Coach Steven Gream presents at the Balkan Business Forum in Serbia

The Balkan Business Forum brings together international business leaders and experts to discuss leadership, organizational development, and strategies for building high-performing teams. The event attracts executives, consultants, business owners, and professionals from fields such as human resources, project management, and risk management.

Past speakers have included Professor Herminia Ibarra of London Business School, former BBC HR Director Lucy Adams, Google HR leader Daniela Landherr, Vodafone executive Catalina Schweninger, LEGO Innovation Director David Gram, CEO.works managing partner and Coca-Cola supervisory board member  Hein J.M. Knaapen, Oracle former VP and AI Startup Founder Marek Swierad, and leadership experts including Brian Tracy and Dr. Marshall Goldsmith.

The invitation praised Gream's work in building high-performing teams through psychological safety and cited his fresh perspective on the reasons behind his team's success, referencing his appearance on the Max Out Podcast in spring 2025.

Gream accepted the invitation and spent the next 10 months preparing for the event. His presentation, titled "Reinvent Yourself – Leadership and Team Transformation," went through months of writing and organization before being submitted to the BBF for approval and promotion.

The presentation synopsis emphasized that Gream's impact extends beyond the court through culture-building, leadership, and personal development. His philosophy, "Reinvent Yourself," was presented as both a personal mindset and a leadership approach rooted in continuous improvement, courage, and readiness for new challenges.

A defining point in his career came when he concluded that championships are built not only through physical preparation and discipline, but also through mental training and resilience. By incorporating psychological coaching into his own development and his teams' routines, Gream made mental toughness a central part of building championship-level performance.

In the lecture, Gream explained how leaders can build resilient teams, maximize individual potential, and foster a culture that balances results and personal development. His message centered on the idea that strong leaders do more than win; they shape people, culture, and long-term legacy.

He also highlighted the value of daily routines, process-oriented goals, and team cohesion in helping groups stay composed under pressure and learn from mistakes. He argued that instilling responsibility, belonging, and personal pride in young people creates a foundation for success not only in athletics but in life.

The BBF provided flights and accommodations, and Gream used the trip as an opportunity to visit current and former Cowley Volleyball players in Hungary, Bulgaria, and Serbia, including Hanna Darvas, Sara Puskas, Elina Zlateva, Lana Gomilanovic, Teo Cekan, members of Iva Halacheva's family, and incoming freshmen Ema Duleva and Marija Andelkovic. He also took the time to check out the local talent and watch an international match between Bulgaria and Sweden. On May 28, he delivered his presentation to a room of business executives from around the world, connecting the BBF's themes to psychological safety, trust, parallels between sports and business, and the need for leaders to continue reinventing themselves.

"It was a great honor to present at the Balkan Business Forum," Gream said. "Speaking at such a prestigious event, with executives from around the world, was a little outside of my comfort zone. Still, I could not pass up the opportunity, and I spent the full 10 months preparing for it. I was also honored that the presentation aligned so well with the BBF's theme and sparked thoughtful questions about my speech, the parallels between sports and business, working with the new generation, and our mental training techniques. I'm grateful the presentation resonated with people, and it was especially meaningful to visit current and former Cowley Volleyball players and see their beautiful countries."

More information on Coach Gream's presentation can be found at: https://bbforum.rs/en/speakers/steven-gream/