My Last Column For a While

If there is one thing I have learned in my career and in coaching executives it’s how extremely important relationships are. What follows is a narrative of how important they have been to me personally in the very recent past and I’ll tie it together as it relates to your career later in the story.

About a year and a half ago one of my partners, Jan Bubenik, suggested to me that I write a weekly column for Hospodarske noviny. I had been writing a bi-weekly column for an English language paper, but his thinking was that Hospodarske noviny is the paper which reaches my true target audience—Czech professionals. Jan introduced me to Petr Simunek, the Editor-in-Chief of Hospodarske noviny who, in consultation with Karolina Svidrnochova, the talented young lady who is in charge of the Kariera section of the paper, thought the idea was worth a try. That’s how this column began, and to Jan, Petr and Karolina I offer my deep gratitude for your faith in me, your support and your guidance over the past year.

The issue then became the translation of my writing. Who would be able to translate not only the words, but the meaning and the subtleties of what I write into Czech? Then, as if in a science fiction story, our deus ex machina appeared, Vladan Sir, who has been a tireless and invaluable contributor to this effort. Thank you, Vladan, for all your dedication to excellence and for your time in producing this column every week.

Now, the only remaining problem became coming up with story ideas—that’s where my muse, best friend and wife, Priscilla, enters the picture. Over many cups of tea and coffee we discussed ideas and she offered her constructive criticism and insights gained from many years of being an executive in the film industry in Hollywood. Thanks, sweetheart. I could not have done this without you.

To complete the experience, there is you, the reader. I want to thank those of you who took the time to write and tell me of your own experiences and to ask the wonderful questions that you have over this past year. Also, those of you who have come up to me to tell me that you liked reading the column or that you didn’t agree with one point or another in something I had written—thank you, too, for your comments.

I still shake my head in disbelief sometimes when people ask me how I got to Prague. Many years ago my mother-in-law, Patricia McDonald, introduced my wife and me to a friend of hers in Cairo, Egypt, by the name of Dana Hunatova, who was, at that time, the Czech Ambassador to Egypt. Over the years we stayed in touch with Ambassador Hunatova exchanging holiday greetings and an occasional letter. It was she who suggested we come to Prague more than three years ago to witness the potential and dynamism of the Czech Republic—an experience that has changed our lives in many wonderful ways. And for that suggestion I will be eternally grateful. Thank you, Dana.

When we knew we would be going to Prague I mentioned it to an old friend, David Bennett, someone with whom I served on the Advisory Board of the College of Business at California State University at San Marcos. He reminded me that someone we both knew, Professor Martin Gannon, had done work in Prague and might be able to introduce me to some people. Martin introduced me to some people in his network who introduced me to Professor Stanley Nollen from Georgetown University, who has been active in Prague for many years teaching, doing research, and bringing students from Georgetown’s graduate school of business to Prague as part of their educational program.

Professor Nollen was most helpful and suggested that I meet a man who he held in very high regard and who could tell me everything I needed to know about life and business in Prague and Central and Eastern Europe. He introduced me to Jan Bubenik. Jan and I became friends and he introduced me to his business partner, Petra Fillova. One year later Petra, Jan, and I became business partners.

These acknowledgements would be incomplete if I didn’t offer my sincere thanks to my Editorial Board of Advisors for their insights, guidance and criticism, which has made me a better writer: David Bennett, Case de Callier, Rhys de Callier, David Ferguson, Ronald Gerevas, Martin Gannon, Phyllis Huckabee, Vladimira Josefiova, G. Dale Meyer, Troy Nielson and Tony Weston—Thank you.

What’s the lesson here for you and for your career? It’s this: You never know where relationships—your network—will lead you. Life is about relationships. Treat them with respect and nurture them. Listen to your network, ask it questions, contribute to it, thank it for its help, and always—always be prepared to have a positive experience. I’m reminded of that wonderful quote from John Lennon, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.”

Good luck on your way up!