Manager or Leader – Prof. Gabrić’s lecture for a prestigious business audience

Zagreb, June 8, 2017 – What is the difference between a manager and a leader? What qualities make a good leader? These were just some of the questions addressed by Prof. Nikica Gabrić, MD, PhD Director and Founder of Svjetlost, in his inspiring presentation at the prestigious “Bisnode AAA” business conference.

Under the motto “Bringing the Best Together,” Bisnode, Europe’s largest business information and services provider, brought together around 300 successful entrepreneurs and business leaders from Croatia and the region at the Plaza Business Center. “AAA is the highest rating of creditworthiness and business excellence, which is why we have gathered proven top performers from a range of industries here today,” said Milan Dragić, Director of Bisnode Southern Market. The opening presentation, titled “The Difference Between a Manager and a Leader,” was delivered by Prof. Nikica Gabrić, MD, PhD whose Svjetlost has held an AAA rating for business excellence for many years.

“Managers are those who manage, while leaders are those who lead you into the future. Management can be learned, while leadership is something you are born with. However, leaders must also be capable of recognizing and overcoming their weaknesses,” said Prof. Gabrić. “Passion is the most important characteristic of successful leadership, because people can be forced to work, but they cannot be forced to enjoy their work. Only those who enjoy what they do are truly successful people,” he added.

“A true leader creates new leaders, and everyone must go through the stages of being a student, an assistant and eventually a master. Only those who create multiple masters can become grandmasters,” Gabrić emphasized.

“We create through partnerships, and for partnerships to be successful, they must be based on trust, tolerance, loyalty and gratitude. Only then do we reach the stage of sharing the material benefits that emerge from those partnerships—and sharing is the most important operation in life. Many people are mistaken in thinking that the only things that matter are addition and multiplication. Wealth is a much more complex concept than material possessions. We must invest in ourselves every day and work on ourselves, recognize our weaknesses, change them and build our character, because only people of character have a future,” concluded Prof. Gabrić.

Bisnode has been providing its services to the market since 1989 and is now a leading European provider of business analytics and information, operating in 18 European countries.