In order to make money, you need to spend money. When you sell your product or service, you need to hear the complaints of the clients in order to know how bad you’ve done. These are only small number of the rules each manager should know, according to Earl Sedlik, Managing Associate at Business Education for International Economic Development /BEIED/.During the management seminar organized in Bulgaria for the second time, Sedlik presented to business leaders from local companies and international companies operation on the Bulgarian market how to manage a successful organization and how to make it customer-driven.
Picture: Kiril BAchvarov

Mr. Sedlik, which form of education is more effective – traditional teaching at the universities or seminars like this one?
In my opinion, such seminars are most suitable and effective for people, already having professional employment in a certain field, and who have already undergone certain part of their career path. Trough such seminars they enhance their experience in a particular field, examining applied and worldwide proven practices, theories and models. They can immediately apply this knowledge in their companies. This is why I think that at such seminars they get exactly what they need. The School or the University definitely cannot provide all this, but at the same time the knowledge these institutions provide is an extremely important and indispensable base for future development.

What would be your advice for the young people who graduate now and who are most probably the future leaders and managers of big companies?
First, and most important, in my opinion, is to start thinking about themselves as cleverer and more talented than they actually feel. Soon they will find out that indeed they are cleverer and more talented. I would also advise them to not only read what is required at the University, but to try to get into the essence of a particular company, to get an insight of it. To do this, they should start from the information system, from how information is collected and to understand the structure and the frame in which information is presented. Secondly, they should try to understand the consumer, why does he buy a particular item, what does he like or dislike about it. And this is not unintentionally, because for many companies the biggest problem appears to be the lack of knowledge about the client.

Which are, according to your opinion, the most common mistakes managers make, which stand behind the downfall of a company?
The main mistake every manager makes is that when he takes a decision, he doe s not question its validity, he takes it for absolutely right. At the same time, however, when changes in the external environment appear, the manager is not prepared, does not show flexibility and refuses to adapt to the new conditions.

Would you give your definition for "successful business unit" and "customer-driven organization"?
The successful business organization understands the internal frame of the company activity and is built on correctly chosen information system. Customer-driven business organization e the one which has arranged its activities in a way to satisfy the needs of the client and everything else stands behind that major goal.

Which is the most important lesson eery manager should learn?
Every manager should learn to define success and to identify it. In order to achieve success, everyone should define the conditions, the presence of which defines success. People and organizations change, but they should define personal philosophy on how they would look like in the presence of success, to ask themselves the question “ How does the successful organization act?”. This is the same as to ask ourselves the question who is the best teacher, I have ever had. In order to answer, we need to have a base for comparison, certain rules and conditions.

What is easier: to lead a successful organization or to make an organization successful?
The most difficult thing to do is to lead an organization to success, and the reason stands in the changing environment and the challenges associated with it. The easiest is to keep following the already chosen right way of action and behavior. Success is usually defined by the profit and sales and once they reach the desired levels it is easier to sustain them.

In this way of thoughts, what is easier – to reach the top or to stay on top?
It is impossible to stay on top. And the prove is in everything that happens around us, especially here in Bulgaria. I mean the influence of technical advance. Technologies change constantly. When you are on top this change makes you most vulnerable. This is why a lot of companies, which at some point were leaders, were moved from the top.

What is the difference between the manager and the leader?
The manager is a person, who does things correctly, while the leader is a person who always does the correct thing. At the same time, however, it is not necessary for the leader to ask himself the question if the thing he is doing is correct or not. He has the opportunities of the leadership to oppose the existing situation, but he can afford making a wrong choice. The manager however must be sure that everything he is doing is correct!