Can you disagree with your manager? Do you have the freedom to try a new idea, even if it might not work? Are you supported in your professional growth? At the BUSINESS Magazin CEO Awards 2026 in Romania, these questions ran through the conversations about leadership, trust and team development.

More than 300 guests attended the event's 17th edition, held under the theme “The Multiplier Effect: Leaders who make others better”. Leaders shared what they had learned from the people around them, how they encourage initiative, and why businesses need employees who can make decisions, not just follow instructions.

For employees and jobseekers, these leadership lessons raise a practical question about the everyday experience of work: what does it really mean to be part of a team where your contribution matters?

Good leaders listen, even when their teams disagree

For Gheorghe Ciubotaru, founder and Chairman of the Board of Electro-Alfa International, one important lesson came from his own family:

“I learned from my son that I am not always right. He was the first person who had the courage to say it to my face.”

After 35 years as an entrepreneur, the lesson applies to business too: growing a company also means accepting that the people around you may have better solutions.

Alexandru Leca, CEO of SmartBill, highlighted the same leadership trap:

“One very big mistake you can make is to believe you are the smartest person in the room.”

In his view, good ideas emerge in an environment of “productive disagreement”.

For employees, that can mean being able to ask questions, challenge a solution and suggest alternatives without disagreement being mistaken for a lack of commitment. When assessing a potential employer, ask what actually happens when someone sees things differently from their manager.

Why taking initiative requires the freedom to make mistakes

Asking for fresh ideas is one thing. Accepting that some of them will not deliver the expected results is another.

Dan Ostahie, founder and CEO of Altex Romania, explained why initiative needs room for experimentation:

“There is a simple philosophy that mistakes are good, provided they are not repeated. Otherwise, it is difficult to ask people to take initiative if you do not give them the freedom to try.”

That freedom also comes with a responsibility to learn and use the information available before making a decision. Gabriel Zgunea, CEO of Corporate Intelligence Agency, offered this perspective:

“Mistakes are inevitable, but when we can avoid them, it is very important that we do.”

For a team, the difference becomes clear when something goes wrong. Does the conversation end with finding someone to blame, or does it move on to what can be learned and changed?

Professional development needs trust and responsibility

Mustafa Tiftikçioğlu, CEO of Garanti BBVA Romania, described people's development as a condition for business growth:

“I do not see giving people on the team room to grow as a risk. It is a prerequisite for growing the business, because you cannot grow on your own.”

Doris Andronescu, founder and General Manager of SANADOR

Doris Andronescu, founder and General Manager of SANADOR, emphasised a leader's responsibility to create the right conditions for that progress:

“Being a leader is not just about leading. It means creating the conditions for people to develop, demonstrate their capabilities, and become true professionals and even leaders.”

Mihai Stănescu, founder of RoCoach, made a similar observation, saying that “the best CEOs I see today are those who are most skilled at distributing decision-making across multiple levels of the organisation”.

From an employee's perspective, professional development might mean a course or a qualification, but it can also mean a new project, greater responsibility or the freedom to make decisions. What matters is both the opportunity to learn and the chance to put that learning into practice.

Hiring and workplace culture: shared values, different perspectives

Călin Matei - Director general Groupama Asigurări

How do you choose the people you build a team with? Călin Matei, General Manager of Groupama Asigurări, drew a distinction between sharing values and thinking alike:

“When I choose new people for the team, I look first and foremost at their values. Beyond that, I want people who are different, because that way you can bring together all perspectives and find innovative solutions.”

Alessio Menegazzo - CEO și country manager PPC România

Alessio Menegazzo, CEO and Country Manager of PPC Romania, highlighted a quality that makes room for new questions and answers:

“I believe one of the most underestimated qualities a person can have is curiosity.”

For candidates, a job interview is also a chance to find out how these principles work in practice. How are suggestions from the team discussed? How are differences of opinion resolved? Can the manager give an example of an employee's idea that changed the way the team works?

Specific answers can tell you more about workplace culture than a list of company values.

Different generations, fresh ideas for the business

In family businesses, a willingness to listen also shows in the way generations work together.

Florin Enache - fondator TEILOR

Florin Enache, founder of TEILOR, spoke about his daughters' involvement in the company:

“Together, we make a very good team, because the combination of the fresh perspective they bring and the experience I have gained over 27 years leads to very good decisions.”

David Alb, CEO of Senneville, appeared on stage with his daughter, Ilinca, whose ideas inspired a new product range:

“We have an innovation that will reach store shelves by the end of the year: a range of sugar-free cakes conceived by Ilinca and finalised with the help of artificial intelligence, starting from her ideas.”

For Gheorghe Ciubotaru, preparing for the future also means building an organisation that can continue beyond its founder:

“A truly valuable company must be able to outlive its founder. In the first 35 years, we built a strong team, and that strong team built a strong company”.

Romania's 100 most admired CEOs: 34 new names

The CEO Awards 2026 gala also marked 22 years since the launch of BUSINESS Magazin.

The new edition of the “100 most admired CEOs in Romania” ranking, which will be available from November 2026, includes 34 names that did not appear in last year's Top 100.

Costin Tudor - CEO Undelucram.ro

On an evening dedicated to recognising leaders, Costin Tudor, founder and CEO of Undelucram.ro, spoke about a form of recognition that does not appear in financial results:

“One of the important things that I believe we will not find in any financial report is the regard others have for us. And I believe this is something that cannot be bought, but rather earned”.

What these leadership lessons mean for employees and jobseekers

The ideas discussed at CEO Awards 2026 matter to employees when they show up in everyday working life: in how a suggestion is received, how a mistake is handled, or how someone is supported when they want to grow.

When considering a career opportunity, look beyond the responsibilities in the job description. Ask how the team works, how feedback is given and what development opportunities are available in practice. Compare those answers with the experiences shared in employer reviews, always considering the context.

What a leader says about their team matters. What people say about working with that leader completes the picture.

Adapted by Undelucram.ro from Ioana Matei's original article in BUSINESS Magazin, published on 15 October 2026. All quotations have been translated from Romanian.