BUSINESS

People and leaders in Industry 4.0 – part I

Whenever we consider somebody to be a great leader, we are expressing admiration, respect and

recognition. At first, we cannot say exactly what we think about that particular person. We just know

-- feel -- that special something. What are these leaders like?

The faster the tempo of introducing new

technologies and digitization goes, the

greater the requirements put on people

are. A new business environment is being

developed. Limitations and borders

are fading to create space for a world

interconnected in the broadest possible

sense. That is reflected in working with

people: they need room to express

themselves, and want to find sense in what

they do. Modern times are favourable to

leaders who find opportunities in changes

in the market, and are skilled at developing

the potential found around them.

In the present world, leaders desire to win

and follow their bold dreams. Yet the way

to achieve these victories is changing: they

collaborate with teams of people whose

potential they develop, whose creativity

they support, whose minds they open,

and whose understanding of relations

they assist. Leaders of the present times

use their intuition to make decisions in the

transformation processes.

Technologies help put businesses on the

same (or very similar) level. What makes a

difference among individual companies is the

people. Different people with their dreams,

their drive to achieve victories, and to live their

meaningful lives. That is the challenge. Each

leader must find the way to work with their

people and assist them on the road to success.

Average leaders are viewed

as business executives; the best

leaders are viewed as great

human beings.” Mike Myatt.

There are many companies in the

Moravian-Silesian Region, too, who

carefully think about their people. I

asked Mr Petr Mohelník, Ferrit s.r.o. CEO

what his perception of leadership is.

“I see a true leader in a person who is capable

of leading a team even without being

officially in charge. True leaders manage

their people by being a good example, by

giving inspiration, and by making the people

enthusiastic in a common and meaningful

goal. This helps to motivate the team to an

excellent performance and positive results.”

Which Czech leaders inspire you and why?

My great inspiration is the manager, coach

and mentor Jan Mühlfeit. His ideas on

positive leadership and his motto “Success

is not the way to happiness; happiness is the

way to success” helped me move a great

deal ahead.

Which leadership skills would you list as

your top three and why?

The capability of listening to people

and of inspiring; to approach everyone

individually; and to apply proper

leadership style. An extremely important

skill is to help people see sense in their

work. I have quite often met applicants at

job interviews who were quite indifferent

to attractive salaries, yet keen when

informed about our company’s vision and

interesting projects.

What are the main tasks of leaders

nowadays? What are the best ways to lead

people?

Seeking the answer to the question how to

keep the most efficient people. These tasks

will be easiest for those managers with the

best leadership skill set. Those who actually

show people sense in what they do, and

focus on their potential, invest their time

and attention in them.

Text a foto:

Radka Šušková

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