Marino projects company is probably the best example of a socially-responsible and successful business. In just eight years, this Lithuanian capital shipbuilding company has grown to become well-known even among international competitors. Marino projects CEO Laisvydas Kazbaraitis shared about the values that help the company stay strong and in the lead among the largest companies in Western Lithuania, and also what it means to steer such company.
‘You are the head of the company. Please describe your typical day at work.’
‘It is long and dynamic. My work begins at 7 a.m. After breakfast and a cup of coffee, I dedicate some time to overview the upcoming day. My arrival at the office is followed by job interviews, meetings, and so on. It all ends at 7-8 p.m. and sometimes even later.’
‘What are the greatest challenges in leading this type of a company?’
‘Steering a large company is truly not easy. Each day is full of challenges and various unexpected situations. But this motivates me to do my best, keep growing, cooperating and looking for best decisions. Time planning is among the greatest challenges. Each minute must be planned with purpose and used to its fullest, otherwise, don’t even dare to dream of success… However, what I find the greatest challenge of all is to take responsibility for two and a half thousand employees. There are also all kinds of obligations for our clients for the projects we work on. This does take some hours away from your sleep, but, at the end of the day, you see that it was all worth it.’
‘In your opinion, what personal qualities make a true leader?’
‘Leaders must believe in what they do, being a reliable authority for their teams, sincerely taking care of their employees’ improvement and growth. It is also important to be able to take control of the situation and make bold decisions. And finally, I believe that a strong leader is someone, who has a vision for the company not one year, but several years in the future.’
‘The company has gone a truly long way in such a short time. What achievement makes you most proud?’
‘For me, Marino projects is much more than just a successful company, so I can’t name only one achievement that makes me proud. Being the director of the company, I am extremely happy that, having founded it nearly nine years ago, we managed to grow into a company group, taking a leading position in the shipbuilding sector not only in Lithuania, but also the Baltic States. We’re working in the largest shipyards and this makes us very proud. We have our representative offices in Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Germany and Latvia. Thus, we’re working all over the world, unstopped even by the quarantine period.’
‘What do you see as the key values at Marino projektai?’
‘The company’s greatest value lies with reliable employees and the team spirit. We’ve truly learned that you can’t win a battle alone. Meanwhile a good and supporting team can move heaven and earth. These qualities make Marino projects the perfect place for growing as a leader. We’re growing together with the company group.’
‘You are one of the most successful companies in this sector. Is the competition hard?’
‘You bet! The competition is enormous – after all, our competitors are distributed all over Europe, not just Lithuania. Active competition leaves you no time to relax. This is the driving force, which keeps us moving forward.’
‘What brings Marino projects ahead of its competitors?’
‘Sincere, diligent and consistent work with no time spared. Namely these qualities have earned us our impressive achievements: we have established our position among the largest players of this field in Europe. Clients know us and we’ve gained their recognition – our service quality keeps bringing them back to us again and again. Of course, success consists of a number of ingredients. This is a continuous and hard teamwork, which demands lots of effort from the head of the company, working together with the colleagues.’
‘What would be your best advice for those, who’re only dreaming of leadership?’
‘Always believe in what you do and do what you believe in.’