Present at Forbes CEE Forum 2017, an event that brings together top businessmen from Romania, Forbes editors-in-chief from CEE countries, as well as ambassadors and authorities, Corneliu Bodea, CEO of Adrem, spoke about leaders and managers, Romanian entrepreneurs and foreign entrepreneurs, about values and trends.
Below is the statement taken from the Livetext page from #ForbesCEEForum 2017
Corneliu Bodea, CEO Adrem
What is the difference between a leader and a manager?
There is a book called “Leaders eat last”. Well, this is one of the differences between the leader and the manager. Leaders care first of all about people, while managers are process-oriented. Leaders are mainly concerned with people. However, I would not draw such a strict demarcation between the two. There are managers who are also leaders. But the one who is more pronounced, the one who stands out from the others, will be designated as the leader.
There are leaders and currents of opinion, ideas, programs that generate leaders to implement them. Who do you think can change the world?
Leaders are the ones who change the world, and I would say that the leader should also be seen from an anthropological perspective. People have changed society, not in the sense of a group, but in the sense of people. All the great discoveries, many of which we do not yet know, have been made not by groups, but by people. What we see today is that the number and quality of powerful leaders who can change society is decreasing, and this decrease stems from the unpredictability of the present. That is why leaders react more slowly, because they analyze first.
Therefore, leaders are the ones who change humanity, not currents or schools.
At the international level, do you think there are political leaders who can rise to the level of the complexity of the world we live in?
I see something in this society that is flawed, that doesn’t work, but it’s a personal opinion. I couldn’t bring solid arguments. The fact that the speed at which things are changing is very high, the schools of leaders no longer work, we are in a delicate moment and without dedicated leaders in this world, it will be more difficult to face the obstacles.
When we talk about the present and the future, you have to compare it with the past. The historical perspective is always much clearer. It seems to me that we no longer have strong, strong leaders who support the needs of society.
What are the values of foreign entrepreneurs and how do they differ from Romanian entrepreneurs?
I believe that this comparison is an important exercise for Romanians because they have their own specificity. However, I have a recommendation for Romanian entrepreneurs, namely, to use association more in family businesses. The Romanian entrepreneur uses association much too little. I had the opportunity to meet very well-known Romanian entrepreneurs and I don’t think that Romanians are anything less than those from abroad.
He is placed higher on the ladder of creativity, but unfortunately Romania does not do everything it should do to support Romanian entrepreneurship. Even so, a Romanian entrepreneur is much more stable on the market, will be less affected by an obstacle and will give his best on the market.
Do you have a model that inspires you? A name or a company?
I would avoid giving just one name, I am inspired by several.
