“What motivated and attracted me the most to enroll in Aspira was the fact that I could adjust my private and student responsibilities.”
Hello Kenan, let us begin by telling the readers who Kenan-Ivan Brinc is and which three words best describe you?
Kenan-Ivan Brinc is a student of Aspira University College in Zagreb who comes from Karlovac. He is a person who finds investing in his own knowledge and abilities his main priority. An optimist who believes in a better synergy between humanity and management and an enthusiast who tries to find ways to overcome all those ugly compromises of modern management that have been left to us as a legacy. The three words that would describe me are persistent, optimistic and creative.
Great. Can you introduce us briefly to your blog “Management Innovation”? How did you decide to start writing a blog and who is it actually intended for?
To make the answer to the first question clearer, first I have to go back a little bit to management in general. Today, managerial wisdom is no longer considered as lessons that cannot be questioned but a subject for research, study and adaptation. This was the starting point for my blog idea about Innovation Management. The goal is just that: review, explore, and highlight the necessary changes that management must face today.
Over the last ten years, almost every company has made great efforts to modernize its business processes – internal logistics, management, inventory management and similar. But, few companies have invested the same amount of effort in modernizing their management models.
Why is it important? It is important because today we are witnessing various organizations that literally suck all your kindness, creativity and enthusiasm out of you.
Unfortunately, when we talk about management in general, we witness the fact that we are working in what we call toxic organizations that most likely originated on models and principles of the 20th century that simply do not fit into today’s time. So, management dedicates too much enthusiasm towards organizing, controlling undesirable behavior, mistrust and similar while too little time is left for all those traits that actually make us human – risk, originality, creativity, passion and so on.
That is the idea of my blog. Today, it is an idea, tomorrow maybe even something more.
So your blog is intended for…
The blog is intended for all those dreamers out there. People who believe and know that change is possible. To all those who see problems in systematic management and know that something needs to be done.
What is the main message you want to convey?
To answer to that question, I would like to quote an excellent professor and the author of many bestsellers in Croatia, Velimir Srić:
“Change is possible, but before that we have to get rid of the old-fashioned, military-based and supposedly perfect bureaucratic organization we call a ‘corporation.’ It is nothing but an inhumane hierarchy that perfectly resembles a voluntary half-day stay in prison. Based on absurd rules, fear of bosses, constant control, mistrust, obedience and punishment for undesirable behavior, it is not in the least a place where a modern employee will work with passion and pleasure.
You are a student of Aspira, what attracted you to enroll in the study of International Management in Hospitality and Tourism?
What motivated me the most and attracted me to enroll at Aspira is precisely the fact that I can adjust my private and student obligations and organize them as it suits me.
When we talk about Management in Hospitality and Tourism, I was attracted by the fact that I am driven by challenges and constantly improving things. Tourism and hospitality industry is generally extremely dynamic. Tourism is one of the most dynamic activities of modern times in Croatia. Because of its great share in total GDP of the country, tourism affects in many ways how we live here in Croatia. I have been working in hospitality since I was 15 and I can see my future in this field. So, considering the fact that tourism is so dynamic, I can see many opportunities for constant progression and that is what motivates me. This was also my reason for choosing to study at Aspira.
How much motivation comes from your friends, colleagues, family and lecturers at Aspira University College, considering that you are our student?
As far as studying is concerned, I definitely enjoy the support of my family, girlfriend, close friends and there are definitely professors who strike me with their approach and are a very big support to me. But I would perhaps mention as the most important factor my colleagues, especially those that study tourism. They proved to be very good friends and the best support I could expect.
As for the blog, I am definitely most motivated by the environment in which I move and find myself every day. So my inspiration for writing comes from many different fields.
Do you have your own idol?
As far as idols are concerned, I personally don’t. In general, I think people may be investing too much time and energy in trying to be like someone and creating something that someone has already created.
What makes more sense is making yourself into your own superhero and being proud of your accomplishments.
Do you think an individual can be a change in the world?
That is a very difficult question. Personally, I believe that an individual cannot be a change in the world, but he can be that essential wheel that triggered the change. To make a systematic change, we need an entire army of people who will think, believe and want the same things we want.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years I definitely see myself in the position of a General Manager. While in less than ten, I would love to be one of the top managers in Europe.
We are glad that Aspira can be a part of your success story because we believe in your success and I hope that this environment motivates you for that as well.
Absolutely!
Considering you are a student, tell us how did the exams go?
Considering that it was challenging to coordinate business and student obligations due to all the unforeseen circumstances, I am more than satisfied with the results I achieved in the third and fourth semester! I passed all my exams.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview and I hope you have inspired your current and future colleagues who will read this interview.
Thank you and best regards!