7/27/2019 Poland: Climbing back over the fence
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I N G L O B A L T R A N S I T I O N
POLANDClimb back over the fence
lobetrotters View Issue No 9
Wblopie
an
in
belUN
wo
her
ONOMIC MIRACLE.....
ay, the Poles are safe and strong players in the international
scene
doing well economically. The clear advantage is the largest
CEE
ulation of 40MM, central location, highly skilled labor, and
more
ish speakers everyday as they learn english from
kindergarten
ugh MBA school. They are integrated with the EU but trade
with
ny nations beyond that. Ironically, Poland has better relationsh
Germany and Russia than ever before. They are able to make a
nction between Germany at large, and the Nazi anomaly.The
on is strong, free, open, globalized, and growing, with a
vibrant
successful stock market, low tariffs, and high Foreign
Direct
estment (the U.S. has invested over $20 Billion in Poland -
esenting only 6% of Polands total FDI). Poland was the only
ntry in Europe to GROW during the financial crisis.
As Lech tells the story, he details how the human spirit
prevailed as he lay broken, I can lie here and die, or I can
force myself to climb back over that fence. Which he
did ... to fanatical cheers from the polish
protestingpopulation. He became a global hero and the first
post-war
President of Poland. Today hes on a lecture circuit telling
his remarkable story of tenacity, and persistence... traits
that Poles exonerate everyday.
Some would think Americans are the true believers and
fanatic defenders of freedom but believe it, Poles defend it
even more. Poland has graduated beyond their courageous
plumber, who put them back on the map, but their human
spirit, tenacity, and passion perpetually prevail. To be
sure,
you can count on the Poles to ALWAYS climb back over the
fence. And no wonder.... their country has been wiped off
the map twice in history as they stood between the
Prussian and Russian giants. Later in the century few
survived the Warsaw ghetto uprising of 1943 and the
Warsaw general uprising of 1944 where Hitler ordered the
destruction of the Polish Animals by literally blowing the
doors off their homes and opening fire on every man,
woman, and child.
many of us think of Poland we thinkLech
a, the courageous plumber who inspired
ire nation to rise against communism.
r to Marlon Brando in the famous union
scene in On the Waterfront we imagineganized union protest of
the solidarity
only to be strong-armed by secret police,
to near death, and thrown over the fence
(picture above: Lech Walesa)
This process is poignantly displayed in the Warsaw
museum through a series of letters by a german soldi
whose responsibility it was to plant the bombs that b
the doors off each home. In the end, 700,000 lives,tremendous
brainpower, and an entire professional
society were lost... suddenly there were no doctors,
bankers, accountants, or musicians in Warsaw.Not
surprisingly, it was the Poles that had the most activ
and effective underground movement during the
communist regime
Joining the EU has
transparency, but th
privatization proce
complete. Rule of l
strengthening, but
still hold people to
without reporting ilegal system is abo
slow. Petty corrupt
a problem e.g. brib
and officials for tra
tickets etc. Structu
reforms are still ne
as banking reform
greater access to m
all polish citizens (
opposed to Oligarc
government, who t
dominate and cohe
block market acces
rigging the bid sy
MARKET REFORM CONTINUED....
In terms of market reforms, following the collapse of
communism,
many of the old leaders privatized themselves and reaped the
benefits, creating great tension in Polish society. Like many
CEEcountries, corruption after the fall of the wall was rampant,
but it is
better today as their capitalism is more broadly based.
7/27/2019 Poland: Climbing back over the fence
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P R O G R E S S
P
CCESS STORIES:
day, Strategic Entry into Poland is fairly seamless. There are
few barriers to entry,
nks can be used effectively, and there are plenty of good
services and educated/
lled workforce. Distribution partners are often a good idea, if
only for the language/
alization and relationship network, but one can go it alone.
Keep in mind,,
mbuilding is a requisite part of management and can be a
challenge because of the
acy of distrust ... requiring immense training and practice.
eat business opportunities exist for mid- level services and for
construction in rural
as. Examples include transportation of medical patients - there
is no such thing as
icopter transfer, making rural transport to hospitals an issue.
Educational services
d training to develop new skills are important ... particularly
management training.
e interviewee describes how his mother after the fall of the
wall brought back
loads of western goods to sell to Poland, Hungary, Romania, and
Turkey, and had a
at time doing it - traveling across borders for the first time
in her life, and a REAL
pping tour!
number of Polish Americans from around Detroit and Chicago (the
largest Polish
pulation outside of Warsaw) moved to Poland after the fall of
the wall and have
ome very successful, but many fences have been climbed to get
where they are
ay, some 20 years later.
Thomas Kolaja (BELOW) moved to Poland nearly 20 years ago
from
Ohio, starting with Mckinsey & Co, devising their CEE
strategies. He
now heads his own successful consulting business designed to
speed
companies into the free market economy, with specialty in
corporate
restructuring that incorporates operational and financial
solutions.
Stanley Urban,(LEFT) a graduate of the University of MIchigan,
came to Poland from
Detroit, nearly 20 years ago. He was involved in a joint venture
with Thomson
electronics, who purchased POLKOLOR a manufacturer of TV tubes,
in Poland. He
describes the place as a wreck when he arrived, but within a
year one could not
have recognized the place. We replaced old equipment, introduced
quality bonusincentives, reduced rejection rates to within .7% from
20%. The story has been well
publicized in the Wall St. Journal and other business
magazines.
John Lynch, left New York City to join US AID
in Poland when he learned they needed recent
business school grads to help kick start the new
economy in 1991. After a self described
exhilarating gig as a consultant he saw the
lack of tourism products in Poland and began a
company sporting promotional apparel. Today
LYNKA is a thriving enterprise with thousands
of clients and has one more than 40
international awards. He founded the Krakow
AMCHAM in 1995.David DeBendetti (right) is a New York
attorney turned merger/acquisition expert who
pioneered the legal profession in Warsaw.
THE CULTURE
Poles are satisfied with democracy, and have resigned
themselves to satisfaction with the least-worst of their
political leadership choices (sounds familiar). They are
freedom loving, idealistic, and entrepreneurial. They
waste no time being victims, (whereby some countries
in Central and Eastern Europe seem to dwell
excessively). No question they have a strong penchant
for uniting in the face of adversity, but have a freespirited
individualism in quieter times of prosperity.
Yet, a lack of diversity may hold Poland back. Unlike
more pluralistic democracies, Poland is 98% catholic
and white. They have a tolerant society but do not have
great experience with diversity or minorities in its social
framework. Therefore, the inability to deal with a
global, diverse, world, may be a handicap as global
business continues to move into the territory, requiring
cross cultural management skills.
.
It should also be emphasized that Pol
many countries in Central and Eastern
is currently experiencing a profound
generation gap. The young, urban, h
generation refuses to defer gratificatio
kind, and have no historical memory
lines to buy loaves of bread. Rather, t
shopping center theory has triumphe
Poland ... by our Thanksgiving, the Powere fully celebrating the
holidays an
shopping malls and coffee houses wer
and packed with young people in t igh
jeans, ipods, and high heels.
SPECIAL THANKS TO AMCHAM PO
who arranged these tremendous inter
