A Twenty-Year Journey, by Jelena Bulatović

Twenty years of the Serbian Association of Managers – I cannot say those words without feeling proud. Twenty years is not merely the anniversary of an organisation. It is also the story of people and leaders who believed that Serbia could have a strong, responsible and connected community of managers.

Over these twenty years, Serbia has changed. Laws, markets, generations of employees, technologies and ways of doing business have all changed.

We have lived through major and minor economic crises, a global health crisis, and geopolitical, social and economic challenges.

Countless times, just as we said “we have made it through this as well,” a new challenge came knocking, bringing further change and unpredictable circumstances.

Yet time has shown that everything we went through together actually connected us more closely. In such times, it is natural to want to belong to a community where you have access to timely information, where you are surrounded by others facing similar challenges, and where you can exchange thoughts and dilemmas and support one another. That is exactly what SAM has represented throughout its two decades of work.

When I look at SAM today and compare it with the period when I joined the team seventeen years ago, I would say that the way we work, the topics we address and the challenges we face may have changed, but the Association’s goals and values have remained the same.

I am proud of many things we have built together over the years. I am proud that today we bring together more than 500 managers and leaders who run some of the most important companies in the country.

I am proud of the many initiatives we launched for our members and the wider community: the Managers’ Forum, the SAM Academy, the Mentoring program and the Annual Awards.

Perhaps most of all, I am proud of the culture of togetherness, knowledge-sharing and support that we have managed to build and of the friendly atmosphere that is one of the most beautiful characteristics of our Association.

I am especially pleased that, during its twenty-year journey, SAM became a place where new friendships, partnerships and mentoring relationships were created, and where many young people developed professionally and later became respected business leaders.

This fills and motivates me deeply, because it shows that what we do has meaning and lasting value. For me, this journey has become an inseparable part of both my professional and private life.

Leading SAM has taught me how crucial people and relationships are, how important it is to continuously work on oneself, learn and develop and how much responsibility leadership carries in influencing others through personal example.

Over all these years, I have had the privilege of meeting and learning from remarkable people, outstanding professionals, but above all good people who contribute greatly to our society and to young generations.

These relationships and friendships strengthened my belief that change truly begins with the individual: with the person who wants to become a better leader and a better contributor to society.

Success and longevity have little meaning if, along the way, there are no people whom you have supported, developed or inspired.

We often ask how to remain authentic, relevant and current in the years ahead. For SAM, the answer lies in one fundamental and all-encompassing value that we must preserve without compromise: integrity.

In an era of rapid change, artificial intelligence, and new business models, integrity meaning trust, responsibility, and ethical conduct will distinguish companies and leaders who endure from those who are merely successful in the short term and then disappear.

I believe SAM should remain a meeting place for people who want to develop not only their companies, but also the society in which we live. In the end, the greatest value of any association is neither its numbers nor its activities, but its people and the mark they leave together on the economy and society.

 

“Leadership is what you enable others to become”, read the full interview [+]

 

Jelena Bulatović

Executive Director of the Serbian Association of Managers

 

You can find more information about SAM’s 20th Anniversary here: