Good leaders are rare. I have often heard and read that one can learn how to be a leader and many also try to. Myself, I believe that a leader is born, not made.

True leaders have the spirit of the first pioneers; they are gold diggers, bold gold seekers searching for gold in the river bed, in the mountains and on steep slopes. They search for gold as they believe it exists. Certainly, they also search out of greed, but primarily because of an incredible adventure of searching for something new.

True leaders think about their mission at every moment. They think about a change for the better, although something is already almost perfect. Leadership is a mission and responsibility. Following trends, although in areas that they are not familiar with, gives them new ideas for their business. To them, modern technologies serve as a tool on the way to victory, although they may only use a video game console. When they look through the window into the spring morning sun, they do not only see a beautiful day, but also an opportunity – an opportunity to change the energy of the sun into something useful. In the day lying ahead they see a challenge, and in the morning cup of coffee they see an opportunity to invest in the raw materials market. To them, the stock market does not mean the desire to see the shares grow and to make money; they design the stock market.

Certainly, contemporary management of a company requires a wider range of skills and knowledge of the company's business functions.  By all means, some characteristics, such as heartiness, sound-mindedness, target-orientedness and moral courage, should not be missing. They must know how how to link and integrate; they must put themselves in the forefront also when it is the hardest. Above all, a leader must set up the goals and choose a good team to accompany them on the way to these goals. The team must include individuals who identify themselves with the goal and whose main drive is not money, but creating together, feeling the excitement during this creation and the path leading to the goal. Such team is a pool of ideas, of creativity, and it produces changes.

Maintenance of competitiveness is certainly on the mind of any good leader. Nature shows us that the survival game favours those who are the most ready, those who are able to adapt to the changes in the environment, although there comes – and it always does – the "Perfect Storm", the storm of all storms. How to ensure competitiveness on the long run and in an environment such as the Slovenian that is often not favourable for you? By all means, one of the ways is innovation, linking, investing in research and development and, of course, lean business. And above all, one must not be satisfied with small successes, leaving things half done, as our only limitations are those we set up in our own minds.

Branko Kamenšek, Director of Lek Veterina and member of the Managers' Association of Slovenia