President of Asseco Adam Góral: A leader is as strong as his team

A leader is as strong as his team, Dr. Adam Góral told KUL students during the lecture inaugurating the third edition of the KUL Innovation Laboratory and PEKAO SA. He spoke about his business path, which after thirty years led the Asseco Group to the group of leaders of IT software producers in Europe.

It was no coincidence that the Asseco founder was invited to deliver the inaugural lecture. Before he started his business career, he was an academic teacher, and later one of the founders of the University of Management in Rzeszów. However, it was business that became an area where he was truly successful. Today, Asseco is one of the leaders of the European IT market, present in 60 countries on 5 continents and employing over 30,000 people.

Dr. Góral shared his business experience with KUL students. - As a leader, I have reasons to be pleased, but my path cannot be repeated today, he said, recalling that Asseco's history began with three IT specialists. According to him, it is worth being patient at all times and building your business step by step. Not to be afraid to admit that you are inferior to someone, but also to constantly improve your knowledge. He maintained that humility and the willingness to learn from others are a great advantage in business.

One of the leading Polish businessmen also revealed several recipes for success. The first is the business idea. The basis of Asseco's success was the idea that Poles can not only sell computer software, but can create it themselves. - Although the awareness of the recipients was negligible, I believed that the software has a future - he recalled the beginnings of the company.

According to President Góral, in business you need to surround yourself with the right people. He said that he was lucky with his co-workers and that he was trying to believe people. - In my company, I do not call people employees, but partners - he emphasized.

The history of Asseco also shows the importance of positive thinking and clear rules of cooperation. - I am proud that as a company we are a great ambassador of Poland in the international arena - he said. Asseco is great because people of different nationalities and religions work together to achieve its success - he added. He emphasised that people should not be separated by nationality or religion. In every country there will be decent people who want to live honestly, but also thieves - he concluded.

Creative criticism is also important. He encouraged criticism, but he emphasized - criticize only when you have an idea what to do to do it better. He stated that any system is better than chaos. - Let’s argue, because we want to make the best possible decision.

He encouraged the students who came to the lecture to be humble towards those who are better than them, and to learn persistently. - Often, what seems irrelevant to us returns after many years and turns out to be necessary - the CEO of Asseco shared his experience.

The Innovation Laboratory is a unit of the Catholic University of Lublin that supports creativity and increases competences in the field of entrepreneurship. This project is aimed at students, doctoral students and research workers of the Catholic University of Lublin who want to develop entrepreneurially - both for people looking for inspiration and those who already have an idea for a business.