Minka Borec

Psychology of winners

Psychological principles of winning in business and life
Insights of Slovenian politicians and business leaders into the psychology of success
The author's reflections on the psychology of power

Master's thesis

Acknowledgment

I extend my gratitude to Saša Arsenovič, Alenka Bratušek, Blaž Brodnjak, Gregor Golobič, Zoran Janković, Katarina Kresal, Milan Kučan, Anže Logar, Jože Mermal, Aleksander Mervar, Dušan Mes, Stojan Petrič, Vesna Prodnik, Aleš Rojs, Branko Selak, Iztok Seljak, Ivan Simič, Rok Snežič, Tibor Šimonka, Janez Škrabec, and Tim Žagar for their charisma, motivation, knowledge, experience, and implicit insights into the psychological principles of success and victory in business, politics, and life—insights they forever passed on to me through this project we co-created.

Master's thesis abstract

The aim of the master’s thesis was to research the psychological principles of success in Slovenian business and politics. I set out to explore parallels between philosophical insights in the Graeco-Roman and oriental traditions, the perspectives of contemporary science and the views of leading members of Slovenia’s business and political elite, and identify the psychological principles of success in business, politics and life that are independent of period, context and location if there exist any.

Insights of politicians

Zoran Janković: True leaders, if they want to nurture new leaders better than themselves, leave the glory to them

Every leader has their own smell. In Zoran Janković – prime minister manqué, a mayor who is simultaneously one of the most recognisable symbols of modern Ljubljana – a more powerful symbol of the city even than Ljubljana Castle, the river Ljubljanica or the Olimpija football club – and, along with Ivan Tavčar, easily one of the most famous mayors the city has ever had, former CEO of Mercator – this specific smell is so strong that it is hard to miss.

Insights of CEOs

Blaž Brodnjak: Top management is a question of energy, not technique

Energy and passion are the difference between the successful and the more successful. Charisma. Focusing energy resources in the right directions, on the right priorities, in the right places. In business, every word counts. And every action can be critical… It’s about the ability to be authentic. About being able to resolve crises that no one else can resolve. Because it’s only in serious crises that a person’s true face is revealed,” says the CEO of NLB. A lot of people say that he’s too political, too noisy, even too popular.

Insights of businessmen

Rok Snežič: A good leader mustn’t be afraid of anything – even death

One of the most notorious figures in Slovenia, whose core business is currently in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on his love of taking risks and “bribes” as payment for work that people don’t see. I had some doubts about whether to include Rok in my collection. I know that women who associate with him don’t have the best reputation in the capital. He says that the boxing gym keeps him grounded and gives him the self-assurance a person needs to stay on top in business and in life.

Insights of the author

On Building Trust — The Greatest Misfortune Is Not to Be Unloved, But Not to Love

When I mention to someone that I’ve interviewed Rok Snežič, for a moment it seems as though they’re about to call security to have me thrown out of the building and slap me with a restraining order. “Rok never laid a finger on me. Our relationship was strictly professional,” I say, as part of a defense mechanism to try and prevent the worst. “I have no doubt that you could find out about all the relationships I’ve ever had if you wanted to—I’m not so deluded as to imagine that you couldn’t track all of them down. To the ends of the earth.

You Scratch My Back – On Healthy Egoism

I’m sitting in a tastefully furnished office, surrounded by a grey color scheme that I find strangely soothing. Grey isn’t a color I usually wear—it washes me out and hides my glow—but in this space, it works. It’s a color that suits the person sitting opposite me. This isn’t the drab grey of someone who hasn’t dared to live; it’s the grey of someone who’s seen everything and found their own middle ground.

Spoken about concepts from scientifical perspective

Publication to be

About the author

When I was about 17 years old and spending my summers at meditation retreats in Asia and Europe, an Indian sadhu whom I met like Alexander the Great on the banks of the Indus River told me that I should bear the name Aruni because it reflects my inner character and all that I should become. Aruni means the chariot driver of the Sun, conjugal devotion, and glowing gold. I have always highly valued all three aspects – the sun, the purity of a woman’s true love for a man, and gold jewellery. I want my life's work to embody all three symbols. The sun is in my eyes a symbol of a successful person, a complete individual, and an effective leader. The sun shines on all people equally. It does not discriminate between different ones. For him, no one is an enemy or a friend.

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