Bright colors. Open spaces. Eclectic coffee mugs. A collaborative environment. Welcome to the up and coming 'New Silicon Valley".
On day four of our adventures in Poland, we learned about a cutting-edge aspect of Krakow's story through a series of lectures at Ambasada Krakówian. As with much of this trip thus far, the setting and environment we were in had as interesting of a story as the lectures themselves.
The second you walk in the door, you can feel a creative, communal energy, which is the exact mission of this unique space. Ambasada Krakowian is a social innovation networking hub that supports up and coming NGOs in their quests to start their businesses. Its goal is to support these businesses in their missions by providing a supportive community, informal structures for meetings and workshops as well as an atmosphere that fosters innovation, community and new ideas.
It has been so interesting learning about the developing economy of Poland, and this space is indicative of the emerging, innovative efforts contributing to this growth. We experienced a taste of the various start-ups that have benefited from this collaborative space, from community gardens to transportation planning and even educational workshops for children.
One thing that struck me while learning about these various start-ups and the space that supports them is that the work goes beyond a bottomline but also fosters a strong sense of community. He spoke about how Ambasada Krakowian hosts relationship meetings in addition to business-related meetings. This is indicative of an interesting aspect of Polish culture - that of relationships and people. Throughout the week, it has been obvious that many of the inspiring men and women we met with look beyond the bottom line when conducting business but really focus on their customers, products and relationships.
It was also interesting to see how this innovative, incubator environment juxtaposed with that of the economic growth propelled by multinational corporations establishing presence in Poland. We had an engaging conversation (with a slight motivational twist) with Lukasz Cioch from Aspire Network about the technology and business services hub as well as future career paths - both for Polish students and ourselves.
There were similar themes in both lectures especially with regards to developing strong networks. One thing that struck me during Lukasz's presentation was his use of the word ' multinational' instead of 'international.' While seemingly the same word, for me personally, 'international' has more of a transactional connotation whereas 'multinational' reflects a more collaborative, communal experiences through which multiple parties are brought together. It could have been the energy of Ambasada Krakowian but this choice of worlds reflected a collaborative component within this new economy, even when discussing existing, established corporations.
Lukasz's talk also propelled me to think about why I embarked on this experience in Poland, and how it will help me in the future. He mentioned the importance of knowing where you want to go in your career to ensure you're being effective and strategic in all you do to get there. While I disagree that I need a final answer at this point in my life as to where the rest of my career may take me, he made an interesting point about finding a passion and drive to propel you through work. It inspired me to pause and realize that I'm energized and excited about where I am in my educational and career story.
I mentioned in my first post wanting to expand my perspective and jump out of the tiny place I occupy at Fordham and in New York City. This experience, thus far, has gone above and beyond in doing that, inspiring me to think differently about my MBA experience, my position in consulting and on a broader level, a true appreciation for the opportunities that I've had.
Kraków, you've been amazing and I'm exciting to see what these next two days have in store. Dziękuję Ci
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