Authoradmin

The Circular Economy, or the Road to Conscious Consumption

Soňa Jonášová, founder and director of the Circular Economy Institute

Meet Soňa Jonášová, founder and director of the Circular Economy Institute (Institut Cirkulární Ekonomiky, INCIEN). Soňa graduated in agricultural engineering from Mendel University. Her own motto is ‘The changes we want to see around us have to begin with ourselves’. She is interested in sustainable development, food production, agriculture, ‘cradle to cradle’ systems, the circular economy, and networking in the form of placements for university students. She has been the director of INCIEN since 2015 and is actively involved in the transition from a linear to a circular economic system in the Czech Republic. Within INCIEN, she is responsible for development activities and co-operation with key interested parties in the Czech Republic and abroad. Thee main field she concentrates on within INCIEN is the closure of biological cycles and technical cycles within corporate sustainable development, an area encompassing agriculture, the development of new economies, waste management, eco-innovation, and support for local and community action with the objective of creating a healthy society and ecosystems.

According to the definition of the circular economy, it minimises waste and other losses of energy and materials. It is often contrasted with the linear economy, which is based on production using the approach ‘take, make, dispose’. Certain sceptics, however, might see it merely as a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) fad and another reason to print some more hard-to-dispose-of glossy brochures… How can you convince these sceptics?

The entire system behind this new concept takes us back to common sense, to conscious production and consumption and to a respect for the natural resources we have here on Planet Earth. We haven’t made up anything new here. Human society always used to work like this. Our population keeps increasing, while resources and our natural heritage remain the same. Furthermore, recent years have shown that we are running out of raw materials and here in Europe we are not self-sufficient in raw materials. We import phosphorus, for example, which is essential for agriculture, from Morocco and its reserves are diminishing. Phosphorus recycling is beginning to turn into a lucrative business of the future. There are no longer discussions as to whether climate change and raw material limits are real or not.

The circular economy system is not about publishing attention-grabbing reports, but about a real change in business models. There are examples of renowned companies, such as IKEA, which observes its principles. Ikea implemented the Second Life project for its furniture which secures the return of old furniture and its further resale. Thus products remain in the cycle for as long as possible and waste production is avoided. The success of this model is evidenced in the fact that following assessment of the pilot project at Zličín, Prague, the project is being extended to other stores.

You founded the Institute of Circular Economy Institute in the Czech Republic. What is your mission?

Our mission is to spread circular economy ideas across all sectors and interested parties. Besides spreading our idea, we also work in implementing its principles in practice. We co-operate with dozens of municipalities which, for example, are implementing new efficient waste management systems in order to sort as many materials as possible for further processing such that they do not become waste, but rather a value resource. We also co-operate with companies implementing circular economy principles at various levels. Some companies transfer to more sustainable resources, others process secondary raw materials, and other change their business models and implement systems of repair or collection in order to recycle as many materials as possible.

Our objective is also to take and implement examples of good practice abroad, whether in terms of know-how or technology. It is our conviction that if we can learn from the experience of others, we can save time and money.

We also co-operate with the public sector and endeavour to ensure the environment for investors and entrepreneurs is as ready as it can be. Sometimes laws and directives have to be changed to ensure materials can circulate in the environment in practice.

It’s been two years since INCIEN was founded; what specific outcomes are you most proud of?

We were very pleased by the response to our Odpad Zdrojem ( Waste as Resource) conference, which we launched in 2016 with the objective of spreading the CE concept, this time amongst local authority players. It is often a very complex topic and in particular we think the growing interest and positive response seen year-on-year shows our success. This year, we are expanding the conference to include an event of the same name but more narrowly focused in autumn which will focus on eco-innovation and the circular economy within water management. This year, our target group will also include companies. Another great success is the organisation of the PAYT Tour, which we undertook this year in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment. The event was implemented with the objective of presenting the Action Plan for the CE objectives, as issued by the European Commission whose goals we are obliged to meet by 2030. Our target group was local authorities, and almost 700 municipality and city representatives visited our seminars. We appreciate the large number of orders and projects from companies and municipalities who seek us out themselves in order to set up co-operation.

Stories of people with a total of 33 items of clothing including shoes and accessories, and others whose annual waste fits into a jam jar are very popular. On the other hand, a lifestyle like that surely isn’t for everyone…

Ideas of minimalism, conscious consumption, zero waste and other concepts are undoubtedly commitments made individually. It is hard to implement them on a blanket basis, but it is good to discuss them as these principles arouse interest, and people then try to do ‘at least something’ and become aware of their responsibility. Little changes in everyday life have a large impact in a global context. Buying less clothes, for example, in the long term not just reduces our environmental footprint, but also helps us to slow consumption, something which may in future lead to better conditions for workers in textile factories.

How do you personally implement circular economy ideas in your life?

One interesting principle promoted by the circular economy is a transfer from ownership to leasing and the sharing economy. Owning things requires not just money, but also time. The more we have the more space and the more time we need to maintain them. I live in a rented apartment, for example, drive a lease car and since moving to Prague I’ve also hired most of my sports equipment, including skis and bikes. When I take account of the fact that I might own skis which I hardly use one week in a year with the rest of the time spent wondering where to store them, then lease works out much cheaper. And it’s the same with almost everything. And I always recycle or give away things that can’t be leased at the end of their lifecycle; this applies to IT technology and furniture. I have come to realise how much people actually need when they don’t keep up with the latest fashion trends, for example. I’ve reduced my wardrobe by a third and I’ve always got something to wear. I buy as little as possible and hire an outfit for important occasions. And when I do go shopping, I want to know what the product is, where and from what materials it has been produced and if it can be recycled. And I sort all my waste for recycling. At home and at work. I avoid single-use products and instead use multiple-use bottles, bags and food packaging. We should all implement these types of principles to such an extent that it does not restrict our daily lives. We never try to persuade people to do things; we just show people products’ complete story and discuss the global context and what they can change in their lives.

INCIEN – Institut Cirkulární Ekonomiky, z. ú. – is a non-governmental non-profit organisation promoting the circular economy within the Czech Republic. It was established in 2015 and has implemented a number of successful events and projects since then. More at www.incien.org.

By Linda Štucbartová

On Being A Manager by Trade, An Entrepreneur by Heart and An Overall Leader

Simon Kaluža, Managing Director, SAP CEE

Simon, let us start with reflection as this quality is often mentioned to be the one that today’s leaders are typically lacking. During the last round of the SAP Forum in Prague, you and panelists reflected upon the changes brought about since last year. However, let us go further back. You have been responsible for SAP in the CEE region for almost 5 years, what are the major substantial changes on the regional level?

When I took over my role, I faced two kinds of challenges. The external ones were linked to the way the market perceived SAP as a company. People from IT were often asking why is the CEO part of the IT project, and the CEO tried to explain that it’s not only implementing an IT system but the future of the company. That’s how much technology is important. The internal challenges were linked to adapting to the fast changes on the market. Some challenges were easy to address, such as the way we approached our customers and the way we were selling or positioning our products. Speaking of reflection and history, I will take you back even further.

It seems like ages now, but 20 years ago, it was sufficient to have a state of the art product that customers were buying because of its quality and robustness. Suddenly, this was not enough and the products started to become solution based. As customers were becoming more knowledgeable about business processes, competitors and, in general, about the whole ecosystem they operated in, SAP also had to respond. We came with the so called “challenger way” for how to sell and position our products.

We are in a position to be able to challenge our customers and to show them what business opportunities they are missing by not investing into our solutions and technologies. Such perspective brings about some substantial prerequisites. The first one is being able to understand the businesses of our customers inside out then going even beyond that. We need to understand the customers of our customers. In order to do that, we need to challenge our mindsets, be more agile…faster than both the competition and our customers. In today’s already fast developing world, this represents a true challenge. That is why you need “the best of the breed,” the best people, products and industries. We brought many industry experts, we invested a lot in training. However, the biggest change occurred on the mindset level.

Speaking of the mindset change, would you agree with the quote: “Innovation is not a department, it is an attitude”.

I would go even further, innovation for me is a culture, because behavior can vary from one day to the other. It is by no means an easy task to change the culture in a multinational environment. It is a hard work that has to start at the top and go all the way to the last employee but in the end, it pays off. The customers then perceive us in a completely different manner, far from the previous image of a rigid company providing ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems. To complete the previous question about reflection on the past five years, I am proud to say that our portfolio has not only expanded, it exploded. Next to ERP systems and business intelligence products, we have provided the cutting edge technology SAP HANA that became a platform. Introducing SAP HANA led to an avalanche of other events. The customer was put in the middle of our universe: not today’s customer but rather the customer of 2020 and beyond.

We understood the change that millennials are bringing about, we made several acquisitions, such as SAP Hybris, SAP Ariba and SAP SuccessFactors and we created a strategy for SAP, one that is also applicable to any single organization, be it a production company, a service company or even a public sector company. Every single organization has four stake holders: customers, employees, suppliers and assets. The way you manage these four corresponds to the way you manage your business. And just to underscore the fast and exponential development we face: last year at the SAP Forum, we were discussing digital transformation, and that is already happening. This year, we are discussing artificial intelligence and how it can be incorporated into all elements of the business and by next year I am positive that we will already have examples of successful implementation in our region. Time needed to re-invent your business cannot be measured in years, it has to be measured in months or sometimes even days.

Digital transformation is an issue that SAP has been pursuing for several years. However, it might sound too abstract or even scary, particularly for small and medium sized local companies. What is your advice regarding small, safe “baby” steps on how to get digitized?

Well, I might use a parallel that quite well known companies, such as Nokia or Kodak used, claiming that no change is safe and we all know the outcome of such business decisions. I can understand people being afraid of the investment. Let me introduce another approach – leaving technology aside, as it is just the means. For any company, the key is to know all about its customers, starting with expectations and its competitors but also development and change. Would you ask a child today if he or she watches regularly scheduled TV? It is nonsense for them: why would they watch a movie at any fixed time determined by someone else? The generation of our parents, on the other hand, still wait for their movie on Saturday night. Thinking about customers in this way will then transform to suitable business models to attract tomorrow’s customers. If you do not start adapting today, you will miss out on tomorrow.

Can you be more specific and share two examples or best practices of customer digitization from the CEE region?

Well, let me start with a company that produces spare parts for the automotive industry. When I talked to the CEO, he mentioned that his IT people kept challenging him about the need for them to be on the project team. However, such projects are not only about IT anymore, as they influence the future of the company. In four or five years the automotive industry will change completely. We are not investing in IT, we are investing in our future and new business models. As I have mentioned above, the IT is only the tool.

The second reference project concerns a Czech global company AVAST and it is linked to millennials. As a high tech company, producing top security software, it is attracting mainly young talent. What is important for millennials? Customization. They expect the same environment that they have at home. They enjoy nice computers, tablets, gadgets and they like to connect using social media. For someone my age, this might be slightly disturbing but for the coming generations such aspects are of the utmost importance. We teamed up with them and successfully implemented our HR solution, called SAP SuccessFactors. This solution is based on a social network model and enables you to comfortably address the most common HR issues, such as communicating with your colleagues, providing them with goals, trainings, or education, engaging with them regarding business development. This particular tool is not only natural but was expected by the millennial employees in order to avoid a leadership gap. Luckily, the leadership team of AVAST recognized the importance of such a solution and made the investment. The implementation also enabled them to measure satisfaction and we were pleased to see tangible preliminary results, showing that the immediate satisfaction grew by 3%. Such results allow you to calculate a return on your investments, which is often argued in HR solutions. Yes, there are financials behind it. Higher satisfaction increases productivity and performance, attracts young talent in the market and supports retention.

In May, you held your biggest annual conference SAPPHIRE NOW. Can you share some major announcements with our readers?

The major announcement was a conceptual one, concerning Leonardo. Leonardo is not a product but a set of tools that help you intelligently connect people, businesses and assets. The conceptual change introduces the new approach for how we partner with our customers. Until now, we were bringing pre-built solutions that were implemented and customized. The Leonardo platform allows us to co-innovate together. The new set of tools helps materialize innovative customers from both sides. We not only deploy and implement, but we truly build new solutions together. This is the key message regarding our future evolution as a business. That does not mean that we will stop selling traditional solutions and products but we have to keep coming up with new approaches.

You describe yourself as a manager by trade, entrepreneur by heart and a leader… What message concerning leadership do you want to pass on?

If you want to make everybody happy, sell ice- cream. Everything depends on trust and the people. I have the best team ever. I trust them and they trust me and together we can go to the Moon.

What are your personal plans for the summer and what advice do you give your colleagues regarding recharging batteries?

We have repeatedly demonstrated our mantra: “Work hard, party hard”. Personally, I like to sail; I have been a passionate sailor for the past twenty years. It does not come as a surprise that the Adriatic region is the one I prefer. I also play guitar in a rock band. I am just afraid that revealing that I have done so for almost 40 years will make me look old. I wish a pleasant summer to all readers of the Czech and Slovak Leaders magazine!

Linda Štucbartová

I see business as a lifestyle

Doc. RNDr. PhMr. Karel Volenec, CSc.

It sounds like a fairytale… ELLA-CS, a Czech company without any foreign capital based in Hradec Králové, is operating with success across 70 countries worldwide in the medical products market. The reality of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the Czech market, however, is more of thriller than anything else. How do you look back at the last quarter-century from the perspective of an entrepreneur?

It’s very difficult to assess 25 years of life in a limited space. I don’t see business as a way of making money, but rather as a lifestyle. The lifestyle is sometimes really exhausting, but it is exciting and extremely satisfying. For me, it is a conditio sine qua non in the meaningfulness of what I do and the opportunity to create something completely new. Last but not least, I would add the responsibility for the team I lead.

Although we export to seventy countries, we only have direct branches in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Distributors represent us in other countries. We have tried building direct subsidiaries in Western European countries, but to my surprise we came up against a language barrier from customers, even though these were countries where English was a second language.

The disadvantage here is the fact we are not sufficiently frequently in direct contact with healthcare providers; in our case, as implant manufacturers we do not have direct contact with the patient. For new products in particular, this can be counterproductive because the distributor does not always know the product inside out and it is merely an object bought and sold for the distributor.

In contrast to many companies which focus only on manufacture, you have also focused your attention on research and development since you began your career in 1986. How do you see developments in this sector?

I worked as an assistant at the Charles University Medical Faculty in Hradec Kralove’s Biophysics Institute and I was also involved at the Institute for Experimental and Clinical Radiobiology. Working in these institutes was invaluable to me. I found out about research methods and lecturing was also great preparation for my future focus.

It is important to say that research and development used to be funded in a similar manner to today, but was more centrally managed. We perceive the previous regime as having a high level of bureaucracy leading to situations in which large investments could be made, but where it was then very difficult to subsequently purchase component parts needed.

Usually there were attempts made at the end of the year to spend your funding at any cost so your budget was not reduced in the following period. I thought naively that this situation would change after the 1989 revolution, but alas this unfortunate model persists not just in science, but other sectors too. My other disappointment has been the little interest shown by companies in any co-operation.

Once I had finished my military and civil projects after 1989 with the end of the commissioning institutions, I had hoped that representatives of major companies would come to us and we would be able to choose which company we would co-operate with. But nobody was interested.

At that time, I knew nothing about quality systems and normative requirements on managing research and development, and it wasn’t until moving to the private sector that I realised how huge the gap was between applied research and between companies and the academic sphere. I still hope these differences will one day disappear and we will be able to overcome this rift as in other countries.

I had the opportunity to see a few days ago in Estonia how the university in Tartu built a fully certified analytical laboratory. They found the courage and space in the legislation and established a subsidiary.

You frequently act as one of the leading proponents of co-operation between the academic and business world. But the general population see these worlds as entirely separate and almost impenetrable…

Both spheres — the private and academic and university worlds — complement each other, but there must be the will on both sides to manage the different methods of communication in particular. It’s sad to see statistics showing that the success of applied research outcomes in practice is of the order of 3% – 5% of all assignments dealt with at an EU level. These projects are subsidised by taxpayers. No private company in the world would be able to allow this. Companies have to be much more careful and think in great detail about where they can invest and with what efficiency they should set funding so that a return on investment can be achieved as fast as possible from idea to concept.

I had the opportunity to listen to your talk on Innovation at Charles University. I was taken by two areas in particular which we often discuss with leaders in our magazine. The first area is the use of mentoring as a tool for bringing the private and academic spheres together. The second idea regards support for humanities, especially at a time when industry is calling for support to be given to technical sciences and compulsory school leaving exams in Maths are being discussed.

In terms of mentoring, I think this is a very effective solution in terms of money and time invested. Representatives of university and academia should be able to visit manufacturing businesses more frequently and get the opportunity to discuss with their representatives, and in the same way company representatives should be involved in the teaching process more frequently, at least at the level of motivational talks. Exchange placements at the workplace are incredibly beneficial and are going to become ever more important.Today, it is not ‘just’ about product quality, which is taken for granted; now the speed of launching a product is also important.

The issue of supporting humanities is simple from my perspective. It is my conviction that very soon businesses will represent conglomerates of workers who share common ideas and common goals. Companies will be forced to focus much more on building an internal corporate culture. An example here might be their approach to criticism — what about rewarding criticism instead of penalising it? My tutor Prof. Steinhard encouraged me to always surround myself with people who know more than me. And that’s exactly the situation today when there is ever less space for individualists and many results can only be achieved within a well-oiled team.

Let’s look at a very topical and also underestimated issue closely related to science and research in which the Czech Republic lags behind… how are we getting on in terms of intellectual property and its protection?

I’m afraid there is still a massive gap here. Over a quarter century I have personally made a number of very serious errors in underestimating this field and I think that there should be an expert in this field at every university and at every faculty, someone who is knowledgeable in these matters and who can provide the appropriate help to anyone endeavouring to develop or innovate and who wants someone to manufacture and launch their product. This is often one of the most critical phases. It is practically committing suicide, for example, to enter into a contract with an American company without a professional lawyer. I trust that our poor protection of intellectual rights will be eliminated in future. A warning in this regard is the fact that a few years ago a certain foreign organisation went around different faculties deliberately taking away outcomes of research which were insufficiently protected.

ELLA-CS is not headquartered in Prague, but in Hradec Kralove. Hradec Kralove has been assessed as the best place to live in the Czech Republic. How is it to do business outside the capital?

I was born in a beautiful part of the Czech Republic in the Sumava region, and I moved to Hradec Kralove as a student. I studied here and I’ve lived here for many years now. My background means it would be very hard for me to live in a busy place like Prague, or in another city where I would miss the peace and countryside I need. It must be something which is imprinted on you in childhood and which you can’t take away.

On the other hand, when someone comes to visit from abroad, then logically the most common place to visit is Prague which brings together so many different styles, and not just in architecture. It is a city for which all the world envies us. I split my life between Hradec Kralove, Sumava and Prague and many other places in the world, but I will always return to the place of my birth.

I think we all need our roots and a sense of belonging.

Your final words for Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

It is my wish that only those who enjoy it and do it not just to make money, but to make those around them happy, remain in the business sector. In my case, those who I will probably never meet, but to whom I and my team can return that which they value the most — their health

By Linda Štucbartová

Small enterprises now no longer slouching

Karel Havlíček, Chair of the Board, AMSP ČR

Since 2001 the Association has offered an open, apolitical platform for SMEs, the self-employed and various groupings and associations. It is the main representative of the Czech Republic’s broadest business segment and apart from legislation, export, innovation, education, and financing of SMEs it has special teams and projects which focus on family businesses, handicrafts, start-up businesses, local producers and growers, small shops and gastronomy establishments, women in business, businesses in rural areas, church businesses and third-age businesses.

They say that small and medium sized enterprises are the backbone of the economy… Staying with the medical metaphors, what condition is the Czech backbone in?

Strong, occasionally sore, but no longer slouching. I’ve been defending the interests of small and medium sized companies for almost twenty years and if there’s something that makes me happy then it’s the growing confidence of entrepreneurs. In contrast to the past, entrepreneurs no longer stand in front of anyone with cap in hand, believe in themselves more and can advance their interests, commercially and legally, against the state, banks and large corporations. So we don’t just talk about state support, take the example of the dispute between small Hyundai dealers and the importer which was brutally exploiting its position. Once we began co-ordinating the complaints of these small companies within our association, we managed to block the Hyundai Corporation five times in a row in all the courts despite their corporate threats, and huge legal and financial dominance, and they ended up disgraced and they’re going to pay for the consequences. That couldn’t have happened ten years ago; small companies then would never have got into that kind of dispute.

Small and medium sized enterprises need to ensure maximum efficiency to withstand a difficult competitive environment. One might say this is one of the few environments where ‘common sense’ has been preserved. In this context I appreciate your statement that: “We cannot have massive wage growth, zero unemployment and high investment from companies at the same time…”

In contrast to multinational companies, small firms work on the basis of fast management of changes, bare numbers and healthy efficiency. Large corporations are under pressure from investors, managers frequently politicking and seeing management rewards on the horizon. The small entrepreneur has to see much further; his objective is not short-term performance but long-term survival and asset preservation. If the state acted like a small family company in its speed, decision-making and strategic planning, we would have progressed much further today. Unfortunately it acts like a large corporation and instead of the interests of society it focuses on the interests of political secretariats. A typical example here is the recent failure of Prime Minister Sobotka. I don’t mean the sacking of the finance minister here; he is fully entitled to do this. I’m referring to his first attempt to dismiss the whole government taking the whole country and government hostage because he was unable to deal with a common political dispute between two key leaders in government.

A generational changeover is beginning to take place in many companies. How prepared are small and medium-sized businesses for the succession?

We’re experiencing the first change in generations, so this corresponds to the situation. The whole process of changeover takes place rather intuitively, so the good news is that things are improving. Our association is playing a crucial role. A few years ago, our association created the Family Business platform, bringing together a few hundred of the most important family companies and we are working with them systematically at a regional and nationwide level. We are creating legal support for them, undertaking mentoring, establishing academies for successors and in particular we are continuing to encounter and undertake benchmarking. Furthermore, we are declaring next year Family Business Year. I’ve got a good feeling about it; companies are beginning to realise that changeover is a complex process which takes a number of years during which time they must anticipate economic, legal and psychological variables, never mind consider correct timing. If I’m going to transfer a company to a successor who is over fifty years old, I cannot expect him to give the business the energy and novelty it so needs.

Staying with the young generation, I’d like to quote another statement you made that I noted: ‘If we keep crying over bureaucracy, it’s no wonder the young aren’t becoming entrepreneurs’: Has the youth’s position on doing business changed over time? From a media perspective it would seem that large corporations are not in fashion with a growth in interesting start-ups occurring instead.

You’re right, and I’m really pleased about that. But first to the crying. As the main representative of small business, we are always pushing the government, complaining and perhaps sometimes exaggerating a little. That goes with the territory; otherwise we wouldn’t get results, it’s like in trade. But there are limits; I don’t want us to become a nation of cry-baby businesspeople who can only complain. Our business environment is not bad and business is not the last option for the incapable, but the first chance for the best. You’ve got to keep trying, fight and not rely on some kind of extra support. That’s what doing business is all about and not everyone can survive. We have to show the youth the opportunities, and not just frighten them over bureaucracy. They must see problems as challenges which they have to deal with every day as entrepreneurs using economic tools, and not by demonstrating on Wenceslas Square or setting up business unions as someone tried recently. That’s a debasement of entrepreneurialism and a return to socialism.

Let’s go back to bureaucracy and the civil service. Are you optimistic, or resigned? Complaints can be heard over its growth at every conference, at every specialist or even social gathering… What’s your perspective here?

My role is to continuously fight against it; if I were ever to think of resigning myself to such problems then someone else would have to do it instead. But this fight has got to have some parameters and must seek results, not just media visibility. The level of regulation here, like in the EU, is unprecedented, and just can’t be compared to the United States, for example. But careful; the level of administration in America, for example, is much worse than here. The objective must be to reduce regulation and be uncompromising in implementing computerisation into all areas. But in doing so we’ve got to ignore and avoid the rehashing of mantras by some about not being able to cope, or implementing Big Brother. It works in Scandinavian countries because they just did it, nobody really worried about it and today they are a model for the whole world. And here, take the infantile discussion over electronic sales records for example… The truth is that in Estonia, for example, computerisation has been done to result in data sharing with the country a de facto internet platform and everyone saving time and money. Here, we’re computerising such that instead of using pen and paper we’re doing the same with a computer mouse, but that isn’t saving time…..

A relatively new topic in the Czech Republic is co-operation across sectors, specifically between the academic and private spheres. I work for Charles University’s Commercialisation Council. How do you perceive co-operation with science and the academic sphere? Co-operation is going well with large corporations, but as yet medium-sized businesses have not taken up this opportunity… What can be improved on both sides?

I’ve got to be objective here and compare the situation with previous years. Twenty years ago practically no small company co-operated with a university or research organisation, ten years ago this happened exceptionally, but today it is fairly common for many companies. European and national resources released to enable co-operation between science and business have meant that tens of thousands of small companies have been able to start co-operating with scientists. That is undoubtedly positive. Another matter is what results it has given us. And that remains a problem. Companies and research institutions still have a significantly different idea of what co-operation should bring. The fault lies with both sides. Small companies are impatient and unable to see the project from the perspective of a researcher, and they also don’t have sufficient further resources. And scientists feel that their research is like a golden bird in a gilded cage and it is only the incompetence of entrepreneurs which has not turned their institute into a second Cambridge, and they are unwilling to admit that their results may not be all that extraordinary. It’s a long game, and we need one more generation for it to change.

By Linda Štucbartová

Don’t ruminate, or Don’t keep chewing over negative thoughts!

Professor Lucie Bankovská Motlová

Born into a doctor’s family, Lucie’s future career was laid out from childhood. Her daughter is also now preparing for Medicine entrance exams. Professor Motlová Bankovská has been working at Charles University’s Third Faculty of Medicine continuously since 1993. She is currently teaching Psychiatry and Medical Psychology and leading the Medical Psychology Department, while also carrying out the role of Vice Dean for external affairs, and developing academia and social affairs. She works as a Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health.

We meet numerous times at meetings of Charles University’s Commercialisation Council. Each of my meetings with the professor is like honey for the soul. She is softly-spoken and listens with empathy and her whole demeanour is calming. Our interview was focused on the mentally ill, destigmatising mental illness and the opportunities offered by collaboration between the academic and commercial sectors.

Professor, you work in training future doctors, and you teach psychiatry and medical psychology. What message have you got for your future colleagues?

The mental health of medical students and doctors is a major topic. In my private practice, it is doctors who come to me dissatisfied with their lives, displaying signs of mild and more severe mental disorders. To a certain extent, all doctors are workaholics. Just applying for a difficult medical degree suggests the buds of workaholism are already within you, subsequently making you more vulnerable to mental issues in future. Furthermore, doctors do not respect long-term rules which allow you to perform to a high level at work in the long-term. As a doctor, you begin your career at 25 but you are expected to work for 40 to 50 years in a field which is difficult, fast-evolving and tends to swallow you up. And even in the series of interviews you have held with my colleagues, I have noticed that these have taken place slowly in stages to accommodate their high workload. A busy doctor who never has time has slowly become synonymous for a good doctor. But permanent pressure and overwork inevitably leads to a risk of mental illness.

What can be the outcome of this overwork?

Let’s deliberately begin with the most negative outcome. Statistics from the USA show higher suicide rates amongst female doctors compared to women in the general population. This is the tip of the iceberg and many causes behind it may be uncovered. It is then found that many women suffering mental illness have not been treated. They have simply ignored their mental health issues. Here we encounter the problem of psychiatry as a field subject to stigma, and also the downplay of mental health and mental welfare in general. When a surgeon breaks his leg, one can assume that he is not going to continue operating and will take time off work. But when a doctor is suffering from anxiety or depression they’re still going to go to work.

Going back to those alarming statistics, can one say then that women cope with stress worse than men?

You can’t say that. Currently 70% of students in our faculty are women. Women make up the majority in healthcare when you include nurses and other staff. But it is particularly hard for women to combine their professional career with looking after their family while still having time for a personal life. Women often work in teams led by very busy men who end up setting the standards for the others. This might sound heretical, but an enlightened head doctor should ensure that his colleagues are not overworked. Care for young or junior doctors should include not just the transferal of specialist knowledge and skills, but also care for mental health. This care should also include the opportunity to ventilate problems they come across while carrying out their duties, e.g. informing patients of bad news. But this is just a general recommendation which disregards the reality of Czech healthcare which suffers from a lack of doctors and medical personnel.

Your insights and expertise come from the medical sector, but can what you say be applied to other fields and spheres, such as the corporate world or consultancy?

Yes. I think that the working environment is heavily influenced by a male perspective on matters and a male perspective on what leadership and the traditional superior-subordinate relationship should look like. I’m not an expert in management, but I continue to perceive a lack of empathy towards female employees, who are mostly in subordinate roles. Furthermore, many women still want to carry out a caring role within their family in some way and don’t want to delegate this function to anyone else. Unfortunately, the day only has 24 hours and this means there really is no time left for oneself after all that.

Let’s move on to specific key recommendations for ensuring mental wellbeing.

I’ll start with two fundamental recommendations. Picture a traditional tripod with three legs of the same length which make it extremely stable. Work is one of these legs, family life is another and our hobbies are the third leg. If someone is unable to balance these legs out over a long period of time, they become susceptible to problems. Yes, hobbies, interests and a social life comprise one whole significant part of life. Working women are those most frequently missing this leg.

My second piece of advice touches on physical exercise. It has been demonstrated that physical activity prevents depression from developing and is sometimes used directly as a method of treatment. At least 30 minutes of brisk walking three times a week is a key piece of advice doctors should give their patients, while also applying it to themselves. Don’t forget that exercise also prevents ageing. Going beyond these basic recommendations, then my next piece of advice would be to get sufficient sun. This winter may have seemed long and dark, but getting sun can also involve just being outside in the fresh air. Next in line is the well-known nutritional advice on the importance of health-promoting unsaturated fatty acids and consuming fish and fish oils.

My final piece of advice would be: don’t ruminate. A great word which can be translated as meaning not getting bogged down in cyclical repeated negative thoughts or catastrophic scenarios, instead focusing on specific solutions and actions to take.

Your specialisation is destigmatising the mentally ill. We treat a broken leg, but we deny a broken soul. I recently read a book which describes balls which were held in Paris at the end of the 19th century in institutions for the mentally ill to draw attention to their problems. How much progress have we made in terms of destigmatising mental illness?

In the 19505, the discovery of chlorpromazine, an antipsychotic drug, marked a revolution in psychiatry. The fact we now had drugs available which had a positive impact on the lives of the mentally ill meant we somewhat forgot about methods of rehabilitation and those balls you mentioned. There is space for both these approaches in modern psychiatry. We can’t treat serious mental illnesses without drugs, but on the other hand we mustn’t forget other methods for returning our patients to their lives. In this regard I would like to mention family psychoeducation. Family psychoeducation is a method in which we talk to the patient and their family about their illness, what it does, what to do and what not to do. It’s a kind of education in which skills for adapting to the particular illness are learnt. But these methods require a lot of skill and time from the doctor. While medical students learn about the effect of medicines and psychotropic drugs, they do not find out about rehabilitation methods such as family psychoeducation. This is a pity, because patients’ families are just as stigmatised as the mentally ill themselves. Stigma is transferrable, literally contagious; if we look at the mentally ill with suspicion then we tend to look at their whole family in the same way. Once the family has gone through this training, they are better able not just to communicate with the patient, but also to face up to the pressure and response of their surroundings. Here I’m talking about serious illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder.

There are currently quite a lot of destigmatising campaigns and activities. Where does progress still need to be made?

I’d like to mention the Z první ruky (First hand) project which we organise here at the Third Faculty of Medicine. We invite patients and students to take part and look at various aspects of illness. Medical students are generally taught at the bedside of the acutely ill. Students then do not learn about what life with the illness brings, what happens following discharge, at home, how to find work and so on. Studies suggest that it is not just people in the patients’ surroundings who look with suspicion at the mentally ill, but often also doctors themselves. Care for physical ailments is worse for the mentally ill than those who are not being treated for mental illness, yet their diagnosis is the same. Last year, we undertook a study on how medical students’ relationship with the mentally ill evolves. We observed that it is from Year 4, when students begin to study psychiatry, that their relationship with the mentally ill improves. There are studies which have been undertaken abroad which have shown the opposite.

Year after year, you are assessed as amongst the most popular teachers. How do you personally perceive the young generation of students?

I look forward to seeing my students; I think the process of becoming a doctor is an adventure. You start learning medicine at 18 and leave at 25 years of age as a doctor who will be looking after the public. I am very well aware of how much attention needs to be paid to professional competencies. Our teaching curriculum teaches students how to diagnose illnesses, but not how to care for and treat the sick and make them better. There just isn’t enough time. That makes it that much more important to transfer this skill, e.g. during medical psychology. It is we who are creating the young generation, or at least we should be endeavouring to do so. You can see how medical students absorb the manners of doctors and are very sensitive in assessing any abuse from senior doctors.

My final question is about our joint work in Charles University’s Commercialisation Council. Where do you see potential for co-operation?

I see potential and space for co-operation both in technical and humanities fields which are a little underappreciated by the private sector. I was pleased that a number of successful projects in the phase of applying for patent protection were presented to the Council. Within my own field, I see an opportunity for various detectors which sense deteriorating patient condition, in particular for patients with chronic disorders which go through cycles. In the context of an ageing and stressed population, such products could be used for maintaining good mental health even for people not suffering from any disorder.

By Linda Štucbartová

The principal measure of business and management success is quality

Pavel Kafka, Chairman of the Czech Management Association

Let’s begin with the recent 24″ Manager of the Year contest, which brought along a number of new features, such as the award for ‘Innovation for Sustainable Development: What other awards and outcomes of the conference deserve attention?

The biggest new feature this year was the Innovation for Sustainable Development award. The MoY organisers wanted in this way to show support for international and domestic endeavours to boost sustainability elements in business — and their economic, social and environmental benefits. The prizes were awarded under the auspices of the Czech Business Council for Sustainable Development and sponsored by CEPS a.s. and CEZ Distribute a.s. Coincidentally, the awards were officially handed over the day after the government decided on the Czech Republic’s sustainable development strategic framework to 2030. I think it is also worth saying that this 24th annual MoY contest saw the largest proportion of women amongst finalists so far — 20 %. Some of the results of the surveys taken by finalists were also interesting. This year’s finalists, for example, consider many more contemporaries from the Czech Republic as role models than was the case in previous years, even though Tom8 Bata remains in notional top place. Looking at your question from the other side — what has not changed in finalists’ opinions — then unfortunately this remains a high level of criticism of bureaucracy and unstable legislation.

I heard many of those awarded, including Manager of the Year, Chairwoman of the Board at U & SLUNO, a.s. and President of the Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism, Marta Novalcova, Chair of the Board of the production co-operative KOVOBEL, Emil Beber, and Jaroslav Hanak, President of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic and an transport entrepreneur who was inducted into the Manager of the Year Hall of Fame for his many years promoting the interests of business and management, criticise our political representatives, and there were repeated complaints about the complex legislative environment. Although business people are always criticising politicians, what can be done to ensure there is less division between entrepreneurs and our politicians?

Yes, the survey discussed above undertaken amongst our finalists confirmed this long-term unfortunate state. Just as the principal measure of business and management success is quality, so quality must also be the measure of the legislative environment and the working of institutions. Even an international comparison of the Czech Republic’s competitiveness shows that it is this field which has the most negative impact on the assessment of our country’s position. I can give my advice for what it’s worth. I think it is up to us as voters to look more carefully at the specific actions of our elected representatives, and at least use this as a basis for our decision at the next elections —something that’s rather topical at the moment. But it is an unfortunate truth that our political representatives are much more interested in redistributing wealth that has been created than in actually creating wealth.

What major challenges will managers be facing in the coming decade? And how prepared are they for the changes in regard to Industry 4.0? The idea has been expressed in our magazine that it should be renamed Society 4.0 because it will affect us all regardless …

I agree with the idea that it is misleading to speak only about Industry 4.0. There will be massive changes through rapid automation and digitalisation across a wide section of society —health, education, transport, services etc. In many of these, even larger changes are taking place than within industry itself. Managers’ principal challenge will be to manage this massive technological development across all the phases of the company or other organisation’s activities. It will be that much harder that development which has previously been linear or now exponential will be ever more discontinuous in nature. This will make any kind of prognosis of development hugely more complicated, but it will also logically cause significant tension between ‘old’ and ‘new’; within the meaning of Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction.

The Czech Management Association has focused on the role of women in management for many years, but there were only 14 women amongst the 71 finalists and only one woman got into the final ten. Where do you see the causes behind this, and what can be done to achieve a more balanced proportion?

In answer to your first question, I was glad that the proportion of women amongst our finalists was the highest ever this year. In terms of women within the final ten, however, we have had much better years. I wouldn’t draw any major conclusions from just one year of the contest. Nevertheless, the fact that we don’t have large numbers of women amongst our top managers should give us pause for thought. It has been shown around the world that companies with a greater proportion of women in management achieve better long-term results. I am not a proponent of quotas in any shape or form, but we are still failing to free women’s hands so that, should they be interested, they can take up top management positions.

The latest surveys show that there has been a decline in the current Generation Y’s perception of the prestige of a management position. How do you perceive the issue of diversity amongst multiple generations when for the first time four different generations are meeting up at the workplace all at once?

There has never been a period in history in which generations with such different experiences of life and conditions have entered the economic space as is the case today. We see the first such conflicts at schools. What we call age management is becoming a priority for HR officers. Company managers across the board say that school leavers and graduates are unable to communicate within intergenerational teams. I think the problem here is that people have not been brought up, and society has not impressed upon people, to show respect to others, to promote elementary decency, and order. This naturally means social cohesion suffers — yet this is a major feature behind success.

Next year the 25″ annual Manager of the Year contest will take place, something you also want to link with the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Czechoslovakia. What new features are you planning?

It’s too early to talk about new features. These will be decided upon by the MoY Management Committee on the basis of an assessment of all previous 24 years. But I can well imagine that one important element of the upcoming 25th year will be a retrospective of the whole of the contest’s history up to now.

By Linda Štucbartová

“Diplomacy is a craft”

Rudolf Jindrák, Head of the Foreign Department, Office of the President of the Czech Republic

It is no surprise that the new Director of the Foreign Department is extremely busy in his role, with his visits turning around every thirty minutes. As such, I greatly appreciated the fact that Rudolf Jindrák made time for an interview with Czech and Slovak Leaders. I trust this was not merely down to ‘loyalty’, as we both had the opportunity to meet each other when working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in fact I was pleased that he spoke of Czech and Slovak Leaders as a magazine he perceives as useful for many members of the diplomatic corps and other representatives abroad because it is published in English and thus allows a better grasp of society within our country. And I welcomed the opportunity todo a personal interview with one of the Czech Republic’s most experienced ambassadors and also one of Miloš Zeman’s closest aides.

Rudolf Jindrák’s diplomatic career includes working as ambassador in Hungary, Austria and almost eight years in Germany. He has also worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Deputy Minister, and at the Office of the Government as an advisor to the Prime Minister. Our interview didn’t just touch on the Czech Republic’s current foreign policy from the ‘Castle’s’ position, but I did value the opportunity to discuss these issues with someone who has dedicated his career to serving the Czech Republic’s foreign policy.

Besides the personal offer from the President, what else led you to your role as Head of the Foreign Department at Prague Castle?

As the introduction makes clear, I have worked for a number of institutions in various roles, while always remaining within my craft. 90% of diplomacy is craft, and that’s why it’s important that people with knowledge of this craft work within it. The remaining 10% is about the boss, and right now my boss is the President whom I try to help as much as I can.

Compared to your predecessor, Hynek Kmoníček, you are expected to concentrate on Europe in particular.

I don’t know whether the word concentrate is appropriate. It’s true that I have spent 17 years in neighbouring countries abroad. I still to some extent consider Hungary our neighbour. There will be a lot of changes for Europe this year, and next year in particular. There will be elections in France, Germany and probably also Italy. As such,we are going to be focusing more on Europe no matter what. Furthermore, it is my conviction that good relations with our neighbours are key to our country’s development. Take a look at the history of Czechoslovakia or other countries in Central Europe. Poor relations with neighbours have either led to secession of territories or directly to war. But my specialisation and focus on Europe, whether in terms of bilateral or multilateral relations, does not mean that I won’t be paying attention to other territories or countries such as Asia, China and Japan. There is no danger of global conflict within Europe, but on the Korean peninsula, for example, one loose stone could start an avalanche.

You mentioned Korea and current events. The standard response of Czechs to these problems is: ‘We’re a small country and we have little influence on world events’. Why should we take an interest in these countries, and can we have any sort of influence there?

Today, diplomacy is not something done by just one country. That’s why we are part of larger groupings such as NATO, the EU and the UN which represent mechanisms of international action. The UN acts a bit like a bogeyman for many countries, even just through the threat that they might cut off development aid, or their conditions for specific co-operation and observing particular rules. And speaking of the situation in Korea, few realise that Czechoslovakia had observers and a representative on the 38th parallel on the border between South and North Korea until 1992. The North Korean regime cleverly took advantage of Czechoslovakia’s dissolution to say that our obligation to take part in the observer mission was thus invalid. The regional conflict of today may have far-reaching consequences.

Let me give you another example from history: the First World War began as a regional conflict.

Let’s go back to Europe, specifically our relations with Germany. It has been said many times that they are the best they have ever been. Making a comparison, that was said at one time about Czech-American relations but when investments are not made in a relationship by both sides, the simple developmental dynamic begins to fall apart. Is there a danger of this in relation to Czech-German relations?

Yes and no. I’ve spent 12 years of my life in Germany; 4 years as Consul General in Munich and almost eight years as Ambassador in Berlin. In our relations with Germany, we managed to break down certain prejudices or beliefs we had about each other. One can say about Germany that many prejudices they hold about countries east of Germany are greater than those we have about Germans. We are naturally influenced by what has happened in history. I’m 53 and my generation, against the background of the fates of our parents and grandparents, still perceive what happened in Czechoslovakia during the Second World War. Some of my own family were executed for resistance after Heydrich’s assassination, with the last to be executed at Pankrác also my relative, Božena Jindráková, née Seidlová. It is a paradox that my father, originally from South Bohemia and who did not like the Germans, married a German. My mother was from Slovakia and was from the minority Carpathian German population. My mum, who was a little girl during the war, did not get Czechoslovakian citizenship until 10 years after the war ended in 1955. As such, my perspective on Germans through my family history was balanced and I think that should be the case in general.

On the one hand I was aware of what the Germans had done during the Second World War because of their ideology, but on the other hand I knew what the Germans had endured after the war. Our job is to ensure that the rear-view mirror of history is not bigger than the front windscreen, meaning opportunities for the future, expressed in the words of ex-President Václav Klaus. And we mustn’t forget that there are still prisoners who were persecuted in the concentration camps living amongst us today.

We have excellent political relations with Germany, in no small part thanks to current Chancellor, Angela Merkel, whom I personally like and who knows, dare I say it, where Prague is.

Apparently you are one of a select few to whom Angela Merkel answers the telephone.

I haven’t tried calling her for a few years and I’m not planning to, but it is true that current German President, Frank Walter Steinmeier, responds to my text messages; we have been friends for years. I congratulated him on his election and I’m sure we will be meeting up soon. An indicator of good relations is an ability to name and solve thorny issues. One such issue is transport infrastructure, i.e. linking our railways, roads and motorways to Germany, including waterways along the Elbe. Our strategic objective is to build a railway link between Berlin, Dresden and Prague, or between Prague, Munich and Frankfurt to ensure we are not bypassed with simpler railway links built east through Poland or to the south through Austria and Hungary. Another complex debate underway is about the tolls being implemented on German motorways, which we consider discriminatory. We are also dealing with problems around the provision of the German minimum wage to Czech drivers, something which is ruinous for our hauliers. So there are many topics, just as there are many mechanisms for discussing them such as intergovernmental collaboration, strategic dialogue and so on. But you are right that we can sometimes forget to deal with a particular problem area, and then when it comes up we don’t know what to do about it.

You are a proponent of a united Europe and integration, but not at any price. So where to begin with the reform the EU so desperately needs?

This is a complicated area. There will be a great acceleration in the debate on the way forward for the European Union at the end of this year; whether the union will split into a narrow core with the other states towing behind the first group.

In my opinion, the Euro will remain a unifying criterion. Those countries with the Euro will tend to integrate further. The problems of Italy and France in terms of fiscal policy are great and to some extent these countries are forced to cooperate. Co-operation within Europe is simply inevitable. Economic co-operation within Europe is just as inevitable as co-operation in security. We will be forced to share information on the movement of people, and not just within the Schengen Area, and we are going to have to take greater responsibility for our own security, so we need to begin by increasing our military budget.

On the other hand, this increase will have to be co-ordinated. The idea of Germany spending two percent of its GDP on arms, meaning about 80 bn EUR, will launch a similar arms race to the one we remember from the 1980s. This all suggests that Europe has many complex decisions ahead of it to make. The German election is at the end of September, and here our parliamentary election will be taking place in late October and we are also facing presidential elections. At a time when fundamental decisions are going to be taken or shaped on the EU’s future direction by Berlin and Paris, it will be up to us to say clearly and quickly which vision we share. It remains a question whether we will be able to give a response at a time when our election will be over and we will be dealing with forming a government. But our role as top officials remains clear. To prepare the best possible material for politicians so that they can make decisions based on objective information.

Your final message for Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

Since I’m also a parent, a fundamental point for me remains that my children should grow up in an ordered world, do not have to fear for their safety, have the opportunity to decide freely about their future, and should they desire, be able to study abroad. Let us preserve what we have managed to achieve in terms of foreign policy, international co-operation and the Czech Republic’s standing. I am glad that the Czech Republic is not just a respected neighbour, but also a valuable partner in international organisations.

By Linda Štucbartová

Creating a Bridge – Developing and Connecting an Entrepreneurial Community with Major Global Markets

From Tel Aviv to Atlanta and Beyond

In my experience, there are two types of companies with regards to Corporate Social Responsibility. There are the ones who have prepared many presentations on this issue, printed out nice brochures and organize spotlight events. Then there are the ones who walk the talk and act accordingly. Coca-Cola belongs to the latter category. Have you ever listened to a powerful speech in which a company group VP has not mentioned a company product but rather shared a proven concept of social transformation through technology entrepreneurism?

Meet Anthony Newstead, Global Group Director, Emerging Technologies & Strategic Innovation and a co-founder of BridgeCommunity in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Meet the man who is behind the remarkable project that brings together big corporations, start ups and engages them to benefit local communities. Meet the man who thinks that more women should enter technology and coding, so the discipline will cease to be perceived as the male logic oriented field but rather it will present itself as a creative art. Meet the man to whom corporate, start ups and public co-operation comes naturally as he lives it. A career that began in music, took Newstead through a detour into programming, migrated into investment banking. He then progressed into leading large-scale multi-year Business Transformation initiatives within Coca-Cola Bottling, around Western and Eastern Europe, including Vending Operations in the Far East.

After taking up an engagement leading business development in a UK financial startup he made a return to Coca-Cola in Interactive Marketing, leading a cross-functional team in a Pan-European iTunes and Coca-Cola collaboration.

Currently based in Atlanta, Newstead is focused on leading an IT Innovation Pipeline powered by the creation and co- founding of “The Bridge”, a commercialization program for startups that was initially piloted in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Newstead led the creation and co- founding of the North American spin-off, BridgeCommunity, in collaboration with a number of large locally-based organizations. The BridgeComunity is a unique program that grows the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Atlanta through startup engagement, partnerships, a powerful corporate member-to-member network and a local community initiative to help raise the technical skill level from high school onwards.

Dear Anthony, we met at the Global Female Summit in Berlin, which prides to be the economic forum that hosts 300 plus female executives. Even though Coca-Cola prides itself for gender diversity and inclusion, in what aspects did you find your speaking experience to almost exclusively female executive large audience unique?

It was an absolute honor to be invited to speak at the Global Female Summit. The breadth of experience and intellectual power at the event was an impressive experience. From my perspective, the passion each person applied to their roles, their desire to learn, query and absorb new ways of addressing key business problems was absolutely energizing. I’d also say the sense of belonging, a feeling of a collective will to share and support each other in their respective business fields is a unique aspect of this network.

You shared the example of BridgeCommunity in Atlanta, where Coca-Cola and other corporations partner with the community of startups in order to help the local communities. What was the reason to launch the cooperation of various entities that could be represented by opposites “Davids” and “Goliaths” together?

The prime objective of BridgeCommunity is to connect with software technology startups that have products and services with the potential to address the key business challenges we face. We took the decision to reach out to fellow corporates with an equal interest in engaging with startups for a number of reasons. This ensures that each corporate member only needs to make a modest financial contribution, which collectively provides the program with sufficient funds to proceed. It also relieves the pressure of engagement on each commercial brand. When a corporation makes the decision to run an equivalent program run on their own, there is an implicit pressure to provide opportunities for each and every startup that is brought in. If a startup exits the program without any tangible opportunity the danger is they will spread the word in the local community that brand ‘x’ are not to be trusted. In effect, each startup in the program is a brand ambassador for the underlying corporate and needs to be treated as such, which can be di cult to sustain on an ongoing basis for one corporate. In the case of the Atlanta BridgeCommunity, the program can bring in 20+ startups each year with each corporate focusing only on the ones most relevant to themselves, safe in the knowledge that the other corporate members are doing the same, with the net result that all startups find opportunities. By joining forces with other large, locally-based organizations we amplify the attractiveness of the program to prospective startups and enhance significantly the training we provide them, with the addition of a diverse range of business expertise from our corporate members.

However, your project did not start in Atlanta, but in Tel Aviv…

Yes, we launched a program called The Bridge in Tel Aviv, back in 2014, with a core focus on collaborating with early stage startups to access new consumer technologies, in return for which we provide the opportunity to leverage our marketing expertise. Since launching we have welcomed Turner Broadcasting and recently Mercedes Benz to join us in Tel Aviv. We’re now in our fourth cohort cycle (one per year) and have had a number of successful startup engagements, including for example “Bringg”, who have created an “Uber” for the enterprise platform to support delivery of products and services on demand. In parallel, back in 2015 we took the decision to spin-out a new venture called BridgeCommunity, that took the core startup engagement methodology established in Tel Aviv, with a more holistic focus on expanding developing startup communities in collaboration with local corporations and with a strong community focus. The pilot for this community model was launched in Atlanta in 2016 with IHG, The Weather Company, Cox Enterprises and Capgemini. This year we have been delighted to welcome Porsche Financial Services and SunTrust Bank as new Corporate Members and have also joined forces with the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Team, providing access to Philips Arena – the 4th busiest arena in North America – as an engagement lab for testing out products and services from BridgeCommunity startups. Atlanta was a deliberate choice for the launch location, it has a growing startup community, great transport connections, strong university foundations, a passionate local authority support, it has more fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city than in Silicon Valley and of course it is the home of Coca-Cola. We have a deep connection to the city and BridgeCommunity was the perfect vehicle to support the local community while at the same time bringing value to our company and our corporate members.

Have you envisaged spreading your concept to other regions, such as Central and Eastern Europe?


The BridgeCommunity model is not simply an Atlanta model, it is instead a model structured to expand and amplify developing startup communities, with Atlanta as our pilot, founding location. The vision of the program is that there is hidden talent out there, in places of the world that tend to be over-looked in favor of more established locations.

During our conversation, you mentioned your passion for students not to become just “coders” but rather “technological developers” and you outlined the need to support creative arts…

I believe passionately that we should be developing creative individuals grounded in technology, creative technologists, rather than pure coders. I want them to not just code but to understand and intuitively feel the beauty in the code. It’s that creative thought, that intuitive leap that helps to generate amazing, innovative ideas. Ultimately I’d like to re-position coding as an art instead of a science. In my opinion you can either pick up a paintbrush, a pen, a chisel or a keyboard; all are tools to ‘create’. All of this helps to address the supply-side of any startup community.

I liked your parallel that start ups are the new punk rockers. Given the statistics, many millennials do not find big corporations attractive anymore… Can corporations become punk rockers and if so, how?

The challenge for enterprises is to find a way to harness this creative, innovative force to re-energize their own business. Interestingly, as much as growing startups are trying to act and become ‘big’, enterprises are equally keen to act and become ‘small’– the intersection of those two paths is where programs like BridgeCommunity can really help. Engaging with startups can act as shot of adrenaline into a large enterprise that has the potential to not only bring short-term value through the provision of products and services, but can also help to generate an entrepreneurial mindset within the workforce. It is indeed possible for enterprises to re-discover their maverick, innovative roots, but it does require senior executive commitment for change. The trick is to treat the expansion of an innovation strategy that includes startup engagement as ultimately a cultural change initiative across the organization. Question everything, challenge your teams to improve their respective areas, encourage rapid experimentation, give permission to innovate and partner with startups.

Next months, you are starting the project with public schools. So far, students from less fortunate backgrounds were given laptops to start to learn coding. At the same time, you engaged their parents to use the laptops themselves, through adult training classes, to help ensure the parents gain value as well. So far, you have been engaged in start ups and in educational communities…Are there any limits for public-private engagement?

Fundamentally, the aim of the BridgeCommunity program is to provide opportunities: Opportunities for corporations to share knowledge and learn from each other, opportunities for startups rapidly accelerate their route to market through tactical training and exposure to relevant corporations and opportunities for students to become the next set of future software technology entrepreneurs where such options are limited. In doing all this the Community benefits through an in flux of entrepreneurial talent, the Corporations benefit through access to talented interns and innovation startup solutions and young adults benefit through a tangible chance to transform their lives. This can only be done effectively through close private-public partnership and I am extremely grateful for the local authority and local non-profits support and goodwill we have received, together with the amazing support and commitment from our corporate members that has collectively helped us progress this program to where it is today. It is not the sole mechanism to drive value, but as we move forwards, where we see value creation opportunites for our corporate members that also can tangibly benefit the local community in some form a public- private model may well be the solution.

Your final words to Czech and Slovak Leaders readers…


I would just like to stress that BridgeCommunity itself is a startup, we are learning as we go along, with the twin desire to do good in the community while also bringing tangible value to our company and our corporate members. In addition I believe it’s also a testament to the open innovation spirit within Coca-Cola that has provided myself the internal support to get this initiative off the ground. It’s that willingness to take a risk, to provide an employee the support necessary to realize a dream that can transform organizations from within and is I believe a powerful first step for an enterprise to take on their innovation journey. Embracing the startup community can be hugely rewarding, but looking within first, providing the tools, the streamlined processes and the entrepreneurial mindset culture internally before you engage will help ensure all sides benefit.

By Linda Štucbartová

Ambassadors Without Diplomatic Passports

Lane Davies

Meet Lane Davies, a true Hollywood star, known world-wide for his role as Mason Capwell on the NBC TV series, “Santa Barbara”, an international hit that has played in more than 53 countries. In Russia, it was the first American program to air after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Lane to this day has loyal fan clubs all over Russia and Eastern Europe. In the Czech Republic, he is known for starring in the famous TV series, “Dallas”. On stage in his lengthy career, Lane has performed classical roles such as Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III., King Lear, Prospero, Petruchio and others. He has also directed a dozen productions of Shakespearean plays.

Lane came to Prague this time to star in the English language premiere of the multi-Tony award winning musical “Man of La Mancha”. This Prague production of the classical Broadway musical is being co-produced by Bob Boudreaux and the respected Prague Shakespeare Company at Divadlo Na Prádle. It will be Lane’s sixth time performing Cervantes ́ Quixote, always having his best friend, Jerry Winsett as Sancho Panza by his side. The cast includes actors and singers from the Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Sweden, New Zealand, Russia, and the USA.

I was lucky to experience a part of one rehearsal and I was surprised how much effort rehearsing, singing, and repeating a few lines over and over takes. After, Lane and I went for a coffee at Kampa, near Divadlo Na Prádle. It was a unique opportunity for me to interview a true but “normal” star and to speak about politics, commercial acting, the purpose of theatre and his perception and reminder to me about the cultural part of Prague and the beauty of the Czech landscape.

Lane, the first question of this series is a traditional one. How do you perceive today’s world?

I am an optimist. Despite all the troubles around the world, the human species is evolving. In general, we are less violent and less predatory than we have been in the past. This gives me a reason to be optimistic about the future.

Your optimism is quite surprising given the fact that you come from the US and given the reaction of most of the Hollywood to the new Trump administration…

I love my country, I love the United States. I do not always agree with what the leaders are doing and I do not always like the people who are leading my country but I stay away from politics, so I can remain optimistic about the future of the United States and its place in the world. It is not that I do not have opinions, but rather the fact that I am an actor of a limited celebrity makes my opinion any more valuable than anyone else’s, so I stay quiet about it. In the United States, the society got so polarized, that if you support one party or one candidate over another, you can alienate fan base. I do not stay quiet out of cowardice but I want people to look at my characters, not my personal politics or personal life.

But is it possible to be only yourself? You played several strong characters, the most famous being Mason Capwell in Santa Barbara series and very often, people start to equal the actor to his/ her role.

Once I leave the country, I am probably much better known by Mason than I am by my real name. When you are playing the same character for month after month and year after year as you do in television series, some of your character will creep into you and some of you will creep into the character. There were similarities between me and my character. I think Mason and I shared the same sense of humour. Mason drank a great deal more than I drink in my real life. I still have fans who send me a liquor on my birthday because they equate Mason’s drinking habits with mine.

I was fascinated to find out about Santa Barbara’s success in Russia and about your fan club in Russia…How did you find Russia? There, you were a true ambassador without a diplomatic passport, representing the US culture…

I have been in Russia many times, I have visited many places from St. Petersburg to Blagoveshchensk (a town 8000 km east of Moscow, bordering China) and many places in between. Many of the appearances were as myself. I did many concerts, had various speaking and discussions events. I got to meet many wonderful people, fans from various segments of society, ranging from ring generals in Blagoveshchensk to babushkas in Siberia. For someone who grew up during the hottest part of the Cold War, when we were threatened with global thermal nuclear annihilation through my childhood, it was especially gratifying to spend time travelling around the country and realizing that Russian people were not the problem, the Russian politicians and American politicians were the problem. Fortunately, the diplomacy won and we did not blow the world but that was the threat we lived under.

My first trip to Russia was in 1992, right after the borders were open. It was interesting to see how much alike we are. One more thing I would like to mention was my experience with propaganda. We knew about the Russian propaganda, about the Russian propaganda being brain washed. Once I got to Russia, I realized the US government was doing the same thing. Russian women can serve as a good example. In the US, we only saw pictures of little grandmas, babushkas, that looked like potatoes with legs or looked like Khrushchev in a dress. Depressed, deprived people over the age of 60. When I got to Russia, I saw all the Russian women who were stunningly beautiful but these we did not have a chance to see.

What is the connection between you and The Man of La Mancha coming to the Czech Republic?

First I came as a tourist, later I started to communicate with Guy Roberts, the director of Prague Shakespeare Company. He invited me to play a role in Richard III. in summer at the Prague Castle and later, at the Estates Theater. In fall, I was back again with my son Nathan, because I had the feeling he might like the Czech Republic. I was right, he moved to Prague three weeks later. During the fall, I was approached by Bob Boudreaux, a long time member of the Prague Shakespeare Company who was also performing in Richard III. We were discussing the possibility of producing Man of La Mancha. We both like the show, I have done it five times already. Well, six months later here we are, doing the show. The opening night is scheduled for May 18 and we will play it until June and some more performances are scheduled for the fall.

So how do you find and how do you like the Czech Republic?

That is a big question. I love being here…Prague became my favourite city within a week of being here. I was so pleasantly surprised by the Czech countryside. I have been to eight countries that have been part of the USSR sphere of influence, and so I have experienced the country side with the large fields and only few countries managed to recover from the landscape point of view. I was therefore very pleasantly surprised that the Czech Republic values and cares about its countryside and the way it looks.

This is going to be your sixth production of The Man of La Mancha. As each production is different, what do you find the most special this time?

The fact that the cast is half international and half Czech is the most different thing about this production. We are not making any big changes to the script or the way the play is traditionally done. Because of the nature of the theatre Na Prádle, the production will be more intimate than some people might be used to. It is much more like a play with music than a big Broadway musical. The music is only secondary to the play.

Has the main message of the play evolved over the years?

The play has always had a special meaning for me. I did it for the first time at the age of 23, it has influenced my entire life. I tend to put causes ahead of practicality. The metaphor of tilting at windmills does not mean that I devote my strength and energy to the lost causes but I tend to make the cause more important than the outcome, one of the main themes running throughout the play. The song “Impossible Dream” embodies all the different themes. Through the years, the character has deepened inside of me.

Making a parallel to your Cervantes’ Don Quixote, what is your impossible dream?

As long as I am physically able I want to continue to keep great ideas in art, literature and theatre alive and moving forward. Particularly theatre. If you take Shakespeare’s plays as an example, they are preserved in the performance of them, there are not any museums or art galleries for the plays and they are lost in a library. The only way to preserve a play is to perform it and to this goal I have dedicated my life. It went side by side with my commercial acting so I could earn a living so I could spend my time preserving the great plays through the performance of them.

To continue along the play lines, who is your unbeatable foe?

I will stay away from any personification to avoid getting political but for me the people who minimize the importance of life to the basic human conditions. Civilizations are remembered for their arts, not for their wars and boundaries. It is great writing, art, theatre, music that last and continue to move the human spirit.

Lane Davies and Jerry Winsett

Another constant for this play, is the character of Sancho, always performed by your best friend, Jerry Winsett.

We have been friends for 44 years. There are many similarities with Sancho, since Jerry has been following me to every place it was performed being it New York, California or Prague…He keeps me humble, since he knows me too well as he knows where my skeletons are…

What are your final words to the Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

For me it is just gratifying to be in a city where theatre is such a vibrant part of the culture of the city. If I had a complaint about the US then it is about not being enough emphasis placed in the arts and not enough subsidies for the arts from the government. In Prague, there is a DIVADLO (theatre) on every corner and in the US, outside of Broadway, there is one professional theatre per larger city and perhaps several community theatres in smaller towns. Prague theatre scene and community is quite unique.

By Linda Štucbartová

PRAGUE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

Prague Shakespeare Company is Central Europe’s only professional English-language Shakespeare company, presenting professional theatre productions, workshops, classes, lectures and other theatrical events, of the highest quality, by a multi-national ensemble of professional theatre artists, with an emphasis on the plays of William Shakespeare, bringing to the Czech Republic, European and World audiences English-language based performances that are fresh, bold, imaginative, thought-provoking, and eminently accessible, connecting the truths of the past with the challenges and possibilities of today. www.pragueshakespeare.com

“We Need More Freedom and Responsible Individuals”

Georg Kapsch, Copyright www.peterrigaud.com

My Life as Defined by Two Quotes or Aftermath
of Brexit as witnessed by Judi Challiner, a British citizen now seeking the Czech citizenship

“A Living Society is a Creating One”

Photo: Archive

The next interview from the series of nobility members brought me to the town of Žďár nad Sázavou. Count Constantin Kinský together with his wife Marie are in charge of the estate. The estate lies beneath the Baroque pearl of the St. Jan Nepomuk’s Church in Zelená Hora. It was also thanks to the intervention of Count Kinský’s father Radslav that the pilgrimage church was entered into the UNESCO List of World Cultural Heritage Sites. However, as the New Generation Museum shows, the estate is not there only to showcase history. The unique immersive multimedia exposition has been declared the best Slavic museum in Central Europe.

I decided to use the interview as an opportunity for a family trip. Have you ever stayed overnight in the Middle Ages watch tower, while having the 21st century comfort? I recommend it. There were many topics to be discussed but Mr. Kinský himself wished to talk primarily about education and the need to foster the Czech creativity. It is worth mentioning that our interview took place in the premises of the former Cadet Academy.

Mr. Kinský, allow me to start with a personal question. All nobility families have many branches and they are interrelated to one another. One of your cousins, František Kinský, a mayor and the owner of the estate in Kostelec nad Orlicí is famous for his TV series about the Czech nobility, your older cousin Ferdinand Kinský used to be a professor at the Nice University. How well do you actually know your family tree and all your relatives?

All of us don’t know each other personally, we do not meet regularly but when we meet, for example at various weddings there is a feeling that we belong together. We organised a family jamboree from all over the world and the rule to participate was to be born Kinský or have Kinský grandparents. Altogether, we totalled 360, the most far away came from Japan and Peru. Detailed lists mention 400-500 family relatives. It is really interesting to experience the feeling of belonging together even in such a large group. There is one more interesting element about belonging. One can belong to a homeland on one hand but have total freedom on the other hand. We perceive our roots as an enriching element, but we are not territory dependent.

Historically, we were defined via the close relationships towards local people on one side; on the other side, we longed for independence from any central power. Such attitude taught us freedom of thinking and within such context, the issue of boundaries is a truly relative one. I will add one funny family story about our relations, demonstrating how we make fun of each other. Those older ones, who were local and in charge of a property, received the title of a count and the younger ones, received the title of a prince and had to leave to Vienna to start a career. The younger ones often call us the “village peasants” while we call them “collaborators” with the central power.

How do you perceive the fact that the Czech population has been more interested and thus aware of the topic of nobility families, their patriotism and love for the country?

History is more important than we realize. Let us take the current economic crisis and compare the reaction of the USA and Europe. Americans have formed their attitude towards the crisis based on the 1929 events. Great depression brought deflation and the remedy for the economic recovery was seen in great investments, deficit budgets, designing grand projects and state debt. The economic approach according to John Keynes. In Germany, the same crisis resulted in hyperinflation. Therefore, the Germans learned a very different lesson. Balanced budget, strict budgetary discipline, no economic stimuli. I consider such approach, based on the theory of Friedrich Hayek, a catastrophic one. I believe that Europe needs to jump start and support economy and only after take care about deficit. Today, we are not making decisions based on our current needs, but based on emotions dating back to 1930s.

The sensitive topic of migration can serve as the second example. Such topic is truly really serious and deserves a strategy which is dignified, sensitive and based on facts. I do not want to say that we should have an open door policy for everybody, but any discussion of such theme is a very difficult one in the Czech Republic. Our perception of foreigners has been built on the image based on the Beneš decrees. Until the topic is settled, we cannot lead any rational debate about our relationship towards foreigners. The very fact that from 1938 until 1989, except for a very short period 1945-1948, we could not maintain standard relations towards the rest of the world, affects the current issue debate as a consequence. History is to inspire us; however, we have to liberate ourselves from the past.

A historical sight has a value only if it makes sense for both current and future generations. A historical sight bears values that can be followed upon. I will quote two complementary mottos that influence all what we do. “Our past is the source of future” and “The living society is the creating one”.

Let us address the creativity, your favourite issue…

I feel that the Czechs as a nation are being very successful, the unemployment is low; however, we need to invest in creativity more. It is needed not only to produce cars being designed abroad but to follow our rich industrial and creative tradition. The origins of creativity start at schools, including field trips where you have the chance to admire historical sights. Therefore, our museum is different, immersive and uses multimedia. I am a very big fan of arts but in a classical museum I get bored easily. Experiences are more valuable. So, in our museum, we make possible for you to meet both the founder of the monastery from 13th century, as well as those who made a big reconstruction in the 18th century, as well as the ones who are creating the value today. By the way, do you know that our ponds date back all the way to the 13th century? A lot of space is dedicated to the Baroque era. We claim that the Czech person has the origin in the Baroque era, he is just not aware of it.

The communists did not appreciate the Baroque era at all, they claimed it was the age of darkness.

On the contrary, I believe that Baroque was quite favourite period for the regime, as it was easily manipulated and it served the ideology. When you walk toward Zelená hora, at the end of your journey you can observe two ideologies: on one side, the estate, the Cistercian Monastery, ponds and on the other side there are large blocks of flats, also representing a certain ideology. I do not wish to criticise such shock; I want to understand it. Our approach to emotions was formed during the Baroque period, as well as our attitude towards life and death, verticality, working with light, with space, with landscape and other kinds of knowledge. Many have been influenced by Czech author Jirásek who coined the term as the age of darkness, but to be honest, how many people did actually read the original book?

The baroque era is a peak period of creativity. Just look around, the St. Jan Nepomuk Church is a truly unique creation in the world. The world view is very well reflected in nature around – it starts when you look at the cemetery, then the Estate including the farmstead, symbolizing both civil and laic life and then you see the Church, reaching to the sky. The topic of landscape preservation is very relevant nowadays, as people tend to behave according to their surroundings. When a town is a pleasant, comfortable place to live in, people tend to be well-mannered. Brutal spaces, on the other hand, initiate brutal behaviour. The landscape, in its very nature, is a connection between geography and history, between nature and a man. A historical sight, either a building or a landscape or surrounding nature, is a source for the future.

Let me ask you about the education system. With regards to creativity and industrial tradition, are you a supporter of technical education or do you also support humanities and arts?

When I was at Roland Berger consulting company, we carried out a research, asking CEOs across Europe about 10 criteria skills employees would need in 10 years. Can you guess what the number one was? Well, English. However, not as the first foreign language, but as the second mother tongue. The following eight criteria were represented by soft-skills, such as project thinking, team work, ability to solve complex problems, self- confidence and technical skills came as the last, the last-mentioned criterion. But what do we teach at schools? Primarily No 10. Of course, technical skills are needed but so are the others. Coincidently, our interview takes place at the Cadet Academy where education used to be quite complex. Students danced, fenced, while studying mathematics, geometry, physics, natural sciences as well as Latin, German, French or Italian languages. I support education based on natural talent, not on shortcomings. I can mention our program that teaches mathematics via movement, as an example. My wife was engaged in the program “The School Dances”. The school that was taking care of children with various learning disabilities asked a choreographer to join them to be able to teach mathematics through body movements. If I learn to feel mathematics through movement, the brain does not get blocked due to the fact that I do not know numbers or that I do not like them.

How do you perceive the new generation?

I am hopeful and worried at the same time. Our children’s generation is smart, they have vast knowledge, global interests and global thinking. They remind me of Adam and Eve from the myth of Genesis. They also had the knowledge and responsibility at the same time. We bear the responsibility for the whole world, it can take one push on the red button in the nuclear suitcase… Global warming might be another example. However, in a certain part of population, there are young people who have returned to tribal thinking. I do not speak only about the unsatisfied children of immigrants in France but also about xenophobic moods that can be witnessed in surrounding countries. And I do not know who will win the clash between the humanitarian approach to being open and the return to tribalism. I believe that the Erasmus program, designed for young students within the EU, should be extended also to students at vocational schools, so we could cultivate the feeling of interdependence and the art of cohabitation. By the way, this is a theme that connects both France and the Czech Republic.

Do you have any further dreams?

I would like to share with you my plan that I do not yet have the capacity to materialize. I would like to build the guild called “Smart Hand”, a parallel to our working pensioner scheme. Retired carpenters, bakers and representatives of other vocations would dedicate one afternoon per week to children who can learn the vocations. It does not matter whether children would later choose that vocation as a profession, but a lawyer skilled in carpentry would eventually be more successful as a lawyer. Some children can embrace technical education this way. It is a fact that when compared to an administrative worker, a carpenter is not afraid of making a living for the whole of his life. The next benefit might be in fostering inter-generational relationships which is possibly one answer to the risk of tribalism mentioned above. The last but not least benefit would be the enhanced quality of life for pensioners. Financing could be done through the pension scheme and the overall positive impact on society would be enormous.

By Linda Štucbartová

“To Succeed in the 21st Century We Need To Learn,
Unlearn and Re-learn”

Arnie Bieber, Director of the International School of Prague and Linda Štucbartová, our Head Interviewer

Imagine the atmosphere of a school where there is a palpable sense of creative thinking, where one can see the arts, choirs, music and film production, and at the same time a clear focus on scientific experimentation. Imagine life as a student being able to experiment, design and then print out your blueprint on a 3D printer or a laser cutter as part of the school curriculum. Imagine that a student can take part in an international robotics competition hosted at his school by day and being on stage singing blues in a Cabaret performance involving students, staff, parents and friends of the school by night.

I was not touring a school in Finland or Singapore, the two countries currently recognized as having the world’s the best educational systems. These were, rather, my immediate impressions after visiting the International School of Prague, which overlooks the Prague Šárka valley nature reserve.

Interviewing Dr. Arnie Bieber, ISP Director, turned from a traditional question and answer format into a lively discussion.

As Arnie truly lives and breathes the ISP mission “Inspiring Learners for Life”, I could sense his passion for an inspiring, engaging and empowering education organically engrained into every activity, including proud presentation of the school to visitors, talking about current and potential partnerships as well as embedding school activities within the local community. The last element is very important for ISP, as both private and international schools are often judged as being too distant and dislocated from the local environment.

Arnie, today’s world is changing rapidly. In fact, uncertainty is perhaps the only certain element. How do you prepare students for the future to succeed in professions and disciplines that might not even exist today?

We truly regard ourselves as a future-focused school, and we aim to be preparing future citizens of the world. If you look at our mission, which you can see all around the school, you will notice three key elements: Inspire, Engage and Empower. Our core purpose is to “Inspire learners to lead healthy, fulfilling and purposeful lives” and we know that we are successful when our graduates live their lives in this manner.

The element of our mission linked to facing an uncertain future is addressed in the second part of the mission, “preparing students to adapt and contribute responsibly to our changing world”. However, the ability to change and to adapt is not enough without a moral compass. The world may have very many smart people but do they have integrity and act ethically? No learning institution should stress one while neglecting the other. The ISP experience revolves around “engaging our diverse community in authentic global education within a nurturing student-centred environment”. Diversity is very important. Our student body, comprised of 60 different nationalities, brings a multitude of different religions and cultures to our campus. To interact and learn with such diversity is very powerful because it allows for an appreciation of our differences. Future successful leaders need to understand and respect differences, such as those based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, belief or culture.

What would your argument be for the adults who went to traditional schools in the Czech Republic who cannot imagine a serious and enjoyable education at the same time?

The distinction between something being relevant and something being rigorous or challenging is a false one. We believe that the best path to learning which is not superficial and meaningful is often through relevance. We can all remember our high school algebra, trigonometry and advanced calculus, but did what we learn have relevance to our lives? How much do we even actually remember? It is not that these subjects are not important, but they should be taught so that students understand how it is personally relevant to them. Otherwise, you only play the game of school. The rules go like this – you memorize all you can, you pass a test and then you go on and often forget most of what you had to memorize. Such an approach does not support learning of relevant skills for the future.

So let us be more specific, what are the competencies that future citizens should have?

They are addressed in our mission as well. They include the ability to: Think Critically and Creatively, Work Cooperatively and Independently and Listen and Communicate Effectively. Notice the element of effective listening, not only speaking, as is often stressed. When it comes to our central values, notice the verb to act. At ISP, the expectation is that we act with compassion, integrity, respect and intercultural understanding in school and throughout our lives. To sum up all that we have discussed so far, we care deeply about the foundational literacies such as reading, writing, arithmetic etc. However if this is primarily what a student has attained, we have failed as a school in this day and age. Students need so much more to succeed, problem solving skills, critical thinking skills and well as collaborating well with others. Furthermore, as a school, staying current with how the world is changing is more important than ever. If you look at successful companies, they are changing all the time, they expect innovation but in the school environment, such an approach is not always considered important.

We discussed skills. However, the newest approach to adult learning is focused more on talents. So should we develop what we are not good at to become mediocre, or rather concentrate on what goes easy for us to become excellent?

I do not think the debate should be either talent or skills. Being an effective listener is not necessarily a talent. If you are not an effective listener, should you be one? And how can you become one? Perhaps you do not work well with other people. Well, you can work alone but you cannot be very successful unless you learn to work with others. But the answer to your question lies in personalized learning. Education should not be one size fits all. We are all unique human beings with unique talents. The best schools help students to follow both their talents and their passions. Sometimes your passions do not necessarily need to be your talents. The idea is for each learner to discover who they are and for to help them to discover that and develop further. That is why we talk about being purposeful, since you cannot be fulfilled in your life without being purposeful, and you cannot be purposeful unless you are self-aware of your abilities.

Following on the importance of science, there is currently a heated debate in the Czech Republic without giving priority to mathematics and technical subjects to the detriment of humanities, arts not being even mentioned a relevant part of the curriculum. What is your view?

Well, there has been a distinction made between ‘STEM’ and ‘STEAM’ subjects (‘STEAM’ stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) while ‘STEM’ is missing the arts. We are more inline with the ‘STEAM’ approach. As a school we of course offer the traditional sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science as well as design thinking, and extensive technology such as programing, computer science and robotics. In fact we have just hosted an international robotics competition where students from around the world have competed in designing, creating, programming and running their own robots. These are the 21st century skills and I would argue that the arts play as an important role as the “hard sciences.” Whether or not you become an artist, the arts, visual arts, drama or music will afford you many skills and understandings that will serve you well in life. Acting, improvising, making music etc – these skills do not take away from the sciences, they enhance them. We want our students to be whole human beings, not partial human beings and so the education is based on an holistic approach.

How do the two major opposing trends – globalization and localization – translate into education?

There is a famous quote by Comenius, which is cherished and displayed at the entrance to ISP, which says: “We are all citizens of the world. To dislike a man because he was born in another country, because he speaks a different language or because he takes a different view on this subject or that, is a great folly. Let us have but one end in view, welfare of humanity.”

So we celebrate our diversity and take advantage of the fact that we are in the heart of Europe in the Czech Republic and in Prague, surrounded by a rich and vibrant culture. It is very important to be part of that culture. We study both the Velvet Revolution and the Holocaust, we take advantage of the beautiful surrounding countryside as an amazing resource for all subject areas. Children study and meet artists and experts in the city and much more. “The curator project” for the middle school is run in co-operation with the Lobkowicz family and students learn, discover and present their research of artefacts from the Lobkowicz Museum’s rich collections. As you can see, the local and global elements are intertwined. We are very much of the opinion that “local is global and global is local.” As for the Czech educational community, we are always looking for partnering opportunities with Czech educators and Czech schools. Given our strong technological background for example, we annually host a conference for Czech educators addressing the issue of how to best to utilise technology in teaching. Furthermore ISP students have many opportunities to interact with students from local schools as well as their peers from sister schools from around the world.

What are your final words for Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

I would say that leaders should always value and yes, embrace diversity. The tapestry of cultures and backgrounds we have at ISP is undoubtedly a key strength of our school. I firmly believe that the case for diversity is also the case for business. Diversity allows for fresh and varied perspectives in any organization, and is certainly a crucial ingredient to preparing children for their futures in a diverse and globalized world.

By Linda Štucbartová

 

---

Did you know?

ISP in facts and figures: 860 students, 120 teachers and counsellors from over 20 countries, 60 nationalities. Founded in 1948.

The school is for all intents and purposes full, but due to the number of expat families arriving and leaving at various times throughout the year, families interested in ISP are encouraged to contact the school anytime during a school year.

Arnie Bieber was appointed Director of ISP in 2008. Arnie has trodden a diverse path leading to his life in Prague. His background combines a wealth of educational, as well as entrepreneurial experience. Although he much more prefers to talk about the school rather than himself, his story is nonetheless very interesting and inspiring.

Arnie Bieber was born in Brooklyn, New York. His mother is a holocaust survivor, originally from Romania who is still going strong at 92 years old back in New York City. Prior to attaining two MAs in teaching and educational leadership, Arnie successfully ran several businesses and even had a stint as a New York taxi driver to put himself through university. He later gained a Doctorate of Education from Columbia University and began his teaching career in public schools in his native New York. Prior to coming to Prague, he lived and worked in Munich, Caracas and Bucharest. His wife is British and he has two children, who were both born in Caracas, Venezuela. Besides pursuing his passion for education, Arnie continues to follow his life-long interest in making music by regularly playing guitar and singing in the ISP Community Choir.

An important influencer in the international educational scene, Arnie is the Chair-elect of the Board of Trustees of Educational Collaborative of International Schools (ECIS), a non-profit global membership organisation of 400 international schools, that provides professional learning, research and advocacy for its member schools. Arnie previously served as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) and the ECIS Board. He also writes articles and has a blog about twenty first century educational issues called school21c.org, and regularly shares his thoughts with his legion of over 1000 twitter followers.

“Creativity and the Ability to Improvise Represent the Main Assets of Czech Science”

Eva Zažímalová, President, Academy of Sciences

On Values, Both Material and Spiritual Ones

Luděk Sekyra, Chairman of the Board, Sekyra Group

I met Mr. Sekyra for the first time at the colloquia dedicated to John Rawls, the most influential political philosopher of the 20^th century, however little known and appreciated in the Czech environment.  The Sekyra Group that supports the Centre for Political Philosophy, Ethics and Religion (CPPER) has also supported organising the colloquia.  Despite the fact that Mr. Sekyra is still actively involved in his property development company, he presented a paper discussing Rawls’s principles of justice and their relationship towards reciprocity and altruism.  The extent and the quality of Mr. Sekyra’s paper received appreciation from theoretical scientists and inspired a stimulating discussion.  Mr. Sekyra is also working on a book addressing this theme and later this year, he is planning to present his research at the Conference at the Harvard University.  Mr. Sekyra is concerned about the polarization of liberal societies and he sees the need to formulate moral and political principles that would strengthen the cohesion of plural and multicultural public space.

One week later, I came to interview Mr. Sekyra at his office at the Sun Tower building in Prague.  I had a chance to admire not only a beautiful view but also visualization of future development projects, also in the surrounding neighbourhood of Rohan City. Mr. Sekyra apologized for being late due to a teleconference held with the representatives of New York Times, as he is busy preparing a panel for the prestige global conference, the Athens Democratic Forum.  The panel will be dedicated to problems democracy is facing in Central Europe, threats of populism and xenophobia nationalism.  The aim is to present a fact that such tendencies threatening the concept of open liberal democracy do not represent a regional issue, but truly the global one. 

Our third (unplanned) meeting took place at the launch of the book published by the Centre of Independent Journalism, also supported by Mr. Sekyra.  I could see that Mr. Sekyra fully lives his life purpose that not only buildings, but also thoughts, should be left as a legacy.  And it is such purpose that we discussed during the interview, together with philosophy and thinking, however the business world was not left aside, as it often intersected our conversation.

Mr. Sekyra, you being part of two worlds – academic and entrepreneurial – is quite rare for the Czech environment, contrary to the world where such interconnection happens more often.  How do you manage bridging the two spheres?  And how were you received by the academics?

You are right, the intersection of both worlds is more frequent there and it brings various benefits to both sides.  Someone who comes from the entrepreneurial world transfers a wide range of empirical experience which can be subsequently generalised upon.  And such generalization then allows to present a universal dimension that is possible to address in theoretical discussion, in theory.  As far as me being accepted by scientists, on one hand they consider me to a certain extent a visitor in their environment, on the other hand the most respected specialist in the fields of political or moral philosophy are very helpful and support my work on my upcoming book.  I have the feeling that they enjoy debating with me and they consider it beneficial with regards to my specific experience and point of view.  I studied philosophy of law and I have been actively involved in this field.  I am engaged not only with the Czech environment, but also at Oxford and Harvard.  I also recommend such open attitude to Czech universities.  Being open to thoughts of people outside the academic sphere, who combine certain theoretic knowledge with empirical experience, is stimulating for the academic debate.

What is the reaction of your colleague entrepreneurs and competitors with regards to your academic activities?  Are they looking forward to you leaving the real estate business?  Or are they supportive and appreciative of your activities?

Well, I am definitely not leaving the real estate business. Sekyra Groups is currently preparing projects in the total amount of 1 000 000 square kilometres, consisting of office, commercial and residential properties.  We are currently developing four projects in the larger centre of Prague where new quarters will be built.  At Smíchov, Žižkov, Rohan Island and in Dejvice, we are going to build modern and green Prague centres which will represent a true alternative to the historical part of the metropolis.  There will be parks, schools and public buildings. As it was mentioned, I dedicate considerable amount of time to philosophy and studying in libraries, but managing the Group still takes the largest portion of my management time.   I concentrate on new opportunities, growing efficiency of existing projects and on co-operation with new clients.  Some colleagues and even business partners still consider my passion a bit strange but as someone enjoys golf, yachts, or airplanes, I enjoy philosophical books.  I believe that not only should we leave buildings as a legacy, but also thoughts.  Particularly ideas, if they are original enough, might have longer life span when compared to buildings.

We have met at the colloquia dedicated to John Rawls who is not well known in the Czech Republic.  What particularly do you find inspiring?

I am interested in the relationship between morale and politics.  The notion of justice and interpretation of justice represents the central theme of political philosophy.  I personally believe that it is important to interpret justice as reciprocity.  I consider the notion of reciprocity as the most relevant one.  In order to be able to fulfil the key criteria of the cohesion principle or homogeneity that a society needs to survive, we need, in addition to the principle of justice (as John Rawls addressed), two other principles: reciprocity and altruism.  Only the combination of the three normative principles paves way to creating a cohesive society. I am a supporter of moral universalism and so I tend to believe that the majority of the society should identify with such principles, in order to create an environment where we would feel freedom and which will offer what Aristoteles used to call a good life.  The fact that this is not happening nowadays and therefore we see populism spread not only across Europe but also in the US.  Societies are ethnocentrically shutting down, they are being integrated by negative rather than positive factors, the most visible being xenophobic nationalism.  I consider such development truly alarming.

For John Rawls, the biggest political thinker of the 20^th century, the key principle was justice in the sense of fairness in public space.  Justice should not be understood as a mere decision of an authority in power, but I maintain that justice should be a reciprocal relationship between people themselves as well as between citizens and an authority.  Only such approach can guarantee harmonic development of a liberal society.  Rawls also tended to place a big emphasis on the principle of freedom equality and on equal access to rights that are linked to freedom. Rawls maintained that if inequality was to happen, then it should be in favour of those who are the least advantaged, so in favour of those reaching the so-called bottom.

Current period is often characterized as an era suffering from the lack of leaders.  How do you perceive it?

Many politicians perceive politics as power and deeds, in terms of gaining and holding on to power.  Recently, I have read an interview with Jaroslaw Kaczynski in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Mr. Kaczynski revealed that he admires Carl Schmitt and his realism, Mr. Schmitt was an influential German political philosopher in 1930s and also a main critic of liberal democracy.  The very fact that Schmitt’s realism is mentioned as “exemplary” politics is very disconcerting to me.  I consider the main deficit the fact that morals and its principles have fallen out of the perception of politics as such. Without the transfer of moral principles into political principles politics becomes empty and only a fight for power.  If the public sees that many politicians make their own personal interest instead of public interest a priority, then they tend to lose faith in politics.  Let us not forget that the representation of public interest is the main task of politics and politicians.

It seems to me that such thoughts used to be openly presented by Václav Havel…

Yes, under the influence of philosophers of Patočka and Levinas…Nowadays, we are experiencing something that I would characterise “an ordinary democratic day” or being tired of normal democratic politics that does not represent any larger vision or values but only concentrates on specific voting or budgetary priorities.  People are lacking any cross-over and if politics is lacking a cross-over than it ceases to be something to believe in.  This can be seen on the European Union project where it is much more difficult to identify with the European idea.  The United States is much more successful, as “the American idea” is not only much more appealing but also more tangible.  An idea is, given its very own notion, a transcendental issue; it surpasses the ordinary politics and has the ability to inspire, but when it is missing, disillusion is inevitable.  I do not wish politics to be reduced to power and deeds as such notion is narrowly a pragmatic one.  The task of political philosophy is to stress and formulate principles allowing to introduce both content as well as cross-over.  I have a more and more intensive feeling that modern, particularly continental philosophy of the 20^th century, suffers from deficit of ethical thinking, because the most important representatives such as Heidegger or Wittgenstein in fact had pushed ethics out of philosophy.  We need to foster authentic ethical theories based on universal principles, and that is what I call reciprocity ethics in my texts.

As we are discussing difficult moments, which difficult moments do you consider formative ones for yourself?

Real estate business is a cyclical business and so in 2007 we experienced one of the deepest financial and real estate crises in modern history.  We benefitted from a quality management team and from quality risk management.  We witnessed some of our big competitors not being able to make it.  Today, we pay more attention than in the past not only to the return of invested capital but also to risk profile of every project.  The second lesson learned thanks to the crisis was the finding that there are additional values side by side to the material ones.  It was the very philosophy that brought a cross-over and authenticity to my life and that is why I dedicate more time to it than in the past.

What are your future visions?

I wish to dedicate energy to both my life priorities and to big development projects that will change the way Prague looks.  I personally very much care about the best notion of architecture.  At Smíchov, we have launched a big architectonic competition for the first time in Prague and involved more than 10 international architects.  The new quarter should be a pride of the 21^st century Prague.  The second challenge is thinking about philosophy and working on my book that should be a result of my reflections.  I hope to publish it within the next two years.

By Linda Štucbartová

Luděk Sekyra is a leading Czech businessman. He has been working with Oxford University for many years. He is a Foundation Fellow and a member of the Board of Regents of Harris Manchester College. He is also a member of the Vice Chancellor Circle. Luděk Sekyra is also a member of the American Political Science Association (APSA).

In 2014, he opened the Sekyra House student center and theTomáš Halík Room lecture hall at Oxford University. The same year, he supported the installation of Havel’s Place in Oxford University park. Together with Tomáš Halík, he initiated the creation of the Center for the Study of Political Philosophy, Ethics and Religion at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University, where he is the Chairman of the Academic Council. He actively supports the collaboration of the Center with the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University and the Center for European Studies at Harvard University.

Sekyra has been interested in the field of political and moral philosophy for a long time. He is a frequently published author and is currently working on a book about reciprocal fairness. He also significantly supports interfaith dialogues at the academic level (for example the Public Sphere, Ethics and Religious Diversity global conference that will take place in 2017), as well as practical projects in leading European cities (for example the Foyer youth center in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels www.foyer.be).

The laws of good writing

Blanka Čechová, Writer. Photo: Ivana Zorić

When you look at Blanka Čechová‘s biography, you may wonder, how is it even possible that you haven’t heard about her before: her first book got published when she was nineteen. After graduating from law, she launched an impressive career at the European Court of Human Rights and then at a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Later, she got admitted as the first non-native speaker to the Master in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford. As a writer, she worked with Ladislav Smoljak, Jiri Menzel or Juraj Jakubisko, she taught writing to lawyers and bankers, and along the way, she wrote another four marvellous books.

Question one: how did you manage to squeeze all of the diverse and demanding activities into your life so far?

Easy: I was doing things, not making connections. Which might have been wrong in many ways, but I simply followed my passion and I stubbornly wanted to make a difference, no matter how much of a cliché this sounds. I don’t deny that this required certain sacrifice. I missed uncounted trips, parties, coffees and grand-openings. You may know the famous Oscar Wilde quote: he was once approached at a party by a lady, who asked him “Why is it that the poor writers are always so entertaining while the good writers tend to be boring?” And Oscar Wilde replied – “This is because the poor writers live the life they cannot write about, while the good writers write about the life they cannot live.” Writing is an incredibly time consuming activity, and it requires a lot of courage, if you are serious about it. Even that kind of courage to face a lifetime of being misunderstood, years of failure.

You were a successful lawyer before your fulltime writing career, though. Looking back, how do you feel about your years in international organizations?  

I was blessed to get to relatively high-profile jobs at a very young age, so my naivety about how the world functions was tested and crushed early in life. Which was great. Experiencing ruthless bureaucrats and rives of public money going the wrong way tries one’s idealism and motivation, it forces you to see the thin line between a moral compromise and a moral failure. Everybody reacts in a different way to this, but it is true that only few give up the salary, benefits and status. Of course, there are great projects and fantastic people, too, but mostly on the ground level – the minds of the chief officers are too often corrupt and self-indulged. It is zero responsibility, great income and countless privileges. For me, the disillusionment was devastating, particularly in Kosovo, where I saw so much injustice, crime and poverty, and no matter how much I tried, I was completely powerless. Finally, I resigned and to turn my experience into something constructive, I wrote Total Balkans, a bitter humour novel that explores the topic of individual versus an institution at a field mission and poses the heretic question whether democratization, as we know it, makes sense at all. The positive response I keep getting from my readers, is actually overwhelming. I am honoured that some very distinguished and well-read people have ranked the book among their top ten. It is one of the favourite books of Zdeněk Svěrák.

After you quit your job at the Kosovo mission, you worked as assistant director to Ladislav Smoljak in the Jára Cimrman Theater. How does a lawyer get a job like this?

Through the law faculty, in fact. For years, I had hoped to make an interview with Vojtěch Cepl, the former constitutional judge. He kept refusing to talk to me, and finally he said – I won’t tell you anything, but I will introduce you to someone, who is absolutely worth to be interviewed. The next day, he took me to a lunch with the renowned actor-director Ladislav Smoljak. We became friends and close collaborators, Ladislav even wrote a letter of recommendation to the University of Oxford during admissions to the creative writing program. He was a fantastic, strict and attentive mentor. In return, I kept interviewing him for almost five years and finally published a book of our talks on theater, politics and life.

You mentioned Oxford and your creative writing studies. How did it help you develop as a writer?

Immensely. The major difference of the Oxford program from other writing courses is that you are forced to write one of the major assignments in a genre that you would normally avoid. This way, I had to write a collection of poetry. A huge, incredible challenge, countless nights up, shelves of books I had to read and re-read, poets I had to explore, understand, and fall in love with. It has incredibly enriched my prose writing, even my screenwriting skills. When I coach people who want to improve their writing, I insist they read a poem a day. In ten days, you see a difference – in their writing and, more importantly, in their mindset.

So you believe that writing can be taught?

Absolutely. You can train the skill, you can expand your vocabulary, you can even improve your language sensitivity. Of course, you can’t improve talent, you are either born with it or not. It is like in music: although you can’t learn to have a perfect pitch, you can train the fingers and the ear. And, what is more significant, you can build your confidence. I experience this in my courses of administrative writing for judges, lawyers and bankers: I use adapted methods from creative writing programs, so the people, who normally write only annual reports and judgments feel like real writers for a while. Primarily, though, I teach them how to write well and fast, how not to get stuck and how to like the writing process.

Can you actually live off your book writing or do you have to keep a job on the side?

Some of my books sold reasonably well, my latest book – The Return of the Adriatic Bride – was actually a job I did in collaboration with a travel agency, that liked the genre, and wished to pre-order my new book as their gift to a number of their loyal clients and partners. It worked fantastically: I got a deadline and an immediate motivation to write, and I got the money, so I could afford to write for several weeks and decline other jobs. This was exceptional, though. Otherwise, I do all sorts of things. Apart from the writing coaching, I play the violin at a Dalmatian folklore ensemble in Dubrovnik, where we spend most of the year. At one point, I used to sell dumplings at a farmer’s market, to pick olives and grapes during the harvest. Now I am hoping to get hired to act as one of the angry village women among the extras in Robin Hood: Origins, a movie produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and filmed in Dubrovnik. A very diverse work experience that you can’t really put in your CV. But it does make one a more versatile person and writer. But to answer your question: no, unless you publish a bestseller, preferably on the English-speaking market, you can’t comfortably live off pure writing. I just put the English translation of Total Balkans on Amazon, though, so let’s see what happens now.

You live near Dubrovnik, but you often travel to Prague. Are Croatians and Czechs very different? And why is Dalmatia so attractive for Czech tourists?

The “near Dubrovnik” is very significant: we live at the village, where my husband was born – a very traditional, conservative and rural environment. And, you know, I used to be a city girl, so when I got asked to go collect the eggs from the henhouse or to pluck a wild quail, I panicked. At my readings for Czech tourists during the summer, I often say, that we love Croats and Dalmatians because we get mislead by our similarities – our languages are similar, as is our sense of humour, we share the same experience with communism. But try to come here off season and stay several months: you will see that Dalmatia is so mysterious and distant from us like, say, Iran. You’ll get shocked every day, in the most positive and the most negative way, and at the end you will either run or stay. I stayed: I feel connected to the sea and to the people, who are both irritating and authentic, over-traditional and brotherly, complicated and cheerful. I like the slower pace of life in Dubrovnik. In fact, one is kind of required to slow down here, as being a workaholic is considered rude and inappropriate. You are required to have time for life – be it family parties or staring at the sea out of your fishing boat.

Any tips prior to the season?

If you take the A1 Croatian highway to get to Dalmatia, stop by the yellow Tifon gas station and buy the Adriatic Bride books. J And if you get all the way down to Dubrovnik or Pelješac, drop me an email – I love meeting my readers, and actually I like to say that I am such kind of writer who knows most of her readers personally.

What is your next chapter?

I am the mother of two wonderful little ladies, so above all, I need to learn how to make a Dutch braid, a Lego-shaped birthday cake and to learn the lyrics of all the songs from Frozen. In the pauses, when I don’t hop between blueberry pancakes and playdough castles, I would like to finish the third part of the Adriatic Bride series and see Total Balkans sell in its English and Serbian versions.

By Linda Štucbartová

Three Careers in One: Executive Coach, CEO and Gallery Owner

Daniel Wahrenberger, Executive Coach, CEO and Gallery Owner

Daniel Wahrenberger has owned a gallery for more than 20 years, worked as CEO, Interim Manager and he has also had a coaching and consultancy company for 15 years. He has worked in more than 23 countries, in Europe, Americas and Asia.

Daniel, welcome to the heart of Europe. For two and half years you also have been supporting companies in Prague. How do you enjoy it?

Beforehand I have never worked in the Czech Republic – just knew it from vacation. I have been very positively surprised about the great business environment and infrastructure of this country. Easily reached by public transportation, quality of staff, security, standard and last but not least costs. I think the Czech Republic should invest much more effort in making this great market place more known – not just in Europe also in the US and especially in Asia. Many companies from other continents plan to expand into Europe – and why not founding the European representation or company in the Czech Republic or Slovakia. The package of advantages is huge and many metropolises would have difficulties to compete.

In Bratislava, I started to work over ten years ago. One of my clients was involved in a business service center in Bratislava and I was involved in the foundation and start-up.

Daniel, seeing you, your energy and passion, one can easily compare your career to a joyride…How would you describe it yourself?

Being Swiss, I will naturally use the example of downhill skiing, making also a link to the Czech Republic, as the Alpine Ski World Championship in St. Moritz took place recently. I believe many Czech people followed this event quite closely, as it was the last Championship for your excellent skier Šárka Strachová. So, I compare my career to the giant slalom. I have been enjoying various energetic bends, always having a clear goal in sight, parallel to the finishing line. I have never been attached to a particular position or a brand or a function. My priority was not to focus on “what am I doing” but instead on “how am I performing and achieving goals”.

Whenever a person loses an intrinsic motivation and enjoyment, the overall satisfaction is difficult to be attained. When that happens, you literally stand still in your professional and personal development.

Passion – no matter how much of a buzz word nowadays it may seem – passion has always been my real driver and the source of my energy. When passion and profession blend together, the outcome guarantees real fervour. And I put this very fervour into every mandate and every job; as an underwriter, a project manager, a head of IT or HR department, an executive coach and a gallery owner. Whenever I started to realize that my passion was decreasing, it was a signal to me that I have to change something. Immediately.

Life After Life

Mirek Topolánek, former Prime Minister, Expert Director, Eustream company

Mirek Topolánek seldom allows to be interviewed and only under the condition that politics will not be discussed at all.  When you meet him in person, it becomes clear that his natural passion to make an impact does not allow much space for personal issues.  Clearly, Mirek Topolánek is a natural leader.  He is still charismatic and authentic.  On the other hand, when compared to his media image, he is less reserved, he listens, he has gentleman’s manners and he is sharply sincere.  Our meeting over a cup of coffee lasted for more than two hours, for me inspiring ones.  I believe that Mirek Topolánek and his involvement in politics does not represent a closed chapter.   

How is the life after you leave the politics?

It is interesting that you have chosen the name of the chapter in my book as a title.  The topic that I have truly lived and had a chance to reflect upon.  For a politician, it is really difficult to leave politics, particularly in an involuntary manner, when he is not ready to leave.  On the other hand, which politician is ready to leave politics?  Politicians feel that they are a messiah type figure, and that they should last in politics until the end of their days and then become canonised.  I also had the feeling that I left too early, before finishing my “masterpiece”.  On top of that, the Czechs, being both the most egalitarian and envious small nation in Europe, desire that politicians either end up at the Unemployment Office or in the Moldau River.  Czechs do not appreciate their elites, since they lost them due to several immigration waves, they ostracize them and fail to acknowledge them.  The elites since 1989 belong to the last group.  So after falling from the top, I have not been rocking in a safety net or cuddling in the safe warm nest.  People who looked like friends had the tendency to cross to the other side of the pavement, they did not look into my eyes and some of them reacted even worse…Then, one learns to appreciate those who did not like him but their behaviour did not get worse and even those who helped him.  No one wants to employ you.  No one wants to have anything in common with you.  Just one example to illustrate.  I had a discussion regarding the management contract in Slovenské elektrárny with the president of ENEL Company in Rome.  He asked me disbelievingly?  “Do you still wanna work”?  Yes, Fulvio, I have to provide for my family.  And so he tried again: “Wouldn’t just a consulting contract be sufficient?”  He did not believe me.  I had to persuade him that it works like that and I simply had to work.  Such story demonstrates a different point of view and attitude in some traditional West European countries.  A politician either becomes a senator or he is appointed to a prepared position.  Or he is simply rich enough.  People do not have to agree with that particular top politician, but they respect the fact that he has dedicated a part of his life to his country.  They perceive it as a recognition of his work and as a reward for his willingness to bear responsibility.  The second reason is much more pragmatic.  When a politician gets a chance to contribute elsewhere, the higher is the probability that he will continue to mess in politics.  But there are exceptions, such as Silvio Berlusconi.  My story has a typical Czech ending.  One investigative journalist had found out, “leaked the information on the website”, Italian journals printed out the story, Italians got scared and that was the end to my contract.  Funnily enough, I have returned in another way, due to the partial ownership of EPH company in Slovenské elektrárny, so I have returned, albeit in another time and indirectly.

So what have been you doing?

I left for abroad to clear my head in my private, civil and working life.  Actually, I had to learn again how to work on a PC, how to use a printer, scanner, Excel and PowerPoint.  And how to stop commanding…You are quite powerless when in top politics.  Around you they do everything on your behalf, they hold your hand and create a feeling of being indispensable.  You need to learn how to live a normal civil life, go shopping, walk your kids to a kindergarten.  Stories how politicians do not know how to buy a tram ticket are far from being exaggerated.

I made a decision to dedicate my energy to the three following areas:  I will find a job that will provide sufficient means and that I will enjoy; I will take better care of my family, since it is the family that suffers most from politics; and last but not least, I am going to enjoy my life.  After almost seven years, I can humbly claim to a certain degree that except for the last point, I have succeeded in the first two.

So was it a real “sabbatical”?  Well, from my experience as an executive coach, I cannot believe that everything went smoothly and that from maximum stress suddenly you managed to switch to inner peace and harmony. 

I confess that after two weeks I was in panic due to not working, and after one month I felt powerless due to what was going on.  After two months I was bored to death and hungry to face new challenges.  Then I had to return.  No one would believe that it took a year until I managed to get rid of the inner feeling of responsibility “for the country and for the people”.

Perhaps it sounds exaggerated.  You are right, to get rid of being restless and learn how to get rest was the hardest work.  You run at the full speed in some kind of a never-ending race, you work 15 hours per day, you sleep three hours, you are under permanent pressure without the liberating feeling of victory.  And suddenly nothing…Emptiness.  I would compare my situation to a professional athlete.  The moment he ceases his full engagement in sport, including daily workouts and he does not start doing something else, he starts to have health issues, problems with alcohol and he cannot make the transition.  I was aware of all risks and I made a decision not to be a failure.  Besides, when I was leaving politics, I was really severely sick.  Next to common civilization diseases, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high fat level in blood, I had lung problems leading to beginning of sepsis.  Until then I did not have time and strength to take care of my personal problems.  So I decided to commit a complete “brainwash” and change the life style.  Suddenly, instead of hundreds of people, who had been shaking hands with me, I was surrounded by few individuals, who have accompanied me throughout my whole life.  I have also changed hobbies.  When I was 54, I started to play ice-hockey and I still play it, I have discovered a new bunch of people and I really enjoy it.

What is your position in an ice-hockey team?

The ice-hockey today is based on the returning left back winger.  But I am the left winger, non-returning one…(loud laughter)…I cannot keep up.

But let me get back to my “return” to life.  I experienced one particular moment feeling as a craftsman exam in a civil life.  That was the time, when I was able to use email, phone, DHL and scanner to buy a car on a leasing contract and that car was waiting for me in front of my life after I returned from Italy.  I was proud then.  Today, I see the episode ridiculous.              

What about a job?

That was a bit complicated and it had its own dynamics.  After I entered politics I passed the managed of my rather successful companies on and later sold them.  I was being naïve and I thought this is the way it is supposed to be done.  Today, those who are currently powerful?, are proving me wrong.  They are in charge of big companies and simultaneously involved in top politics.  I do not trust them.  Based on my own experience, I believe that if someone is to perform a task on 150%, he cannot have any other responsibility.  However, then I had nowhere to return…At last, there were few people who respected me, who were aware about my expert experience, contacts and reputation.  I delivered some good work on consulting contracts; those eventually resulted in a management position in Ostrava.  I had to travel a lot.  Dozens of trips to Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and Far East.  Especially in Africa, many countries were not considered safe and so people do not to travel there often.  I was in Angola, Uganda, Ghana, South Sudan where the war broke out just after signing a contract, North Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia.  Then came Egypt, Moldova, Vietnam, Ecuador, Argentina, Kazakhstan, Turkey and so on… I enjoyed it and I was bringing a visible added value.  And now I could make the cut and use the fairy tale sentence: and suddenly I met Dan Křetínský. (laughter)

Dan had the courage to face the Czech stereotypes – he gave me a big chance and responsibility.   At first, I started as the Chairman of the Association of District Heating, then I covered Slovakia, being at NAFTA company.  During the last two years, I have been a member of the Board and Expert Director of the Foreign Relations at Eustream company, a key player in the gas transit in Europe.  I do not travel outside Europe, but constantly within Europe.  By the way, coming from Prague Chodov to Prague Holešovice is as demanding as travelling to Bulgaria or Romania.  The work is truly interesting; I am grateful to Dan for the opportunity.  I am able to devote myself to the energy industry as the topic that I have been pursuing for my whole life and I have my freedom.  I make my living and I am fulfilled.

You seem to enjoy travelling a lot, you make a living and it is fulfilling at the same time. Do you miss the special air plane?  Do you fly economy class?

You cannot possibly imagine the difference.  There is a special bed, shower, comfortable seats in the special air plane for the prime minister and there is a red carpet awaiting you on the arrival.  You do not have to take care of anything and no one searches you nor touches you at the airport.  I think I could write a book “Pains and pleasures flying in economy class” with the subtitle “How to become a terrorist fast and easy”.  As an experienced traveller, I try to secure the business class for the poor – the emergency seat. Now, you have to pay extra.  Instead of the airline companies paying me for bearing the responsibility in case of an emergency, they charge me extra.  There are security checks everywhere.  Barefoot, with falling trousers I show my hands for the anti-explosive detection test.  Usama Bin Ladin won.  The failure of the Western civilization is evident.  We made it difficult for ourselves, since terrorist attacks nowadays take place in a different form, in different places, as we could witness in Berlin.  My book on travelling would include the stories about how I was about to be arrested, denied a flight, where I was checked, touched or had to take my shoes off.  As I work in Bratislava, I tend to perceive most of the travels within Europe just as commuting to work.  I learned how not to get disturbed.  I have my own rituals, I tend to write a lot, read or listen to music.  Whenever I feel the bump as the airplane touches the runway, I feel I need an extra hour to complete all the tasks.  My wife pressures me to wear compress socks as I turned 60 as embolism prevention, but I tend to disregard it.  Yes, I still enjoy travelling.

Do you miss politics?        

It is rather abroad where I am asked this question.  I say:  I am not powerful anymore?, I am only a little bit influential.”  That is a big difference.  I do not miss politics.  I miss the power.  I admit that when I was active in politics, I did not know how to make use of it. On the other hand, gas and the connected issues are political and geopolitical.  In this sense, I have never ceased being involved in politics.

By Linda Štucbartová

One woman, two roles, two children and one big vision

Andrea Hepnerová, Director of SAP Services

Andrea, you mentioned that your career probably started by a programming course that you considered a great step out of your comfort zone.  How do you see this rather direct push in times when the approach has shifted to the development of natural talent where we already excel rather than improving weak areas?   

In fact, there were more courses like that and they were part of an elaborate training system of a company that understood the need to bring all fresh consultants to the same starting level.  Indeed, it was a huge step out of my comfort zone.  However, from today’s perspective, I keep remembering the victorious feeling after we succeeded carrying out “the string test“ for the first time. In addition to the distinct feeling of personal accomplishment, throughout the programming experience, we also learned to value teamwork. We could taste, in a realistic high-stress business simulation, how particularly important and significantly more difficult it is for an individual to perform successfully, yet also as a team player. This was an invaluable experience that came in handy in many further projects.  Looking back, I consider it a great benefit.  Is there any better or more suitable time for pushing your limits of development other than when you are young, even at the price of possible discomfort?  Specialization usually follows later throughout the various stages of one’s career.  This being said, one must bear in mind that there are exceptions.

When one compares the world of science with the world of humanities, while the first one has many perspectives despite being difficult, it is the other that seems to lure young people in the Czech Republic. Do you see such clash or conflict of disciplines? 

I am not familiar with any particular research that would confirm the above stated preference towards humanities or diminishing interest in the technical disciplines.  Such reality might be explained by the way science is being taught at both elementary and high schools and there is definitely room for improvement.  I do not dare to judge whether there is more opportunity for humanities or for science disciplines. We need to see beyond the current horizon into several decades in the future, imagining the people who are studying today, will eventually be part of the active workforce.  Speaking for my industry, today, it might seem that technology and IT are “the disciplines”, particularly when it comes to the latest societal development, labelled as “The Fourth Industrial Revolution” or the “Industry 4.0”.  As the speed of our lives has increased, mobile technologies, social networks, and virtual reality are becoming natural components of our lives. Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Internet of Things are the hype buzzwords of today. Development of microservices is creeping in the open window of opportunities to leverage all these data quantities in fantastic apps based on intelligent predictions and automated steps in the chain, with possibly minimal or no human interference.  This being said, we remain human beings with all of our basic needs and desires.  The famous Maslow pyramid of human needs is still a valid and applied scheme.  So if you see people preferring humanities, I would argue that it might be seen as a compensation for too many technological aspects in our lives… But again, I cannot confirm a statistical correlation in the statement.

You have experienced an interesting career shift.  After working for SAP, you left and founded a company and then you returned to SAP.  Today, you often act as “an ambassador” for large corporations, since they seem highly unpopular for the youngest generation when compared to start-ups and their “ethos”.  Do you often find yourself going “against the current”?   

The start-up theme is quite popular nowadays.  Negative connotation of corporations is to a great extent influenced by the media and so young people tend to prefer start-ups to corporations.  The overall perception created is that a young person might better avoid joining a corporation, otherwise he/she would be literally swallowed and become an anonymous cog in the wheel.  On the other hand, the start-up scene is venerated as the environment in which one can be truly oneself, act for oneself and progress faster.  Again, I am going to challenge such a popular notion.  How many students at the moment of making the decision whether to work for a start-up or a corporation have any direct experience with working for a corporation?  What about the statistics?  There are many start-ups, but only a handful of them manage to exist in the mid-term perspective. And then there are start-ups that are sponsored, nurtured, and supported by all available means of rich corporations. Usually, this relationship is mutually beneficial – the corporations gain a source of fresh innovation, while the start-up gets access to funding and often to the customer base and marketing of the corporation.  Personally, I believe that both experiences, both worlds, the start-up as well as the corporate, are great.  And, I am grateful for having worked in both.

Your view as of me going upstream is a good one.  More than 10 years ago, when I was selecting a school with a good executive MBA program, I chose Thunderbird University.  Besides having an excellent academic program focused on international management, the school culture is based on diversity and promoting the uniqueness of each student.  We call ourselves “misfits” and it is not a negative statement.  We just have a natural tendency to see and manage things differently than the mainstream.  So what seems upstream to you looks okay or natural to me.

You are a strong supporter of women leadership and diversity.  Why has diversity become such polarizing issue in the Czech Republic?

I support the notion that diversity as a variety is healthy and enriching in every society.  However, only under the condition that it is being managed.  If there are vague or no rules and outlines, then diversity becomes a nuisance and eventually a threat. I believe that it is the fear of the unknown that prevents people in the Czech Republic from framing diversity positively and enjoying its benefits. Let me give you an example of what I mean by managed diversity. At SAP Services, we have colleagues from over 30 countries. So, naturally, our required communication language is English. Also for the Czech-speaking majority that is the rule.  At the same time, the nature of the service sector attracts more females than males, which results in a roughly 70:30 female-to- male workforce ratio. So, we keep this ratio in the management as well…  If there is a framework that outlines the conditions of the game as well as their consistent application, then diversity brings many positive benefits to a company.  Employing differently abled colleagues helps strengthening the team and increases employee engagement. Employing various age groups brings an opportunity to learn and to be inspired from one another.  Companies that care about gender diversity have a proven record of being more innovative, care about their customers’ needs, and have a better relationship with their employees.  At SAP, we have a diversity element in each team and thanks to numerous programs and projects, such as Autism at Work or SAP Pride, we are richer and more successful.

How do you manage your energy and enthusiasm? I know that not only do you handle two positions simultaneously, you also connect various spheres, you are a mother of two children…What do you do and also, what do you tend not to do?

Well, I do not have a patent or a recipe. In general, I try maximizing the time spent on topics and things that I am passionate about, and minimize, delegate, or completely outsource those areas that I do not like. Still, I get up early and go to bed late and tend to catch up with the sleep deficit during the weekends.  Working from home helps, especially when a day looks like a long chain of confcalls.  Having a family and friends is very important for me, I am lucky and grateful to have a few good old friends, whom I love, and our relations are not maintenance heavy. My children can call me anytime and they also often come to my office after school and then we go home together.  I try not to work in the evenings, and definitely avoid chasing after e-mails.

Blending the two most important roles – the professional one and the one of a mother – is an issue that is also relevant to most of my female colleagues at SAP Services.  I am proud to say that we have 67% of women in management positions.  Contrary to other companies, there is no leaking pipeline in terms of women reaching senior positions at SAP.   We try to support as much as possible the above mentioned blending of roles by various means.  In addition to shorter working schemes allowing flexible and part-time home-office work, we also have a fully equipped children’s corner for toddlers as well as pre-school-age children.  Toilets with baby-changing diaper units as well as comfortable breast-feeding areas have been designed as a natural part of our new office space.

Let me ask about your initiative, project Autism at Work, that can be considered your third child.  Last year, you proudly presented this initiative at the Conference dedicated to Social Development Goals.  How is this child, or project, doing?  

Thanks for asking, it is doing pretty well.  From a baby project, it has grown into a big program, based on a revolutionary approach to recruitment, education, and employment of people with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) particularly those having Asperger syndrome.  The program is moving ahead thanks to the support from the whole team.  The idea of employing people with Asperger in IT positions originated in Germany in 2013, but in Prague we applied it to employees in other roles, not only IT positions.  Besides Germany and the Czech Republic, it has been launched in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, India, and Ireland. SAP has a goal to have 1% of employees with ASD globally by 2020, which corresponds to the total amount of people on the spectrum in the general population.  It is necessary to say that a candidate with ASD is hired for the same position, as any other candidate would be.  Colleagues on the spectrum share offices with other neuro-typical colleagues with whom they consult not only for work-related issues, but also personal matters.

What are your plans for 2017?  What are you looking forward to?

At SAP Services, we are looking forward to go “cloud” with HR systems; a global project such as this is a great platform for collaboration between diverse local, global, business, and IT teams and most of my staff participates in this creative exchange…  Locally, our cooperation with several universities promises relevant talent feed channels.  In January, we completed three assessment centres for the “Talent Incubator‘ – our pool of our youngest colleagues…

We are continuing to implement robots for the automation of certain tasks at SAP Services, which will bring another positive change, such as routine work being performed by machines, so people can profit from more creative jobs and tasks that would contribute to their development.  I am sure it is going to be another exciting year.

By Linda Štucbartová

Andrea has been managing SAP Services in Prague since 2010. SAP Services is a daughter company of the major German software leader SAP. Established in Prague in 2004 with the aim to provide business shared services to the SAP branches throughout EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa),SAP Services has grown into being the largest global service center of SAP.

Besides financial and business results, one of Andrea’s foremost priorities today is the continuous strive for sustainable social innovation through diversity engagement programs.

Andrea’s concurrent role at SAP is Global Head of Data management within Human Resources data domain. This role is means leading a robust data management delivery team, as well as leading an HR data governance, data protection and privacy and any compliance topics. This role, besides its focus on delivery, is requiring constant innovation as well as continuous improvement in all of its aspects, processes as well as IT systems.

Andrea is also a member of the Board of Directors of ABSL (Association of Business Services Leaders) Czech Republic, where she focuses on human resources topics that form a natural common platform for exchange and cooperation among most of the ABSL member companies in the Czech Republic.

Prior to managing SAP Services, Andrea implemented SAP software and provided software consulting services through Accenture and other local SAP partners to various clients in Central and Eastern Europe. She holds a degree in Economics from the University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovakia, and an Executive MBA degree in International Management from Thunderbird, Global School of Business, in Glendale-Phoenix, AZ, USA.

Andrea has two sons and lives with her family in the countryside outside Prague. She loves to sing and dance, do sports, read books, travel for fun and occasionally cook for friends or family.

AMBASSADORS WITHOUT DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT

LTC Magdalena Dvořáková

How do you perceive the today’s world?

I perceive the today’s world as very fast, connected, demanding in every possible and diverse way. Social and international relations, politics, media, industry, medicine, or arts and fashion – all of it is moving forward so fast and it is hard to keep track if you are just observing. I am very happy that I can be a part of it in my own way. This refers to not just my current job but to my military service as well.

If I had been born hundred years ago I wouldn’t even have had right to vote in my own country. Today I am an officer of Czech Armed Forces and a member of the NATO Staff.

How do you perceive the Czech Republic in the today’s world?

In general, the Czech Republic is a small country but with great potential to stand out compared to the others. For its tourist sights, high profile leaders/personalities (NATO CMC is currently General Petr Pavel), writers (Kundera, Hrabal – I hear a lot about them from my colleagues), musicians, politicians, inventors, athletes (in Brussels the most admired athlete is Emil Zatopek), or beer and crystal glass, castles, the Prague’s astronomical clock. You name it…

I am proud to be Czech for all the above and more.

What is according to you the most important mission of NATO in the 21^st century?

NATO’s main purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. That purpose is as relevant today as it has ever been. The most important mission of NATO in the 21^st century is to promote the democratic values and to encourage further cooperation in defence and security issues to prevent any conflict and to adapt to a rapidly changing security environment.

What is your current task at NATO?

I currently work as the International Military Staff Gender Advisor at NATO Headquarters. My main tasks are to advise the Director General and his International Military Staff on the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 – Women, Peace and Security and Gender perspectives; I am also the secretary for the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives which brings together national delegates from NATO member and partner nations, subject matter experts and academics to discuss the latest progress and issues in this field. In addition, I coordinate with my fellow gender advisors at other NATO commands, facilitate dialogue with my counterparts from UN and EU and other international organisations and NGOs.

What was your biggest career challenge?

I will repeat a little what my colleagues say, but the biggest challenge is to do the right thing, the right way. My job is to mainstream gender perspectives. It may sound easy – human rights are women’s rights and therefore it is fundamental to support women’s rights in every way. Yet, to do the right thing might mean something different for every country. While in some corner of the world it is a question of survival, in the other it is a matter of gender pay gap and equal opportunities. In both cases, it is essential that it is addressed.

Many people immediately associate the gender agenda only with women. Equal opportunities mean we should provide the same chances to both genders and equality with regards to their lives, rights, jobs, medical care, and education. Last year we organized a workshop on conflict-related sexual and gender based violence at NATO. One of the speakers said that the worst thing to do to the gender agenda and to women, is to treat them as a special project.

Gender means both – men and women, boys and girls. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security adopted unanimously by the NATO member nations in 2000 recognises the disproportionate impact that war and conflict have on women and children and highlights the fact that historically women have been left out of peace processes and stabilisation efforts. The resolution and the other seven related resolutions call for a full and equal participation of women at all levels ranging from conflict prevention to post-conflict reconstruction.

To transform these commitments into actions requires a long-term and demanding engagement. I am happy I am able to take an active part in this endeavour.

We both attended a working lunch at the US Embassy, discussing the role of Army in supporting diversity.  This issue is also important to NATO.  What are the best practices that you see the Czech Republic would benefit from?

Czech Armed Forces, when compared with the other NATO nations’ armed forces, are statistically above the average with their 13% of women in military. On the other hand, compared to other countries, we have very few women in decision-making or command positions. I believe it is not a matter just for the Czech Armed Forces. It shows the cultural and social stereotypes and how we deal with that on a regular basis in the Czech Republic. One side of the coin is that women have to really prove themselves and also sometimes make decisions which are not necessarily a compromise but simply either/or between two options – family or career because the rigid system doesn’t provide any alternative to them. The other side is that women also have their own stereotypes that pull them away from going after their career and so simply give up too early or don’t have the ambition to be the pioneer. In military this is more visible because it is a very male dominated field. However, in order not to come across as too critical, in the Czech Armed Forces there is less and less of the ‘First Ever’ to concur and women are an integral part of the service.

As for the best practice for NATO, I would suggest calling for flexibility, proactivity and also the opportunity to share experiences. Although the progress at NATO is slow (NATO’s average of women in military is currently 10.8% and that represents 3.7% increase since 1999), this is the joint progress of 28 nations. NATO is about member states, but also cooperation and continuous discussion amongst them. We don’t have to always invent the actions, there are many programmes already are in place that can be easily adapted to become achievable and practical in the Czech Republic.

Can you predict your next career step?

I have no idea what my next assignment will be and that is what I like about the military life – the challenge of a new task. I have still two more years to serve at the NATO Headquarters and guessing what my options may be is too premature. Anytime I actually made plans for next step in my career I have received an offer I couldn’t refuse and you know what that means. Not making a reference to Godfather but knowing that such an offer will never come again. I hope that in my next assignment I will be able to use the experience and expertise I have learnt when working for NATO and build on it.

How do you manage to keep work-life balance while at the “service”?

Managing the work and personal life is essential to deliver the best of you, at any job. The family is what gives you the strength and support. Friends and hobbies bring you the diverse viewpoint you may start to lose when you are too overwhelmed by your job. This balance in military service is a matter of life and death sometimes, especially when you are deployed. At every medal parade after the return from deployment, the contingent commander and high ranked representatives of the General Staff always recognize the role of and thank to the spouses of the soldiers in their speeches. The deployment is without a doubt a mission for them as well, though being at home. Being deployed and knowing all is well at home gives the soldiers – female or male – the inner strength to deal with whatever the mission brings to them and helps them stay focused on tasks.

In my case, I was always supported by my family in my military career. It was not easy to leave them sometimes but thanks to the today’s technology you can be in touch almost anywhere at any time.

Besides that, I have always had friends and other activities which distract me from getting too much into the military routine. Although I am military, it doesn’t fully define me. There are many the other layers that make me who I am as well.

What are your final words for Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

The world population is comprised of both men and women. Family, society and the state is built up by men and women. Let’s keep that always in mind and support the gender equality and diversity.

By Linda Štucbartová

“Robotic Surgery is the Most Sophisticated”

Jiří Kočárek, M.D. PhD. – Head Physician at Urology Department, Military University Hospital Prague

Dear Mr. Kočárek, I will begin by congratulations.  The Military University Hospital has been ranked the best hospital in the Czech Republic according to the project conducted by the Health Care Institute.  The aim of the project was to establish ranking of Czech hospitals according to safety, and satisfaction of both employees and patients.  In order to do so, a Balanced Scorecard approach, known in many commercial organizations, was used.  From the above said, you need to have not only the highest medical qualification, but also the management one. How do you balance both?  What capacity do you dedicate to patients, to students and to running the department?

I was really pleased to get the award.  I am really happy to see that patients of the Military University Hospital appreciate our work.  However, it is rather a big commitment for the future.  Today, we are already facing the challenge of too many new patients coming in, since everyone “wants” to have own surgery being done at the best hospital.  Every day, we need to fight the challenge concerning our capacity to accept patients to a ward, the number of people we are able to perform a surgery on given the capacity of central surgery theatres and then the availability of hospital beds.  Within the context of the situation, we are continuously suffering the lack of nursing staff.  During the last six months, on monthly basis, we have repeatedly had to address the issue whether we’d have enough nurses to secure running of the department for the upcoming month.  I do not want to complain but it would be great to have the opportunity to offer some extra benefits to the staff in “the best hospital”, so we would have more time to dedicate to medical issues.  On the other hand, I do not find challenging to be able to balance managing the department, caring for patients and teaching students, as I enjoy doing it all and to a certain extent I do not consider it work in the proper sense of the word.  Teaching and passing own my own experience to younger colleagues is rather a nice duty.  There is one thing that comes to mind and that is gender imbalance.  That is a real problem.  If you ask me how much time I spend at work, I will not answer directly, as my wife could come across the article.  However, she got used to the fact that during the weekdays, my family does not get to see me much.  I try to devote weekends to my family and so I start working only after my children fall asleep.

Lately, there is a hot topic related to young Czech medical doctors leaving for abroad.  You had the opportunity of internships in the US, France and Germany.  Have you personally considered leaving the country?  And leaving aside remuneration, are the conditions similar when you compare current situation in hospitals in the Czech Republic and abroad?

I consider not only young doctors but also other personnel leaving for abroad due to financial conditions a big problem.  Lack of qualified Czech doctors makes us employ doctors coming from countries East of the Czech Republic who are willing to work for “the Czech salary”.  I believe that every doctor should have the opportunity to take part in several internships abroad.  I was particularly lucky to have the opportunity to visit some outstanding urological departments both in Europe and in the US.  In a certain way, I still benefit from these stays, regarding not only practical experience but also personal contacts.  I would not say that I have not considered leaving for abroad, but particularly after 1989, such thinking was less frequent.  And as to the question of comparing the Czech medicine, I cannot compare the total discipline as such.  However, Czech urology and Czech robotics surgery are comparable to the best departments in the West.

There is one more primacy for the Military University Hospital in Prague.  As the first hospital in the region, it was awarded the Joint Commission International accreditation which is awarded for the highest quality of hospital care.  What are the additional requirements for the doctors and medical staff?

This accreditation brought current US standards that are connected not only to the medical care.  Overall, it resulted in higher safety for patients to the detriment of higher financial costs and an enormous growth in bureaucracy.

Your hospital is also known for the use of robots. How do you see the future of medicine from the robotics perspective?

I have been interested in robotic surgery since 2005.  Since then, the robotics technology has developed and today we are equipped already with the fourth generation of robotic systems.  Robotic surgery is nowadays the most sophisticated technology used in the surgery medicine.  Twelve years ago, we walked over the doorstep leading to a new era characterized by artificial intelligence becoming an interface between a surgeon’s hand and a patient’s body, a move that was unprecedented.  Despite some negative opinions in the beginning and due to the rising number of publications, robotic surgery has become an integral part not only of urology, but also surgery as such, gynaecology as well as of other disciplines.  It was proven that technical advantages of robotic machines can overcome many limitations of classical and laparoscopic surgery (operative) and that they considerably advance the learning process.  The undisputed benefit for both patients and those who cover the costs is represented by limiting traumatization of tissues during the surgery, lowering the possibility of complications, lowering blood loss and the need for blood transfusion, lowering after-surgery pain and discomfort, shorter hospitalization period, faster recovery and return to a normal life.  In the upcoming years, we can therefore expect a fast development of new robotic centres.  Such trend will be supported by the increasing interest of our patients to use robotic technologies during surgeries and also the new competing products from producers of robotic systems into any particular surgery discipline.

Now, let us discuss a more serious issue, the prostate tumour as the most frequent tumour for men’s population.  How is the Czech Republic doing in the area of prevention?  When I compare the situation with breast cancer for women, a lot has been achieved with regards to prevention check ups and awareness about both prevention and treatment.

The prostate carcinoma is according to the statistics the highest tumour disease in developed countries.  It is a disease that has also the highest incidents of detected cases.  Men usually do not like to go and have check-ups and therefore, they underestimate the need for the prostate to be checked.  They feel healthy, they do not see value in the importance of prevention or they do not anything about it.  Therefore, a number of Czechs having the prostate cancer will continue to rise.  Despite the common claim, prostate cancer is not linked to a senior age.  All men reaching the age around 40 should pay attention to preventive care.  Men aged 50 and older should have a regular check-up once a year, either by a general practitioner or a specialized urologist.  In order to detect the disease early, sometimes a simple blood test is sufficient, since the experts are looking for a specific antigen, which if increased, can signal the prostate cancer.  It is true that early detected prostate carcinoma can be cured completely with the use of robotic technology.

Let me mention one sadder Czech primacy in the world, this one concerning kidney tumour.  What is your recommendation? 

There are more than 3000 new incidents of kidney tumours detected each year which per capita truly places us at the sad first place in the world.  Thanks to a wide-spread network of ultrasound and CT devices, more than a half of these diagnosed cases are at the early stage where we can perform a resection of a tumour and keep the healthy part of the kidney.  Leaving the maximum functional kidney parenchyma has a big importance for patient’s health and favourably influences the active life span.  Naturally, robotic technology is very much helping us in these types of surgeries.  In general, we can claim that in the early stage kidney cancer does not pose any complications.  As the tumour grows, there can be an incidence of blood in the urine.  This is the most frequent symptom that brings a patient to see his doctor.  Sometimes, the bleeding occurs without any other symptoms.  It is important to state that each time, the incidence of blood in urine should be checked.  The next common syndrome is the pain in the lumbar area or sometimes a palpable tumour.  Anyone having a symptom mentioned above should see his general practitioner or a urologists. The early detection of a tumour gives us a higher probability for complete recovery.

Medical doctors are being regarded role-models for their patients.  Have you made any special resolution for 2017?  And what is your recommendation concerning healthy lifestyle and work-life balance?

I would like to mention my resolution with regards to shortening my “stays” in hospital, spend more weekends with my family and going to the mountains more often.  This winter has been very conducive to do so; my five-year old son has begun to chase his older sisters at the slopes.  For the sake of children, but not only for them, I am very happy that smoking in public places will be finally completely banned.  Every day, I see patients diagnosed with urine bladder carcinoma and most of them have admitted either active or passive smoking.  I generally recommend active relaxation, moderation when it comes to food but plenty of fluids.  When it comes to alcohol, I recommend to drink in moderation, which is unfortunately lacking sometimes.

By Linda Štucbartová

“Nanotechnology represents a promising industry”

Jiří Kůs, Chairman of the Czech Association of Nanotechnology Industry, Photo: Archive

You are the Chairman of the Czech Association of Nanotechnology Industry and also an evangelist of the 3^rd Industrial Revolution concept.  After completing university studies in industrial technology, you also studied sociology and psychology.  Having the background in all the above mentioned disciplines, how do you perceive the today’s world and society?

It is clear that we are on the verge of many great changes.  As these are linked to technologies, we can label them as the 3^rd Industrial Revolution.   At the same time, such a change will influence the social system, politics and eventually each and every aspect of a human life on the planet.  On one side of the imaginary chessboard we will find technological miracles in the form of the nano-thin invisible layer bringing about energies at no cost.  The price of solar panels has been declining exponentially.  In Australia, there is already technology that enables industrial printing of solar panels on a pliant sheet/ bendable foil.  Each device and each object, including our clothing, will be possible to manufacture own energy.  Energy will be derived from the sun, from the movement and from the interaction of advanced biomaterials.

The other side of the chessboard is the global digital network.  The number of internet users has been skyrocketing.  Each object will have not only its physical shape, but also a digital shape.  At the same time, life will become more local, given the possibilities of 3D or 4D printing, as we will be able to print objects needed for our daily life; food production will also become more local, as well as energy production.   Political discussions will not revolve around the right vs. left but rather centralization vs. decentralization, control and censorship of data vs. freedom.

Nanotechnologies represent a fast growing industry that covers areas from energy, textiles, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and many others…What else will be nano?

In 1949, the prestigious magazine Popular Mechanics forecast that in the future computers might weight less than 1,5 tons.  Well, they were wrong and nowadays we might consider it a good joke.  However, we need to realize that some key technologies which will significantly impact people’s lives in the next 20 years, so rather near future, have not yet been discovered.  Nowadays, there already exist certain outcomes of research with all possible consequence so hard to imagine when put in practice.  Just to name one example.  What about discovering that the substance bringing energy to cells of a human body can be also used to supply energy to the next generation of supercomputers. Will we have living biological supercomputers with no need of an external energy supply like batteries or electrical network?  Recently, there was a certain technology developed that can detect a DNA molecule with the help of a mobile and a small module with a nanochip.  Does it sound like an episode from Startrek series?

How successful is the Czech Republic in the sphere of nanotechnologies compared to the world?

Let me go back in history, to 1963, and ‘I have a dream’ speech by Martin Luther King.  I believe there is synchronicity, since I was born in 1963.  I have my dream just now, in 2017. A dream about a small country in the heart of Europe where I have lived for 50 years.  I am not a politician; I doubt that Czech politicians have ever dreamt or that they even know how to dream.  My dream is to see the small Czech Republic perceived in the world of technologies like a pearl.  Czech is nano is a slogan that each journalist, politician and businessman is familiar with.  Czech nanofibers from Liberec are spread all over the world.  The air on the planet is being cleaned by the Czech discovery of fotocatalyctic nanocoating.  Some developing countries no more suffer from water shortage, since it is provided thanks to unique Czech mobile hydroplants based on solar energy and nano-membrane filtration.  Moreover, it is able to provide clean water free from E.coli bacteria, which is considered close to a miracle.

The Czech Republic has also become a symbol for post-modern eco-urbanism and local energetics of the 21^st century.  There is much more to explore than the Prague Castle panorama or the medieval Castle of Karlštejn.  Tourists are looking for a lifestyle inspiration in the Czech Republic, the so-called localization principle.  Each house is capable of generating all energy needed for its own consumption, storage in 3D nanobateries, being the Czech patent are obviously helping.  Each village and each town has community gardens and the principle of localization has been applied with regards to the food.  Try to supply yourself with everything you consume.  We have fewer roads in desperate need to repair and healthier population.  Mobility in cities is provided by autonomous electrocars.  There is a perfect lifestyle.  The world just envies us.

Concerning nanotechnology, in nanofibre technology we are much further than Israel or the US.  We have many patents. And as I travelled all over the world, I was also pleased that most advanced laboratories use the microscopes from Brno!  In addition to several expert laboratories dedicated to the research in nanotechnologies, we have several dozen companies producing nanotechnology-based products.  We have nanofibre filters and membranes, antiallergic beddings, nanocoating cleaning the air, protection of goods and documents thanks to the nanodots, nano water filters, nano structures used in medicine etc.  The Czech Republic proudly holds several patents in the whole industry.  However, these companies lack means for stronger marketing.  Therefore, we have established The Association of Czech Nanotechnology Industry.

But you have already started to fulfil your nano dream…

One should fulfil one’s own dreams.  Some years ago I managed to persuade one of my friends to jointly establish a nano company.  At the beginning there was a vague idea to set up a trading company but at the end by coincidence we became the manufacturer of anti dust-mite beddings with the Czech nanofiber membrane.  After researching the market, we realized that we are the first and only company having such goods in the  market worldwide.  We were happy about our innovative idea and we started developing products, which we finalized in 2015. At the same time we launched sales and marketing campaigns.  The Czech Republic is going to be nano!

Well, having done several interviews with representatives of SMEs, I know the continuation is unlikely to be a bed of roses…

The reality is that there is little awareness on various levels – public, state and investor levels – about nanotechnology.  The same is true about assistance with marketing abroad.  It is important to change that.  I also regard crucial to start with education of pupils and students so we have a new upcoming generation of nanoscientists.  Let us visit schools and show teachers how the latest technologies are working. Let us hold conferences for both experts and the public and launch nanodays in big cities.  Let us live up to the slogan that appeared in the New York Times a couple years ago:  The Czech Republic is NANO!

There is often a mention of projects which should apply to receive either state or EU funding, however, these are not designed for start-ups.  They require at least three years of proven existence.  Therefore, I support the view that such projects rather tend to help bigger, already established companies.  When it comes to banks, the conditions are similar.  By the way, such situation is the same all over Europe.  In the US, there is a much higher availability of joint venture capital or business angels funds which are not afraid to invest in projects that might appear a bit risky in the beginning.  In the Czech Republic, the main interest is to invest into real estate or IT.  Nevertheless, nanotechnology represents a promising industry and it yields high return on investment, but one needs 5-7 years’ horizon.

What are your final words to Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

Technology revolution is a big chance for small countries that have a bunch of creative people and we should use this opportunity.  My appeal also goes to potential investors – do not be afraid to invest into technological companies.  Material technologies are the key drivers for other industries and you will certainly get your money back, and multiplied.

Last but not least, let us be proud of what we have and what we have achieved in the Czech Republic.  I was a bit sadden to see Czech newspapers speculate immediately with great enthusiasm about a possible Tesla investment in our country but a Czech invention, a unique 3D nanotech battery, has not been interesting enough for them for a very long time.

Let us not only admire things from abroad, and let us not underestimate ourselves.  In the Czech Republic we have so much to be proud of! The Czech Republic is NANO!

By Linda Štucbartová

“Make an impact that matters”

Diana Rádl Rogerová, Office Managing Partner, Deloitte, Photo: Archive

Despite the freezing weather and melancholic mood, so typical for the Czech winter period, Diana Rádl Rogerová never ceases to smile. Cuban blood in her veins explains that only to an extent.  What counts much more is her personal determination and her attitude that she does not allow her energy to be sucked out.  She destroys the myth about people in audit not being fun to be around and she claims that audit has to be sexy even for the clients.  She shares openly the fact that she does not want to have the position of Managing Partner in Deloitte forever because she is always interested in trying out new things.  As part of her childhood dreams, she tried ballet, and during adult years she was pursuing singing.  Currently, she is looking forward to start playing piano and dreams about playing a grand piano in public premises one day.  On the top of her demanding work, she is also raising a son.  Even though she has most likely given a dozen of interviews, after assuming her new role, she did not forget to thank me and mentioned she had enjoyed talking to me.

You have been appointed to the position of Managing Partner in Deloitte after working for Deloitte for almost 21 years.  How has the company changed over the two decades and how have you personally changed?

Well, speaking of such a long employment history in one company, I tend to remind myself of experts claiming that after so many years spent in one company, a person is not suitable to join a labour market again.  (Particularly when I carry out interviews or when I read articles.)

On the other hand, the company itself has changed significantly.  When I joined Deloitte in 1996, it had 50 employees, now we have 900.  I like to tell my son, who is used to playing on IPad since early childhood, that in the beginning we had no computers.  Audit and taxes represented the main specializations in that era.  Today, we are mainly consultancy driven.  It is the very specialization on consulting that allows us to create an environment where everyone can find and develop their own talent.  This is also the reason why I have stayed in one company for so long.  There are not many companies allowing employees to try various spectre of activities and have the opportunity to change tasks or even industries.  Gradually, I have gained experience in finances, real-estate, audit, be it on the level of the Czech Republic or even the regional one.  There is an enormous extent and level of the knowledge present in the company.  That is what keeps me here.  I am still with the same company but I’ve done so many different things over the time.  By the same token, I cannot imagine being on the position of Office Managing Partner forever.  I believe that such positions should rotate due to the fact that each person brings a new drive and innovation.  I love changes and trying out new things.  The other thing that keeps me here is the environment that allows to make mistakes.  Our inner position in the company equals to us wanting to achieve A levels; however, in order to get there, we sometimes need to make mistakes.  I also had the opportunity to work for a client when I was seconded from Deloitte to join “Všeobecná Úvěrová Banka/ Bank of Intessa”-  I regard the opportunity to get a client’s perspective quite essential and therefore I support such opportunities for my colleagues as well.

Deloitte is known for a friendly atmosphere…What else makes you different?

Friendly atmosphere is most appreciated and also mentioned by colleagues who have been at Deloitte for a while.  My principle is not to slander our competition.  Therefore, I never claim that my services are better than theirs, since I am not a client who can make such a statement. I am not interested in comparing myself to competition, I am interested in bringing different services.  And it is the use of technologies that makes us different.  With the technologies one should not only understand consultancy work with regard to projects implementation.  We have also begun to use technologies in audit and tax, so clients are having more fun dealing with the mundane tasks.  One would not be interested in mere invoices cross-checking for a longer period of time.  Our group of partners invests a lot of time and energy into thinking how to make such work more “sexy” and how to bring additional value to our clients.  I am proud to say that some of our technological tools developed in Prague will be introduced on a global level.  We try to have a mind-set that would be based on a difference with regard to the use of innovation and technologies.  Our Global CEO Punit Renjen claims that it is not our sub-brand Deloitte Digital that matters but the reality that we want to become “Digital Deloitte”.  The world is changing and so are we.  Therefore, we want to become an undisputed leader with respect to the use of technologies.  Since we are discussing changes, I would like to mention the speed that has been steadily increasing due to which we need not only young people and their drive, but also general knowledge and calmness of senior partners.  I am myself inspired while talking to our French senior partner Frederic Maziere who is willing to share his career journey with me.  It not only interests me but also fills me with energy.  I have the overall tendency to look at the bright side and not to have my energy sucked.

Let us now look at the bright side of the upcoming generation of the workforce, the generation Y or the so called Millennials.  It seems that they are quite an enigma to many – to HR experts, managers, training and development professionals and in fact, to all of us as parents.

This generation is truly different.  I do not think that it is the values that are different, it is rather the life style.  My Cuban ancestry confirms to me that it is their lifestyle that is better.  You often hear that there is a different attitude in Spain or Latin America but it is not true.  People work a lot in these countries, however differently.  I have nicknamed this generation as a Latin generation and I respect the fact that they need to manage time so they can do other things than just work.  I believe that most of us want that as well; however, we are not used to sharing it openly.  That is the essential difference.  New generation is not afraid to ask.  The disadvantage is that they often ask for many things at the same time.  But that is our fault since we are the ones raising them.  We give them a lot, too much.  And we commit one more mistake, we are being protectionist.  Therefore, young people demand independence on one hand, however, they also demand being led and supported on the other hand.  In reality, independence is not possible without responsibility.  This statement only brings me to my previous claim that the young ones are just mirroring the way they were raised.

So what elements do you perceive as essential for the efficient leadership managing various generations?

I see three factors.  The first one, flexibility, was already mentioned.  The second one is the trend encompassed by the English term well-being.  Such trend is not only about a permanent smile but about satisfaction at work, the feeling of belonging somewhere.  Deloitte fulfils all the conditions.  We have never created any hierarchy, people communicate freely, we have never paid attention to differences between an assistant and a partner of the company.  Naturally, our responsibilities differ.  The third factor is represented by the environment that allows people do develop and to fulfil their potential.  For me, people always come first.  Whenever you take care about relations, the results in terms of figures will follow.  Allow me my personal remark with regard to diversity and different leadership style as to men vs. women.  I personally feel that women have bigger tendency to connect to the company and to bring about the culture change.  Men are more efficient with regard to dramatic changes or crises.  Currently, in Deloitte, we mainly need to connect in order to be more flexible and use the synergies.  Simply, each period needs a different leadership.  This is also linked to the fact that we should not consider a step aside or leaving a position a failure or a negative trend.  On the contrary, even faster rotations on the position of Office Managing Partner will be beneficiary, since every newcomer will bring a new vision and energy.

You have mentioned personal well-being, so how do you walk the talk?

I stick to two basic rules.  Whatever I truly want, I manage.  Everything is about priorities.  The second rule is that nothing has to be perfect.  I know that I want to accomplish excellent work but I also know that not hammering out the last unsubstantial detail will not bring the world down. Perhaps others will even not notice such a minor omission. I am not a fan of perfectionism. I enjoy doing sports, skiing, running, biking.  Every weekend I go to the mountains in Harrachov, downhill skiing and cross-country skiing. I run four times per week, last year I was running almost everyday.  I am supported at home.  I still believe that two-career marriage is possible but respect and true division of household chores must be at the heart of it.  I successfully managed to find a husband who understands all of the above.  Despite the fact that he has his own career and business, we share household duties and also child care equally.  Many men in the Czech Republic are quite indolent so they offer their wives to stay at home to take care of children and the household.  Even though I love my job, I would quit should my family suffer.  Such perception gives me the oversight and makes me calm.

What about men?  Do you find that they are also concerned?

I believe I am lucky being surrounded by nice people.  I know many men who deal with such issues seriously.  In Deloitte, we have two partners who took a half a year sabbatical leave to take care of their family.  As the saying goes, “birds of a feather, flock together”.  Either I have attracted them or they have attracted me.  This brings us back to the issue of flexible working schemes not only for women but for all those who need it. The fact that I do not see any differences in Deloitte, does not mean that I do not perceive some stereotypes harming women in a Czech society as a whole.  It is partly due to the culture and partly due to the fact that women are reluctant to ask for many things, particularly support of any kind.  They rather perform tasks on their own than asking for help.  But even this is changing, to some extent thanks to foreigners who come to live here.  The world is changing, and so are we.

Your motto is:  “Make an impact that matters”.  In Deloitte, you support women, charity, design…Is there a common denominator to all these activities?

Our aim is that people perceive that it is not only the world of business that matters.  The role of business is to support other projects.  In case you are successful, help others be successful too.  It is not about different worlds, but communicating vessels.  It leads us to the concept of creative out of the box thinking, when you do not think about yourself but also about others.

The above mentioned projects are fulfilling, give us energy and we have fun while contributing.  It is beautiful to support arts or charity.  We do not mention it publicly, because we support charity in order to give it support and not to talk about it.  Values that you support are translated into business directly, for example in the form of ethical business.  The support of art is directly linked to innovation that I have already spoken about.  Art is always innovative, since it gives you chance to view the world differently.

We meet at the beginning of 2017…What do you wish others?

Satisfaction.  It is a simple answer, as long as you are satisfied, everything is possible.

By Linda Štucbartová

“Director of the American Jewish Committee in Israel in an Exclusive Interview for Czech and Slovak Leaders”

How does it happen that a woman from Prague gets to personally interview a former Head of the Interactive Media Branch of the Israeli Defence Forces and current Director of the American Jewish Committee? The process of getting to know Avital confirmed my favourite quotation from Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, who said: “We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone. Whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life – all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that create something.” After interviewing H.E. Ivo Schwarz, the Czech Ambassador to Israel, I approached him with my desire to interview interesting Israeli women. Mr. Schwarz kindly sent me a few suggestions. And then on my private visit to Israel, I met Avital and her assistant and so there were three women who met at the end of November, on a sunny day in Tel Aviv, which equals a grey and cold day in Prague, discussing the current Middle East perspective, security challenges and dangers of targeting civilian populations and Israeli lessons learned that could be applied in Europe, going far beyond the testing of sirens…

Your Excellency, Mr. Schwarz, thank you very much! Note to the readers: the fact that the interview took place prior to the Berlin lorry attack does not make it less relevant, quite the contrary!

Mrs. Leibovitch, how do you see the today’s world from the Middle East perspective?

When looking at the Middle East and the lack of stability we have been experiencing during the last couple years, you realise that the Israel’s geographical location serves as a buffer. As a buffer from the extreme wave of terror to cover the entire area. The fact that Israel is stable and does not allow the terror to get inside its boarders truly serves as a physical buffer. And particularly these days, there are many ways that the world can benefit from our experience and I am going to mention a few examples. In 1991, Israel was attacked by Sadam Hussein during the Gulf War. We were standing on the roof tops, watching scuds being red toward our cities. It was then when Israel came to understanding that the real targets for the terror groups – no matter where they are – are the public, the civilians. Despite the fact that there are strategic facilities in every country, the number one aim of terror groups and terror countries is the civilians. That is why Israel established a body called the Home Front Command that deals with civilians, gives them methods of protecting themselves and issues regulations. After tragedies in France and in Germany, we see that these countries lack similar mechanisms, so there is a lot of chaos, misunderstanding and speculation, which is the worst. Speculation often leads to fear. When you have a body, such as Home Front Command, this body conveys messages to civilians, for example, go to shelters, now you can leave the shelters or there will be an update in one hour. Europe can obviously learn this from Israel. This of course requires discipline from the population. So in Israel, we have an annual exercise. During this exercise, every Israeli is required to identify the nearest shelter, whether at work, school, university or at home. By doing this, people are aware and not confused when something happens. The second critical thing is the country division into zones. Each city, each village, has a code number. When that code is being activated, only the residents of the area will be required to behave in a special way. By the way, this can be applied both to natural disasters and rocket attacks. My personal example is that I live in a city called Rosh Ha’ayin and the code number is 170. When that number is activated, mentioned for example on the radio, TV or through sirens, all people in the 170 zone go to shelters, while the rest of the country can behave normally. We do not see that in Europe today. There is a very strong mood of tension after the attacks, everybody is locked at home and it is hard to resume life. In Israel, we also have a red colour application for the mobile phones. This application is synchronised with the alert and siren system. As you can see, there is a 219 area and on October 24, there was a rocket red from Gaza to the 219 area. So the instructions with regards what to do were valid for that area. Likewise, we had another attack on October 6 on the 228 area, and on October 5 on 220. This application also mentions when the Home Front Command drill and emergency sirens testing take place. The system is much wider and our expertise can be shared with Europe and the rest of the world. By the way, I had the opportunity to verify Avital’s words the very next day. While strolling Tel Aviv on a bike, I had the opportunity to witness a spontaneous yet perceived as an organised and efficient reaction of people quickly looking for cover and escaping open public spaces in a situation that eventually proved to be only a café fight but originally was mistaken for a terror attack.

Thank you very much for the expertise and specific suggestions. It seems to me that we started and stopped with the sirens testing. But let us return to the current security situation, what other challenges do you see and we in Europe fail to see?

The next thing I would like to mention is the number of Israelis who went to Syria and joined ISIS, which is very low, less than 50. All they have to do, is to get a car, drive for a few hours, reach the boarder and climb over the fence. Rather an easy way. What do we see in Europe? We see thousands and thousands and thousands people who need to make a lot of effort, find a contact, board a plane and so on…In other words, Israel has been able to control the radicalisation and that is another asset that we have.

A lot of radicalisation is linked to social media, but it takes place also elsewhere, as there can be radical sermons at religious places (sic!), there can be incitements found in religious textbooks at schools and many other options. But the main issue is our ability to contain it and the low numbers indicate that we are successful.

From what you are saying, there seems to be a big gap between the Middle East perspective and the rest of the world.

If you look around, there was not any peace process that has had a Western or a European involvement and has succeeded. It just did not exist. That confirms the big gap between what can be seen from here and what can be seen from other Western countries. Arab spring is an example. In Israel, no one has referred to it as the Arab spring. We never see the spring of a radical organisation such as Muslim brotherhood coming to power. We knew the charter, we knew the agenda and therefore we never called it a spring. So what if one million people went to Tahrir square, but there were still 89 million people who stayed at home! And Muslim brotherhood is affiliated with Hamas and vice versa. Their agenda is certainly not peace, brotherhood and love for all humankind. We knew that because over the last 15 years we have been attacked by 15 000 rockets. As you can see, different perspectives are very confusing and misleading. So we are back to the question where is the Western world and its foreign policy in the Middle East.

Well, the rather sad truth is that the Israeli and Western perspectives are widening instead of coming closer…How do you perceive it?

I feel there is a vacuum in the Middle East and it will be filled with another player. It will not stay a vacuum, this is the rule of the international politics, especially in the Middle East. There are many interests of many countries and many players, interests of oil, gas, territory…I will give you another example. Syria. We call it Syria. We continue to call it Syria. But there is no Syria. It is not really a country anymore. The fragmentation is such that we cannot speak about an entity. Six to seven years ago, the number of terror groups in Syria was around seven to eight, today you have eight times more. Today, the president is controlling two or three areas or cities but not the rest of the country. You have very strong Iranian footprints in the area, in Syria, in Lebanon in the shape of Hizballah, in Gaza in the shape of Hamas who is also trying to reach the West Bank. Israel was affected by the conflict in Syria. Israel was attacked by two types of an attack. One type was an error fire when fighting took place too close to the boarder and spilled over to the Israeli side but there were also incidents of an intentional fire. But Israel having its experience for many years decided to “get even”. The equation is whenever fire is opened, we will retaliate. There were no meetings, parliament discussions and further waiting necessary, as we are here and we need to protect this boarder. So we were shaping the situation, preventing the escalation. This is our experience and it has worked.

From various and differing perspectives, let us now discuss the role of media and particularly social media, as these shape the public opinion.

In September 2015, few extreme Muslim organisations spread a narrative saying that Israel was trying to change the status quo of the Temple Mount, a holy place for all religions. There is a law in Israel from 1967, giving a special status to this and other religious places and the law says that the only ones who can pray there are Muslims. Non-Muslims cannot pray and visit at certain days and hours. We are a democracy and few Kneset members decided to make more noise about their visit, which created some noise on the other side, which resulted in four days of violence at the Temple Mount in which young Palestinians geared up metal rods, wooden furniture which they burned in order to create a big drama. The situation was quiet after four days but the narrative was out in the open. The social media and the conventional media was all filled with the narrative that Israel has tried to change the status quo at the Temple Mount and we found ourselves in situation which led to four types of terror attack. The first type, the most common was stabbing knives. It was all over the country, although most attacks took place either in Jerusalem or in the settlement areas. The second type was running over people at the bus stops with a vehicle. With a knife, you can target just one person, with a vehicle you get “more efficient”. The third type was hurling rocks, when you drive fast and there comes a rock, it can lead to deadly injuries and the last type is about using light fire. As a result of these attacks, 35 people lost their lives and approximately 400 were wounded.

My office is in Jerusalem and most attacks happen in Jerusalem. However, you cannot look back every minute to watch whether someone else is searching in his back pack to take out the knife…Is there a prototype of a perpetrator? No. It can be a 14 year old girl or a 65 year old grand-father or 40 year old lawyer.

Well, it seems to me that we have been a bit spoiled in Europe with regards to the security situation and we also will have to adjust.

This brings me to the point of resilience of people who live here. I think people who live in Israel have in common a lot of optimism, a lot of resilience and patriotism. And one thing that makes Israel different from the region is that Israel is building a country while building a society. It is in the genes, in the mentality. That is why you see a lot of development in the cyber world, in the start-up world, in the agriculture world. This is why if you come here in five years, you will not recognise a lot of the country because of the infrastructure development all the time. This is something which makes us very young despite our age and successful.

By Linda Štucbartová

“Aging is a gift and a chance for the whole society.”

CEO, Center of Gerontology,

Prague Vice-Dean for International Relations, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague

CELLO-ILO-CZ – Centre of Expertise in Longevity and Long-Term Care

Member of International Longevity Center Global Alliance

Visiting Professor, University of the West of Scotland 

Assoc. Prof. Iva Holmerová, M.D.,Ph.D.

Despite the fact that the population as such is aging, the cult of youth seems to dominate. Will there be a cult of an old age?

You are right that the cult of youth prevails in the Czech Republic. For example, if we compare Czech and foreign television programmes, we see that the average age of anchor men and anchor women is higher in Western and Nordic countries than in ours. Older people are on the TV screen more common out there. And this is not true only about TV, but it also applies to professions where mostly young people are represented in the Czech Republic, such as secretaries or assistants, project managers, but also flight attendants. It seems to me that in many areas we are on the right track towards the western society but in terms of respect to diversity, and “otherness”, including the age, we still have a long way to go.

Reaching an advanced age is an achievement of a person as an individual, who has been able to successfully deal with and sometimes even fight with one’s own life. It is thanks to the environment in which people live; in wealthy societies people live longer and they also get better healthcare. With all these gifts and accomplishments, both on a social and individual level, we tend to live longer than any previous generation ever had. And paradoxically, we are starting to complain about the fact and what problems aging brings, and so on. Fortunately, this querulous language is less and less common in developed countries, and people there are more aware that aging is a gift and a chance for the whole society.

Throughout the history when only a few individuals managed to reach an advance age, these people then were generally respected for their wisdom and experience. Ultimately the Senate was created as an institution that gathered older and more experienced individuals. And going even further in history, in Stone Age, aging was actually an evolutionary advantage; it represented the transfer of practical experience and skills from generation to generation, especially from the generation of grandparents to grandchildren. Whether we will create a cult of older age, I cannot answer. But I do not think it would be a loss. I am not a fan of cults, not even the “pseudo-cult” of youth. I think our society should respect all of us.

With regards to mental fitness, is there a truth to popular saying what comes around, goes around? What can nowadays people in their forties (and others) do to slow down brain aging?

There is a simple answer to this question. We should continue to learn, getting to know new things and new people, and also continue to be active both physically and mentally – and keep working. We should have a healthy diet. Live well. Life stories of people reaching longevity show that these people have become artists of life they have managed to come to terms with and these terms were not easy at all times.

Besides gerontology, you also address the issue of Alzheimer’s disease and you frequently mention that Oskar Fischer, a Prague psychiatrist, was the one to make the discovery. So the Czechs were at the top once the disease was discovered. As a complete contrast, I was puzzled by the news that the population of two million seniors is served by 440 gerontologists in the Czech Republic.

Yes, the role of physician Oskar Fischer from Prague was important. Oskar Fischer also published his work in 1907, the same year when Alois Alzheimer published a famous case study of his patient Augusta D. Oskar Fischer had already a whole group consisting of twelve patients. Despite this fact, the disease was later named after Alois Alzheimer. That is why me but also other colleagues, who are dealing with the problems of dementia, consider necessary and important to continue to remind others about the work of Oskar Fischer, both at home and abroad.

Considering the current situation, we have gone through a really tough year. There was a chance that geriatrics would be cancelled as an independent discipline after many years. This danger is probably over. There are medical fields which are important, not only in the care of elderly people, but also for the chronically ill, the number of which is also increasing.

The actual number of geriatricians is not the most serious problem. It is rather about the scope of work. Geriatrics never aspired to replace the work of general practitioners or internists. It is a discipline that is focused on specific age-related diseases, deals with functional status and possibilities for improvement, geriatric syndromes, especially fragility and cognitive disorders. Geriatricians should operate mainly in hospitals, coordinate the interdisciplinary teams at clinics, in larger care facilities. In the facilities providing long-term care, there should be geriatric practitioners or those who were trained in long-term care medicine. They all should promote a better quality of care for elderly patients, at all levels. That is the vision of the geriatric professional association. Our population will continue to get older, and one of the ways to face this situation is to maintain the good functional condition until the highest age possible.

Age diversity and the fact that for the first time in history the workplace brings together four generations working together at the same time, both topics have become frequently discussed issues for large corporations. Besides reverse mentoring and age diverse work groups, what are other trends with regards to the senior population that you see applicable in the business sphere?

I’m not an economist, so I will just add a few observations. It is widely known that the multigenerational work teams are more successful, and there is a lot of scientific evidence for it. That, of course, is very well known by big corporations (often in contrast to politicians) and addressing the issue improves their public image. Moreover, the often mentioned cliché that older people are “obstructing” positions on the labour market to the detriment of younger people, is not true at all. British Foresight Programme that I had the opportunity to attend showed in its findings that older and younger workers are rather complementary than competitive and they get along very well. Younger people are faster and better use new technologies, while older ones are slower but have the experience, which prevents repeating unnecessary steps, they also see and solve problems in a broader context, and thanks to the older ones not being so eager, they usually do not need to have control over many resources, vast projects or large teams of people, and if they do so, they do it more wisely and efficiently.

The media image of older people is in sharp contrast to the benefits that older people bring. If they are portrayed at all, they are mentioned as retirees, pensioners, the sick or the gullible ones that trust and become prey to liars and cheaters. Unfortunately, such statements often come even from politicians. The only positive message I found recently about seniors was in a commercial magazine promoting life and pension scheme insurance. I think that was rather sad…

You’re absolutely right, when we look at advertisement, older people are presented with the products dealing with constipation, incontinence, joint problems, dentures, etc. Luckily, flatulence has a multigenerational dimension. What a sad joke. I think we all just need to start being more aware and so start changing and challenging the media image. This should be a task for the public media, since we are all their licence payers. And there should be more engagement of various committees for public radio and television broadcasting, as these institutions should fulfil their supervisory role and pay attention to this aspect. One aspect that I find very important and underestimated is the use of language. Therefore, in the community of Alzheimer societies and among experts dealing with this expertise it is not appropriate to talk about a demented person as it can mean stupid. First of all, they are people, people with dementia or even better people living with dementia. However, this is not problem only in the Czech Republic. I see the situation improving here. The pensioner is now used mainly in the context of a pension scheme, not as a label for an older person. English has a similarly ugly term – the elderly – but it is still being used instead of the more correct form “older”. When I was in London, I saw places designated just for “the elderly”.

I found myself in a situation when I experienced the fate of the so-called “sandwich generation”, i.e. suddenly besides taking care of small children and working full-time, I had to provide a care for my aging and sick parents. I had to leave the company as they did not provide any flexibility that would help me to deal with the situation. There are only few part-time jobs in the Czech Republic, as well as lack of adequate facilities for respite care, which is contrary to the demographic trends as these situations will tend to increase. What are your recommendations?

I feel that in this country we work like crazy. Low salaries in many occupations are compensated by longer working hours or several combined working schemes. I know it from the academic environment, where salaries are so shamefully low that it is needed to seek opportunities to support yourself and your family from other sources on top of your work, such as grants, additional contracts and so on. This obviously has many negative impacts. You are correct that parttime employment does not practically exist in the Czech Republic. My recommendation is that people should be paid decently for their work, take it seriously and concentrate, and do it well. Talking about support and the so-called respite services is another big topic that goes beyond our interview. It is very good that currently there exists financial contribution for the care of those who need long-term help and support, but that is not enough. We need to have the right spectrum of services that could respond flexibly to the needs of people and their carers from family. Many caring families unnecessarily and prematurely deplete their forces and then choose institutional care solution, which is sometimes necessary, but it should be a rather extreme solution in a situation where other solutions are not possible. Most of us want to live at home. This is true regardless of age and disability or illness.

Your last words for readers of the magazine Czech and Slovak Leaders…

Aging is a normal process and aging is a normal part of our lives. It is, or it should be, the period of maturity. The fact that our society is getting older is the result of many positive factors. Disease and disability are not necessarily an integral part of an older age, but naturally they appear more often with age. Attitude to older people, providing adequate services and enabling them to live as long as possible in an environment where they want to live in, all this is a sign of a developed culture and society. We should be a society not only for children and healthy adults, but also for those who need our care and support.

By Linda Štucbartová