Ing. et Ing. Adam Liška, MBA is the General Director and Chairman of the Board of WITKOWITZ ENVI a.s., Chairman of the ČMA (Czech Management Association) ELITE Club of the Moravian-Silesian Region, and the winner of the Young Managerial Talent category in the Manager of the Year 2018 competition. The club is a platform that builds on the inspiration, excellence and experience of the Moravian-Silesian Region executive managers. Its mission is to develop managers‘ corporate culture, ethics and personality, build long-term relationships and support the region in strategic directions and its future development.
The Elite Club of the Czech Management Association operates successfully in the Moravian-Silesian Region. What is its mission, and what is its benefit for managers?
The mission of the platform of the Elite Club of the Moravian-Silesian Region is the development of corporate culture, ethics and personality of managers, building long-term relationships and supporting the region in strategic directions and in its future development. In addition, we seek to develop creative thinking, share lessons learned, and offer the opportunity to refl ect on these key managerial issues.
The main benefi t of this platform lies primarily in sharing good practice and real-life experiences from managerial life, to show their implementation and story in practice, but also to be able to share challenging managerial issues or topics in an environment of colleagues who really “understand” you, as the saying goes. And to fi nd inspiration and develop by developing others.
The club seeks to share good management practices in business and public administration. Is there any interest in sharing experiences among managers?
It is true that the scope of our platform is not only related to engineering companies or heavy industry but also to public administration, which we are trying to develop and, above all, not to forget, as it is an integral part of the usiness environment. That is why some of our activities are also directed to this area, an example of which is the meeting of our members with the Secretary of the City of Opava, JUDr. Tomáš Elis, the manager who won the national Manager of the Year competition in the field of public administration. The meeting is aptly named “Excellence and unique DNA of Opava City Hall” where the main points of discussion will be directed to the computerisation of city services (trends, new services, inspiration), the involvement of the public and business in the development of the city, and communicationwith the public. I could also name a representative of the Moravian-Silesian Region, the Director of the Regional Office, Ing. Tomáš Kotyza, MBA, who also won this prestigious competition.
Management and leadership have one huge advantage — they are principles that can be applied in any sector. If these principles are implemented, shared and presented correctly, they are also of interest to the public administration. I believe we have a lot of great managers in this area.
Members of the club are among the prominent managers in the region and the Czech Republic. How can they contribute to the transformation of the region?
I am convinced that many of our members signifi cantly support the transformation of the Moravian-Silesian Region in various areas, whether in the field of public transport, energy, circular economy, steps leading to the greening of operations or social responsibility. Many of us are also very active in business incubators, developing the innovation potential of the region, as well as in passing on our experience to future generations through lectures, mentoring or professional practice.
Our members are also involved in the creation of professional and inspirational publications that refl ect real management issues of the current era, such as “Management in an Era of Turbulence”, “Return to Prosperity” or a series of inspirational stories in book form under the title “Managers with a Lion”.
It is also linked to the professional conferences we organise or podcasts that reveal the thinking of top managers in our region, which is very rare. However, we can always contribute even more, and that is why I believe that we will not let up in these activities. We will continue to lead teams, businesses and companies as best we can, knowing that together we are contributing to building the region and its future.
You yourself are the head of WITKOWITZ ENVI a.s. As the Vice-President of the Czech Management Association, you are involved in promoting managerial interests in relation to the state administration. What have you managed to accomplish?
The challenge that we are dealing with — not only in our company but also in the Czech industry in general — is the ability of the government or subdivisions of the state administration to really help Czech companies that have their own product.
Over the last fi ve years, various types of appeals have been drawn up, whether by the Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Industry or the Czech Management Association, in matters of necessary support for Czech companies that have their final product and are not merely just an “assembly plant”.
Their nature can vary, whether we touch on the point of the National Recovery Plan, fi nalising the adoption of the euro, the systematic promotion of exports, the possibility for continuous and targeted staff development free from bureaucracy, or inconsistency in the ability to set a clear direction. Implementing such steps would make the Czech industry competitive again.
Unfortunately, we have heard a lot of talk without action. This makes it very difficult for companies to develop and sustain themselves in the distorted market economy we are experiencing today. This point will be one of the key points that we do not want to abandon on behalf of the Czech Management Association.
Thank you for the interview.
