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

Submission of a collection of insights from slovenian leaders on the psychology of reaching the top and staying there, created as part of a master’s thesis, to the social science data archives (ADP)

As a master’s student of psychology at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, I conducted a study on the psychological principles underlying exceptional success in business and politics between 2023 and 2025, under the supervision of Dr Boštjan Bajec, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. Quite early on, my observations in practice led me to the idea that there are universal principles of success in life and at work – more specifically in business and politics, since I focused on those areas that were empirically closest to me from my own school of life.

Forthcoming master’s thesis

Every society needs leaders. The better they are, the greater the general well-being of society and the country. When planning my master’s thesis I took as my starting points the GLOBE study Culture, Leadership, and Organizations (House, 2004), the study 11 Essential Traits of Great Managers (Culture Amp, n.d.), McClelland’s theory of achievement motivation (1978), ancient views of the principles of successful government (Professor Zore’s lectures, autumn 2023; Marcus Aurelius, 2002), the concepts of happiness (Wright, 2004), resilience (Sutcliffe and Vogus, 2003), vitality (Cameron, Dutton and Quinn, 2003), enthusiasm, theories of power (Voyer and McIntosh, 2013; Martí et al., 2009)

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.

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