On its 30th anniversary, the Managers' Association of Slovenia conferred an award on Vojko Čok, the long-serving president of the Honorary Tribunal of the association, who has made a distinct contribution to the development of association of managers and the managerial profession in Slovenia. On the occasion, the association's president Aleksander Zalaznik pointed to the complexity and importance of the managerial profession, which is, if managers and leaders are good, a basis for the right development of the economy, society and country in the next 30 years.

According to the Managers' Association of Slovenia (ZM), the award recipient Vojko Čok, with his professionalism and prudence and with the conscientious work as the president of the Honorary Tribunal of the ZM, has left an indelible mark on the development of association of managers and the promotion of action compliant with the code of ethics of the ZM. 

Čok, who is the long-time president of the management board of Banka Koper, emphasises that the higher an individual is on the social ladder, the greater weight of their attitude to the moral and ethical norms. Managers maintain and improve their reputation not only with business results they achieve, but also with their ethical stance, which is an important insignia on their career path and, because they are public figures, in their private lives. "Not even the greatest successes are a guarantee for a better tomorrow, but only a better starting point. But I do believe that the association will continue with the hard work and be successful for the benefit of its members and all of Slovenia," Čok explained his joy and pride as he received the award of one of the most successful organisations of its kind in the country.

Higher productivity and added value are a condition for development

Aleksander Zalaznik, the president of the Managers' Association of Slovenia, looked back in his address at the three decades of the association: "Before I speak about to what and how we are prepared, let me remind you about one thing so that it does not happen again: the 1990s and the financial crisis were marked by some bad practices by individuals or groups. Back then, too many managers, politicians, banks and companies dealt more with privatisation and borrowing on the wings of economic growth, than with how to manage companies well, develop products and increase productivity. This must never happen again and we want to stress this clearly one more time on the 30th anniversary. The Managers' Association of Slovenia stood up for responsible and ethical management then, and it will in the future, too."

He reiterated how important it was to conclude a social pact for higher wages of all employees in Slovenia and, consequently, the well-being of all, and added that he wanted people to realise that management is a demanding profession and, above all, exceptionally important for the development of any country: "There will be no true development without the right and strategic leaders. And this is our task for at least the next 30 years."

Development and growth are namely the things which will ensure a better future for all. "The future is reserved for companies which are progressive in adopting technologies, for creative, agile and innovative companies where cooperation is a developed skill, while compliance, integrity and ethics are one of the main pillars. New generations bring demands for greater responsibility to our descendants and the planet. Any they should. All this requires constant change in the mindset and training of managers and leaders," said Saša Mrak, the executive director of the ZM.

Minister: The Managers' Association is an engine of our economy

The Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek labelled the Managers' Association of Slovenia on its 30th anniversary the "key cog of the engine pushing our economy forward". He also pointed to the excellent results of the Slovenian economy: compared to the year before, in 2018 companies employed almost 30,000 more people, generated 9% more revenue, increased profit on foreign markets by 10% and had a turnover of almost 41 billion euros, while net value added per employee, and consequently the average wage, are also growing. "This is, after all, the objective of all our efforts related to increasing productivity and reducing taxation of labour," the Minister concluded.

Musek: A manager must be an example to employees

On its 30th anniversary, the ZM again emphasises the importance of ethical management. Čok has been conferred an award for his work in this field, while our members have selected five values on which management must be based: trust, responsibility, respect, ethics and cooperation.

The importance of values and, above all, acting in accordance with them, was also stressed at today's event by the keynote speaker Janek Musek, a researcher in psychology of personality and values: "A manager must be an example in a company. If this is true, then the manager contributes to creating an organisational strategy which inevitably leads to success. He or she eliminates discrepancies between values and behaviour and, in doing so, strengthens the organisational culture, which we know is the main factor of organisational success. Furthermore, the strengthening of the organisational culture reduces the ever-increasing organisational risks, while it increases motivation, trust, responsibility, commitment, productivity, and marketing and business performance."

Above-average results of companies managed by ZM members

Today, the Managers' Association of Slovenia connects almost 1,200 members of middle and top management and numerous entrepreneurs. The revenue of our member companies represent one-third of the total revenue of the Slovenian economy. Companies managed by our members also make above-average results: 29% higher value added per employee, 46% higher revenue per employee, 23% higher average wage and 36% higher profit per employee compared to the average for the Slovenian economy (source: Bisnode, 2017).