Prof. Gabrić: What makes the difference between a Manager and a Leader

Zagreb, June 14, 2017 – The difference between a manager and a leader, and the qualities that make a good leader, were the topics of a lecture delivered by Prof. Nikica Gabrić, who was invited to speak for the second time this year at a business conference organized by Bisnode.

“Both management and leadership can be learned, but the fundamental difference is that leadership also contains a spiritual component. It is a set of values that a person carries within themselves and that enables other people to follow them. A manager’s authority comes from their position, while a leader’s comes from charisma. A leader inspires and motivates, they ‘shine in the dark,’ and people recognize that,” said Prof. Gabrić, Founder and Director of Svjetlost, which will celebrate 20 years of operation next year.

“We rarely, if ever, ask ourselves why we were born in the first place and what our purpose is in this world. Human beings have two missions. One is genetic or biological—the continuation of our species—and the other is to give something back to the community that created us,” said Gabrić. He added that one of our greatest enemies is selfishness and the belief that, as human beings, we are the center of everything and that Earth is at the center of the universe, when in fact we are small and insignificant and incapable of fully comprehending the magnificence of the universe and the life around us.

“We all have to work on ourselves and change. We have between 50,000 and 70,000 thoughts every day, 70% of which we never express aloud. A person has four components. The public is what we are aware of and what we show; the blind is what others see in us; the secret is what we hide and suppress; and the unknown is what we are not aware of—it is also our creative potential. In order to unleash it, we must become aware of the blind and overcome the secret so that the unknown can become public,” he explained.

He said that most modern illnesses stem from the rational mind overpowering the emotional mind. “We cannot understand everything with our minds while shutting out our hearts and emotions. I make most of my business decisions based on emotions,” he added.

Long-term relationships are based on partnership rather than fear and a sense of dominance. Partnership is founded on respect, tolerance, loyalty and gratitude, with the sharing of material benefits following as a consequence. True leaders are driven not by material but by spiritual values; they are modest and humble, and that is why they are always at the forefront, he concluded.

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. The “AAA” conference brings together representatives of companies that have received the highest rating for business excellence.