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Tanja Pureta
Episode · #137

VRIJEME JE ZA GOSPODARSTVO Tanja Pureta

Guest Tanja PuretaHosted by Darko BukovićMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

The current crisis has pulled back the curtain on a unique burden for business leaders: the expectation to guide employees and clients through unprecedented uncertainty, often without any playbook or external direction. This is the terrain Tanja Pureta, a business psychologist and the founder of Ramiro, navigates daily with her own team and her clients. She sees entrepreneurship itself as an "adventure" that increasingly demands the tools of psychology—a field she has spent her career popularizing, from reality TV to corporate boardrooms. Pureta offers a clear-eyed perspective on leadership when the ground shifts beneath everyone's feet. She explains why the default response to crisis—waiting for external instructions or hoping for a quick recovery—is a missed opportunity. Instead, she argues, this moment demands a specific kind of communication, a particular stance on transparency, and a renewed focus on preparing for a future that will inevitably arrive. Readers will walk away with a sharper understanding of how to lead not just through crisis, but *because* of it, transforming uncertainty into a period of strategic preparation and renewed team cohesion.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Tanja Pureta, a psychologist who has advised on everything from reality TV to business strategy, describes entrepreneurship as an "adventure" that increasingly demands a deep understanding of human behavior. The businesses that thrive in unpredictable times are often those led by individuals who grasp the psychological demands of constant adaptation and public scrutiny.
02
While health authorities issued clear guidelines during the crisis, business leaders received no equivalent instructions for their operations. In the absence of external directives, the burden falls squarely on business owners to translate general information into specific, actionable steps for their teams, making leadership an act of continuous, on-the-fly interpretation.
03
Employees during a crisis grapple with questions ranging from the mundane, like "How do I politely refuse a handshake?", to the existential, "What will happen to my job?". Effective crisis communication acknowledges this full spectrum of anxiety, ensuring leaders address both practical daily concerns and deeper fears about job security to maintain trust and stability.
04
Pureta advises leaders to practice "open communication, frequent communication, and clear decisions," even if it means admitting "I don't know" and involving employees in problem-solving. The most powerful tool for leaders in uncertain times is not false certainty, but radical transparency and co-creation, which transforms anxiety into shared ownership and collective resilience.
05
She contrasts two types of employers: those who "gave up the fight" and waited for a miracle, and those who actively sought new business models, suppliers, or prepared for future periods. A crisis exposes leadership philosophy: some see only an endpoint, while others recognize a rare window to innovate, re-strategize, and build future capacity, even when immediate work is scarce.
06
Even when employees work remotely, Pureta stresses the need for daily check-ins, motivation, supervision, and clear expectations via tools like Skype or phone. Distance working does not absolve leaders of their fundamental responsibility to provide continuity, motivation, and direction; the leader remains the central "source of organization," regardless of physical proximity.
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