Tomáš Kolář (Linet): 20% growth? According to Americans, a success, even if it's 10% below plan.
In today's episode of CEO na ostří nože, Tomáš Kolář describes how to lead a global company in times of crisis, why continuous improvement is the key to success, and how AI is changing Linet.
In the next episode of the no-holds-barred CEO podcast, we talk with Tomáš Kolář, CEO of Linet, who has been with the company for more than thirty years. He witnessed its transformation from a small startup into an international group operating in more than a hundred countries. He openly describes what it was like to take over leadership from founder Zbyněk Frolík right at the moment when the world was hit by the pandemic, an energy crisis, inflation, and geopolitical changes.
According to Tomáš, long-term success does not rely on strategy alone. Crucial is a culture of continuous improvement. In production, the kaizen principle functions to lead people to come up with ideas to simplify work on their own. As soon as employees are given room to compete, experiment, and showcase their own ideas, innovation comes naturally. Corporate culture is therefore not built on loyalty at all costs, but on performance, cooperation, and shared responsibility for results.
He also devotes a large part of the interview to technology and artificial intelligence. According to him, a modern hospital bed has long ceased to be just a mechanical engineering product. Thanks to sensors, electronics, and AI, it can help healthcare workers better monitor patient conditions or save time for medical personnel, whose numbers are dramatically decreasing worldwide. Linet uses AI just as practically inside the company—for example, in automatically logging business meetings into CRM or searching for spare parts in an extensive database of serviced beds.
Tomáš also points out that technology alone is not enough. People must have the opportunity to experiment with it and look for new ways of working. Initial prototypes can be created directly within teams, but if they are to become part of the company's operations, professional development must take them over and transform them into long-term sustainable tools. According to him, the same principle applies when managing an international company. The decisive factor is to be as close as possible to customers, individual markets, and one's own people. It is personal presence and understanding the local context that accelerates decision-making and growth.
A strong motif throughout the interview is also the meaning of work. Tomáš describes that connecting cutting-edge technology with healthcare is the reason why he has stayed at Linet for more than three decades. He considers helping healthcare workers care for patients to be one of the most meaningful areas of industry. And just as a company must grow and adapt to new conditions, its leaders must continuously learn as well.
What else will you find answers to in the podcast?
• What it was like taking over the management of Linet right before the COVID-19 pandemic
• Why a culture of continuous improvement works better than top-down commands
• How AI helps healthcare workers and Linet employees every day
• Why creating AI prototypes is not enough and they need to be converted into systemic solutions
• How to manage a company with fifty nationalities and hundreds of markets around the world
• Why personal presence remains the fastest accelerator of company growth
If a company wants to succeed long-term in a rapidly changing world, reacting to individual crises is not enough. It needs a culture that supports daily improvement, people willing to come up with ideas, and the courage to use technology where it truly brings value to customers and employees.