Lessons from a Retail Leader in Southeastern Europe
Today, we put the spotlight on the perspective and extensive experience of our Executive Director, Krešimir Matišić, who is responsible for leading the trading team spread across five countries—Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro - comprising colleagues from their early 20s to late 50s. On any given day, he might mediate between a 25-year-old digital native eager to “disrupt” and a 55-year-old industry veteran who has “seen it all". Balancing these perspectives presents both exhilaration and daunting challenges. The constant wrestling lies in how to align the cautious wisdom of older, risk-averse professionals, who lean on past successes, with the bold energy of younger employees, who sometimes overestimate their readiness or simply mimic what worked yesterday. This is the leadership puzzle he faces daily—one complicated further by cultural nuances across five diverse markets. In reflecting on his real-life experiences managing such multigenerational, multicultural teams in retail trading, category management, and procurement, Matišić shares strategies that have helped turn a potential generational clash into a source of strength.
The Multigenerational Divide in Retail Teams
Leading a multigenerational team means confronting contrasting mindsets shaped by age and experience. Krešimir has observed seasoned buyers and category managers who trust the “tried-and-true” methods that drove success 20 years ago – sometimes to the point of resisting unproven ideas. Their hesitation isn’t without reason: in retail, a bad call on a product assortment or supplier contract can burn margins for months. These veterans often prefer careful analysis and incremental change over bold bets. On the other hand, many of his younger team members – fresh graduates or early-career professionals – brim with confidence and new theories. Some are quick to propose sweeping changes or adopt the latest tech trend, occasionally underestimating the complexity of execution. A few, conversely, just imitate the old playbooks thinking that’s the “right” way, without realizing the context (and consumer behavior) has evolved. The result can be friction: the old guard sees the young as reckless or “green,” while the younger cohort sees seniors as stubborn or outdated.
Real Insight: Early in his tenure, Krešimir recalls a planning meeting where a veteran category manager from Slovenia meticulously defended next year’s assortment based on last decade’s best-sellers, while a young category specialist from Serbia passionately argued for experimenting with niche organic products trending on social networks. The tension was palpable – neither was wrong, per se. The older colleague relied on past data and hard-earned intuition; the younger brought customer insight from new channels. This clash of perspectives highlighted a truth: if left unaligned, generational differences can stall decision-making and stifle innovation. But if harnessed, they can be a powerful driver of growth.
Navigating Cultural and Mindset Differences Across Regions
Adding to the generational mix, the five-country span introduces another layer of diversity. Even within the relatively compact geography of Southeastern Europe, each market’s work culture has its subtleties. For instance, Krešimir noticed in Croatia and Slovenia, teams tended to be a bit more direct and structured in their approach, whereas in Bosnia and Montenegro, personal relationships and informal trust-building often precede business agendas. Serbia’s professionals, in Matišić's experience, combine a bit of both styles – they’re straightforward but also deeply value rapport. None of these differences is better or worse; they’re simply different lenses through which people view work, risk, and collaboration.
As a leader, he learned (sometimes the hard way) that a motivational tactic or change management approach that succeeds in one country could flop in another. For example, celebrating individual achievements publicly worked wonders in one of the country offices but was met with uncomfortable modesty in another, where team accomplishments mattered more. These cultural nuances, coupled with personal mindset differences, meant he couldn’t take a one-size-fits-all leadership approach. He had to become a student of his team’s cultures – listening actively and observing how people react, adjusting his style to respect local norms while maintaining a unified company vision. The key was to avoid stereotyping or pandering; instead, he focused on finding common values (like pride in serving customers, or the drive to grow professionally) that transcend age and nationality, using those as the North Star when aligning the team.
Fostering a Culture of Continuous Learning
One turning point in bridging the generational gap was shifting the company culture toward continuous learning. Krešimir often emphasizes to his team that in retail – especially today – no one ever “fully arrives” in terms of knowledge. The market is too dynamic: consumer behaviors change rapidly, technology disrupts supply chains, and competitors reinvent themselves. So whether you’re a 30-year veteran or a fresh hire, staying curious and agile is not optional; it’s survival.
For senior employees, this meant gently encouraging them to stay curious and adaptable despite their extensive experience. Matišić started inviting some of the older managers to lead “trend hunts” – for example, tasking them to explore emerging stock goods or new sustainability practices, and then share back with the team. Initially, there was hesitation (“Why do I need to learn about TikTok trends? My job is procurement!”). But framing it as leveraging their expertise to evaluate new ideas helped. They began to approach new trends not as threats to the old way, but as additional tools they could master. Over time, Matišić saw a few skeptics transform into advocates of change – one senior purchasing manager in Montenegro even championed a data analytics project after attending an industry workshop, realizing it could enhance his forecasting accuracy. Encouraging veterans to be lifelong students not only updated their skillsets, it also modeled humility and openness for the rest of the team. It signaled that learning has no age limit.
For the younger professionals, fostering a learning culture meant channeling their enthusiasm into bold but strategic growth. Krešimir values that his junior staff are unafraid to question legacy practices – that’s exactly the fresh perspective needed in retail. However, he has also had to coach some of them on the importance of due diligence and patience. They instituted a simple practice: before green-lighting a young category manager’s ambitious new idea (say, a completely new product line or a risky promotional strategy), they ask them to build a case study. They must research its feasibility, anticipate challenges, and often consult with a more experienced colleague as a sounding board. This doesn’t quash their boldness; rather, it teaches them to support bold moves with solid analysis.
By encouraging seniors to remain agile learners and juniors to be thoughtfully bold, Matišić started creating a middle ground – a shared mindset that everyone is both a teacher and a student. This mentality laid the groundwork for more structured solutions to bridge generational and regional divides.
Bridging the Gap: Practical Leadership Strategies
Cultivating the right mindset was step one; Krešimir also recognized the need for practical structures to help their multigenerational, multi-country team learn from each other. Over time, they implemented several initiatives to turn this diversity into an advantage:
Mentorship Programs (Two-Way Learning): Matišić insisted on establishing a formal mentorship program pairing seasoned experts with younger talent for regular one-on-one mentoring. The goal isn’t a one-sided lecture, but a two-way exchange: the veteran imparts industry knowledge and institutional wisdom, while the younger mentee shares fresh ideas and questions the status quo. This cross-generational learning will pay off – seasoned associates will share operational insights, and younger employees will introduce new perspectives and workflows, fostering mutual respect.
Reverse Mentoring: In a twist on traditional mentoring, Krešimir also rolled out a reverse mentoring initiative – junior employees mentoring senior leaders in emerging topics like digital tools, social media trends, or new consumer behaviors. The idea initially raised a few eyebrows (“What can a new hire teach a director?”), but it quickly proved its worth. These sessions were eye-opening for the seniors. Reverse mentoring flips the script – the junior employee shares their expertise in new domains with a veteran who is less familiar. When done correctly, it’s “incredibly effective in developing talent and building bridges across generations". Veteran managers not only picked up new skills, they also felt valued for showing vulnerability and learning from juniors, which made them more approachable. Meanwhile, the junior mentors took pride in contributing and gained a deeper understanding of the broader business while teaching others. This has humanized both sides – seniors realize the kids aren’t just “impatient know-it-alls,” and juniors see that the higher-ups are willing to learn and adapt.
Agile, Cross-Generational Project Teams: Krešimir started mixing age groups deliberately when forming project teams and task forces. Whether it was a team to overhaul the category management system or a working group to improve supplier terms, he made sure each team had a blend of experience and emerging talent. These agile teams became microcosms of our diverse workforce – a buyer from Croatia with 25 years’ experience might work alongside a new hire from Montenegro in data analytics. Initially, this was a learning curve; members had to adjust to differing workstyles and even language quirks. But with some facilitation, the results were stellar. One cross-generational team in Slovenia tasked with revamping our non-food product category delivered a solution that surprised everyone: the older members contributed a realistic timeline and risk mitigation plan, while the younger members introduced an innovative supplier scouting method using social media. The blend produced a more robust outcome than either group could have achieved alone. It echoes what broader research has found – companies with greater age diversity in their teams are significantly more innovative (one study pegs it at 23% more innovation). In our case, these mixed teams became innovation engines. And equally important, they built camaraderie; nothing bonds colleagues like solving a tough problem together, regardless of age.
- Mindset Workshops and Cross-Training: To further break down silos, Matišić plans to invest in periodic workshops that bring the whole team (from all countries, all generations) together – sometimes in person, sometimes via virtual conferences. In these sessions, a buyer from Serbia might share how they adapted to a major market change, or a young Croatian analyst might run a live demo of a new market intelligence tool. Cross-training sessions are also in the works, where, for example, the procurement team teaches the basics of negotiation to junior marketers, and the digital team gives an intro to e-commerce analytics for the older sales folks. These workshops create empathy. Senior staff realize that adapting one’s mindset or learning a new tool is hard for everyone, not just “the old dogs.” Juniors see that even routine processes like procurement have complexities they hadn’t considered. The effect is a greater appreciation for each other’s roles and challenges. Moreover, these collective learning experiences reinforce that the team is united in growth, rather than divided by age or country. (A side benefit: they’re fun! It’s gratifying to see a 50-year-old and a 25-year-old laughing together as they tackle a business case exercise in a workshop.)
Experience + Innovation: The Omnichannel Reality
The retail world is changing fast – our customers are now shopping seamlessly across physical stores, mobile apps, websites, and social media marketplaces. This modern omnichannel reality means our business needs both steady experience and fearless innovation in equal measure. Krešimir often thinks of their multigenerational team as having a dual engine: one engine is powered by the experience, historical knowledge, and hard-won intuition of those who’ve lived through retail’s ups and downs; the other engine is fueled by digital savvy, fresh ideas, and the “why not?” energy of the younger generation. If one engine stalls, they lose momentum. But when both are running in tandem, they’re virtually unstoppable.
Conclusion: Reflections of a Learning Leader
Navigating the maze of generational and cultural differences in a large, spread-out retail team has been one of the toughest challenges of Krešimir’s career – and one of the most rewarding. He had moments of frustration, like when a brilliant young hire nearly quit out of boredom because they didn’t initially give her enough room to innovate, or when an experienced manager resisted a great idea with the reflexive argument, “We tried that 10 years ago; it didn’t work.” But he’s also witnessed moments that made it all worth it: a cross-generational brainstorming session that cracked a problem they’d struggled with for months, or a casual coffee chat where a senior buyer admitted to their 20-something mentee: “I’m learning as much from you as you are from me.”
If there’s one overarching lesson Krešimir has learned, it’s that leadership in a multigenerational, multicultural context is less about enforcing consistency and more about enabling complementarity. A conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make all the instruments play the same notes – they ensure different instruments play in harmony. Similarly, his role has evolved into an orchestrator: creating an environment where each team member, young or old, from Zagreb or Ljubljana or Belgrade, feels heard and empowered to contribute their unique strengths toward their common goals. It requires empathy, lots of communication, and a willingness to occasionally let others lead in their area of expertise.
Practically, fostering this harmony means never getting complacent. As a leader, Matišić knows he must keep learning too – learning about new technologies from his juniors, learning about cultural nuances in each market, and learning new management approaches to keep everyone engaged. It’s also about trust: trusting that giving people agency and voice, even if they approach things differently, will lead to better outcomes. He has come to celebrate the fact that his team isn’t a monolith. Yes, it’s harder to manage a group that spans four generations and five national cultures – but it’s also far richer. Their diversity of experience and thought is now their competitive edge.
In the end, the challenge of aligning old guard and new generation, across various cultures, has made Krešimir a more thoughtful and adaptive leader. They haven’t completely solved it – it’s a journey, not a destination – but they are miles ahead of where they started. Their story proves that with the right culture and leadership practices, “generation gap” can turn into “generation synergy”. Modern retail demands nothing less, and as Krešimir continues this journey, he’s excited to see what else his multigenerational team will teach him – because if he’s learned one thing, it’s that great leaders remain great students.
