KRZYSZTOF RENIEWSKI

Board Chairman at BUDREN

Currently people that manage companies, more frequently turn their focus on their organization having a broader social context and undertaking initiatives relating to social responsibility of their business. What actions in this respect is your company taking, how are they realized and what does responsible leadership mean to you?

Responsible leadership has been our benchmark for many years. Burden attempts to positively influence our employees’ lives, our clients and communities through creating a friendly, multinational enterprise, which is the best choice in the industry. We are convinced that members of our team that are dedicated and committed that are growing and cooperating with one another, can achieve the best results. In realization of our most ambitious plans we follow very specific values that are the backbone of our motivation and operating philosophy. I personally understand responsible leadership as a permanent, multifaceted growth system that is both hard and soft, that is actually headed toward delving into soft skills – the competence to manage thoughts, emotions and behaviors, that help to achieve professional and personal goals. Caring for the employees psyche, so that they will feel safe and function in an environment that stimulates them to be more creative at work. Non-profit operations such as volunteering, or in our case, sending transports of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Engaging in the lives of local communities – for example I sponsor a karate sports club in Swiecie, one I have been attending for many years. Raising one’s qualifications as a leader – at Budren, board members completed their studies with MBA’s at WSB under tutelage of Mateusz Grzesiak PhD, who academically deals with the phenomenon of responsible leadership. I invite all leaders to take this approach.

Each company creates their own corporate policy, which contains values seen by clients from the outside. Are clients more willing to select a specific company, since it does something good, something which the client identifies with, or does the decision depend mainly on the price? What is your opinion, what trends have you noticed, are you changing anything in that respect?

It depends on the sector and cut of the client. When we encounter a customer that is sensitive to costs, then whether he likes it or not he will have to go by the price regardless of the objective aspect of his budget. I also notice the change in approach of the young generation, which follows the guidelines of sustainable growth and when deciding on purchases chooses companies that share the same values. In my construction industry, especially in infrastructure, price is still the deciding factor – but I think that along with the rising social awareness and pressure from consumers, media and politicians, increasingly more often other factors will be taking into consideration, as in what good does the company do. This is the key challenge for all stakeholders and I call for responsibility and proactive actions in this respect – companies that focus on values of sustainable growth, operating ethically and doing more positive things bear higher costs, because of this they cannot set competitive prices in relation to market players that take unethical actions and don’t play fair. We choose companies that stand for something more than just focusing on financial gain.

Growth of values and ethical codes in many organizations may be an attest to a rising awareness in this respect. Many managers declare that it focuses on ethics as the central point of its operations. Is complying with rules of fair play in managing a guarantee of stable growth in a company?

Stable growth of a company depends on many factors – from fields of macroeconomics, politics, law, technological growth, civilizational progress, sociological and cultural changes. In the context of microeconomics you have to consider competitors’ actions, behaviors of market leaders and consumers, which are ever changing. If you analyze these factors correctly and address them properly, obviously when taking successful strategic actions in the area of management, marketing and finances, in which case we can count on stable growth of our company. Respecting rules of fair play surely helps in this respect.

The world needs smart and quality leaders that want to positively affect their environment. Was there ever a time where you started looking for a deeper sense of your work, ability to do something good for your community or country? What were you able to realize?

There have been many instances where I understood the deeper meaning of my work. When we were  building many engineering facilities on A1, A2, A4 national highways or S3, S5, S6, S11 expressways and many others while contributing to reducing congestion in frequently jammed up roadways. Similarly when we took part in building the tunnel through the mountain in Maly Lubon in Zakopianka or the Warsaw West Railroad Station and constructing facilities in other countries. This is personal, but when I drive past one of our construction projects, I feel satisfaction that even to a small degree Budren had a positive impact on people’s lives. I am happy that we are realizing our vision, which remains unchanged from day one of our company’s existence – we increase people’s quality of life by creating better surroundings, comprehensively realizing construction projects in Poland and abroad for our clients. Amongst them there are individual investors that erect beautiful single family homes and general contractors focused on large scale projects such as infrastructure. That means that thanks to our facilities, engineering solutions and projects, people can have a better life – get to work and back quicker, or safely travel to their holiday destination.

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Last Updated on December 12, 2022 by Valeriia Honcharuk