A conversation with Milan Udicki, managing director of Grundfos Serbia
Some of the most important things in life are often the ones we only learn to appreciate when we pause and look back.
Water is one of them. The same can be said of the earliest years of our lives – it is only later that we begin to understand how deeply the experiences, support and relationships from early childhood have shaped who we are today.
This is one of the important ideas that connects the Novak Djokovic Foundation and Grundfos company. Our partnership began last year, driven by a shared desire to support the development of children and young people and contribute to the communities in which we live and work.
We spoke with Milan Udicki, Managing Director of Grundfos Serbia, about the values that are shaped from our earliest years, the people who support us along the way, the lessons we learn through sport and failure, and what it means to invest in what truly matters for the long term.
People Are What Make a Company
For more than eight decades, Grundfos has been working with one of the world’s most important resources – water. Its work encompasses solutions for water supply, energy efficiency and responsible resource management, with a long-term focus on the challenges posed by water and climate change.
But, like any organisation, Grundfos is first and foremost made up of people.
Milan often connects his experience in sport with the way he approaches leadership today. Sport has been an important part of his life since childhood, and it was on the sports field, as he says, that he learned some of his most valuable life lessons.
“If I had to single out one, it would be the realisation that the greatest results are never achieved alone. Behind every success are teamwork, togetherness, mutual trust and a willingness to make one another better.”
He believes the same principle applies to the business world.
“No leader wins alone – success comes when you build a team of people who share a common purpose, trust one another and give their best. At Grundfos, our greatest focus is on our people, because they are the ones who create, improve and achieve our goals together as a team.”
This is also an important lesson we can carry into childhood: children need more than opportunities and talent. They need adults who believe in them.
Educational Caravan “Path of a Champion” – Novak Djokovic Foundation and Grundfos Serbia Team
Talent Opens Doors, but Encouragement Helps Children Step Through Them
Through sport, Milan has met many talented children. Yet his experience has taught him that talent alone rarely determines how far someone will go.
“Talent can open doors, but support, encouragement and the environment are what help a child walk through those doors.”
Parents, coaches and teachers can make a decisive difference – especially when they give children the space to make mistakes, learn and grow without fear of failure.
This is why we are especially proud that Grundfos is a partner of the Path of a Champion program, which is a thoughtfully designed program that helps parents support their children’s journey in sport. At its heart is the belief that every child is already a champion — regardless of the path they choose to follow in life.
We Don’t Learn Only from Victories
Sport also teaches us how to deal with the other side of the coin – defeats and difficult moments. And perhaps that is one of its most important lessons: we will not always be the winners.
When asked whether character is shaped more by victories or defeats, Milan says:
“I believe that we build character through both victories and defeats, but if I had to choose, I would say that defeats teach us the most important lessons in life. Victories give us confidence and confirmation that we are on the right path, while defeats teach us humility and perseverance, make us reflect, and give us the ability to get back up when things do not go as planned.”
He carries the same experience into the business world. Projects and decisions that did not deliver the expected results were not easy moments, he says, but they created opportunities to learn, adapt and find new solutions.
“Character is not revealed when everything is easy, but when we face challenges.”
A Message to His Seven-Year-Old Self
We asked Milan what he would say today to himself as a seven-year-old boy.
“I would tell him to be curious, to believe in himself and not to be afraid of making mistakes. I would also tell him not to rush to grow up, to spend time with his family and friends, and to enjoy every moment.”
Because, as he says: “many of the things we consider important today will pass, while the values we develop as children, the people we love and the experiences we build stay with us forever.”
And then comes another message that may be especially important to hear in a world that often expects us all to be faster, better and more successful:
“And perhaps most importantly, I would tell him never to underestimate the power of kindness and support, and to surround himself with good, quality people.”
Those people – family, friends, teachers, coaches, colleagues and mentors – often become part of the story of who we eventually become.
Milan describes his own experience at Grundfos in much the same way. During his 14 years with the company, he has grown not only as a professional but also as a person, thanks to colleagues he learned from, who believed in him and encouraged him to push his own boundaries.
Building for the Future
Perhaps this is where the values of Grundfos Serbia and the Novak Djokovic Foundation meet most clearly. Both organisations believe in the importance of long-term investment – in resources, people, children and communities.
“Social responsibility,” Milan says, “should not be something a company does occasionally, but something that is part of who it is. When caring for people and the community becomes part of the values on which you build your business, philanthropy stops being a project and becomes a natural part of the culture.”
Because what truly matters does not happen overnight. Character is built over years, trust through relationships, and success through people who believe in one another. And the future begins when we choose to support those who are just starting to build their path.
This is at the heart of our partnership with Grundfos Serbia – a shared belief that by investing in people and resources today, we lay the foundations for a society that grows and develops alongside them.
