘copied’ by entrepreneurs and managers around the world with varying degrees of success for years. When we launched Lider, we set ourselves the main task of bringing global business leaders to Croatian business leaders every year. Our first wish was precisely Jack Welch. It turned out to be extremely difficult to bring him. Welch is not a traveling lecturer – he comes to Europe only three to four times a year. The chances of him coming to Zagreb were minimal for a long time. And then it aligned. It turned out that Welch’s arrival in Croatia and his appearance on May 17 at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall were crucially contributed by: a) old Croats who came to these areas, b) an economics professor, and c) a large domestic company. First, about the old Croats. Their merit is that when they arrived in the 7th century, they did not stop at Velebit but occupied the shores of the Adriatic Sea. The beautiful coast, Mediterranean cities, and unmatched pleasure of cruising between our islands – this is a story that has now reached a ‘player’ like Jack Welch. Known as a lover of cruising, he more easily accepted the offer to come to Croatia. It has already been hinted from his office that he wants to rent a yacht and sail the Adriatic for a few days. The Adriatic has once again proven to be a competitive advantage that just needs to be utilized. At the Adris Business Forum, answers will be offered on how to succeed regardless of impossible circumstances. Economics professor Dr. Zvonimir Pavlek is responsible for turning two potential competitors into allies. When we approached Welch, it turned out that someone else was ‘chasing’ him. It turned out to be young, ambitious organizers from ICPE (International Center for Professional Education). Here, Dr. Zvonimir Pavlek stepped in, who sat us at the same table, and when Lider and ICPE joined forces, it turned out that the books they write about the importance of alliances are right. Of course, organizing the Business Forum on the topic of ‘Leadership and Innovative Strategies’, where Jack Welch is the most important but certainly not the only part, is an extremely demanding project. And the organizers would probably have been in great trouble if the Rovinj-based Adris, as soon as we introduced its leadership to the idea, had not recognized the importance of the gathering. Adris is one of the Croatian companies that have shown that even in difficult conditions, leadership and management skills can successfully compete with global players. This has also contributed to the awareness of how important it is to seize every opportunity for education, especially the motivation of entrepreneurs and managers, both from Croatia and the entire region. Moreover, the timing of the gathering, which we named the Adris Business Forum this year due to its sole general sponsor, coincides with the opening of its new factories (TDR and Istragrafika), making it a good whole – it is important for every conscious manager in Croatia how educated and motivated his and his partners’ managers are. When we were designing this year’s Adris Business Forum, we immediately agreed that its content would not be a lament about incompetent and corrupt administration and politicians who have no idea about real economic life. Of course, it is easier to enter new investments when the GDP growth rate is 9 percent than when the country is in recession, but capable businessmen differ from others in that they achieve great results even in the most impossible conditions. The forum will not be a place for shifting responsibility and proving alibis for failures. We leave that to other (also necessary) gatherings. Those who have listened to Jack Welch claim that he remains an unmatched motivator. After meeting him, many have embarked on challenges they have long contemplated but did not dare to take the decisive first step. We hope this will also be the case after May 17. |
|
