Mirjana Preljević, an expert with extensive experience in strategic positioning in the areas of entrepreneurship and business intelligence, speaks for PD about facing the challenges of energy transformation, differences within Europe, leadership…

Mirjana Preljević is a world-renowned expert with more than 25 years of experience in strategic positioning in the field of entrepreneurship and business intelligence.

Her book “Positioning Strategy as the Key to Success” has been translated into seven languages, and she is the author of numerous expert texts and analyses on the topic of strategic positioning of countries, cities, and organizations, energy efficiency, sustainable development, start-up companies…

She lives between Belgrade and Paris, and for Poslovni Dnevnik she spoke about the challenges world societies face in new geopolitical circumstances, energy transformation, the future of leadership, differences within Europe, and her inspiration from the teachings of Nikola Tesla.

How do you comment on events at the world level from your position as an expert in strategic positioning? Where do you see Europe, China, the USA, and Russia in the coming period? Can we even assume strategic movements anymore?
You know, I well remember the words of James Canton who said: The Stone Age did not end due to lack of stone, and the Oil Age will end long before the world runs out of oil!”.

Namely, it is clear to all of us that energy is the main driver of development because the history of civilization is and will always remain the history of energy transformation. Every advanced economy required access to modern energy sources to ensure its development and prosperity. And today we are living in a serious paradox, which is that Western economies are consciously renouncing the strategic decisions defined yesterday in the field of energy, while at the same time suddenly turning to the reactivation of the use of coal, and despite all that, a new source of energy – the use of hydrogen.

We saw that the leaders of the EU countries agreed at the Summit in March to jointly buy gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and hydrogen ahead of the next winter. So much for what is currently happening in Brussels, which has somehow lost its compass, seemingly suddenly, but actually the war matrix has resurfaced, bringing all other strategies into checkmate.

The USA, as always, follows its own economic interests, China knows how critical energy is to it and invests a lot in the installation of new technologies on its territory, while Russia emerges by transferring this sudden blow to the existing energy flows of oil and gas exports to new markets or existing with new users, and at even higher prices.

Strategic directions should always be set, regardless of whether you are big or small in terms of territory, because smaller countries, due to their flexibility and less use of energy sources, can be set much faster and more optimally in relation to their economy, industry, and population.

That is why the balance of different energy flows of production and supply of energy products is always the best strategy for small businesses. RES and Energy efficiency have a serious task and test here today. What bothers me as a strategist is that in the region of Southeast Europe, almost all strategic documents in the field of energy do not exceed ten years.

There is no continuity, but the direction of the dependence on others continues. It should and can be set differently. One niche in all that and an excellent example is the newly established project SINCRO.GRID. So, it can be done, there is potential, you just need to know and want it.

The topic of energy transformation has become one of the main topics. As an expert and professional lobbyist, you dealt with this topic long before it became mainstream…
Yes, you are right. The fact that I was elected to the group of experts of the G7-group for the proposal for the development of the Sustainable Development Strategy of the member countries in 2015 in Berlin, and then a direct participant in the two-day workshop of the IEA – International Energy Agency in Paris, when Energy Efficiency was set as an equal unit. in the IEA along with oil, coal, and gas.

It was a significant day for all of us who deal strategically and operationally with energy because from that moment EE becomes a significant and official factor in energy transformation. On the other hand, the EU’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions has serious implications for the European energy system. Around two-thirds of the EU’s energy should come from renewable sources.

The European energy system is still not designed to face such challenges, so it must be transformed by 2050. The events that we are having right now in the energy market that arose as a result of the war in Ukraine have called a lot of things into question.

Ad-hoc decisions are made and we return to some old and forgotten proposals and projects for the production or supply of energy sources. Meanwhile, some are actually profiting from it.

So, while this recomposition of strategic decision packages continues, I still see that solutions based on innovations in RES, the grid and EE measures are the most promising, because, in the long term, they certainly win. By the way, this is the first time that the Commission has analyzed energy trends for such a long-term period, which also says a lot.

Do you think we are really ready for the energy transformation? As a society, but also our economies?
We must be ready, this is no longer a matter of just thinking, but of serious action. You know, when I think back to how many decades the talk about the LNG Terminal in Omišlj has been going around, and now you have that by 2024, the entire capacity of the terminal has been leased, and by 2035, about half of the capacity.

So, energy transformation was and is being worked on. This can be seen in countless examples. Where is the so-called strategic slippage with new energy sources, i.e. new use of known ones, are economic analyzes in response to the question, and how much will it all cost us?

There is a weak link in today’s energy transformation. That’s why I’ve been advocating for more than 20 years in this area exclusively for an integral approach to solving that issue (and all others at strategic levels) because we see a lot of wandering and dead ends.

Your work is greatly inspired by the work and character of Nikola Tesla. Can you tell us a little more about that?
For more than two decades I have been preparing to present the T.E.S.L.A. Algorithm, and they are now in front of us. It is a new matrix of integrated development of society based on the synergy of five fields, i.e. the letters of the acronym: Technology, Education, Science, Love, and Activism. You know, today we live in several parallel realities, if I may say so.

At the same time as the official policy prescribes its strategies and laws, we simultaneously have incredible growth and examples of the so-called. 1,400 cities in transition and 4,800 supplementary currencies, from Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Finland, to India and the USA. Innovative models exist, and not only do they exist, but they also produce sustainable results.

I will share with you another important piece of information. Seven of the 10 profiles that are on the Forbes list of the most sought-after jobs today did not exist just ten years ago. So a serious reform of education is needed, especially formal education. As it is today, informal education now shares the same share with formal education in the process of educating young people in order to prepare them for business and life.

On the other hand, the dead end we reached by throwing out Ether as the fifth element and the most important integrative factor, just like ether physics, is now coming back to us like a boomerang. The year 1920 and Albert Einstein’s lecture in the Dutch city of Leiden, in which he testified with his authority that the Ether does not exist, and separated it into space-time dimensions, dangerously brought us to where we are today.

The re-liberation of the Ether, the new development of etheric physics, and everything else that can be built on the basis of the fifth element is my priority today, and not only mine but also that of an increasing number of Teslans around the world – that is, people who share the values ​​and knowledge established and defined by Nikola Tesla.

I spoke about this at Harvard for the first time in 2015, and then in Zagreb, and you can see the effects, more and more, of how many of us there are and what we can do. All my knowledge and experience as a pioneer at the world level in the field of Strategic Positioning today I compose through Quantum management in the form of Algorithm T.E.S.L.A. which, in my opinion, is essential for today’s managers and all those who intend to manage an organization today.

In your lectures, do you connect digital transformation with this energy transformation?
Yes, constantly. Integral observation of things is, as I said, the only correct way of strategic action for me, and that is because it allows viewing from multiple perspectives all the processes that at a certain moment break down on the way of planning.

Today, it is the combination of digital and energy transformation that is our comparative advantage as a region, born from the relationship between wisdom and youth. And if we are all wise enough to strengthen and strengthen this domain, we will receive a lot of attention and support from all the leading economies of the world, because this is and will be a field of work needed by everyone who wants to harmonize their growth as states and societies.

Do we even have the infrastructure for such changes in the Balkans or Southeast Europe?
Excellent question. This current disconnect between strategic goals and tactical steps may be costing us dearly now. The biggest challenge currently in the field of energy is balancing with energy lobbies. The processes we live through should first be understood, and then acted upon. On this path, diagnostics are of the utmost importance.

If we know where we are right now and where we want to go, the path to that goal is greatly facilitated. Therefore, this serious period of transformation should be used as soon as possible and all innovators, academic structures, and experts should be invited to join forces in formulating new solutions in the field of infrastructure, but looking at it as an important and integrative element of the overall economic, industrial and consumer system, and not as a separate entity.

What do you think is the main path of transformation? How much and what kind of role do politics and the profession have, and what and what kind of role do entrepreneurs and citizens play?
The policy should define the framework and provide full support, the profession should provide it with real, accurate, and usable data in response to the question of how, entrepreneurs should communicate with them what challenges and obstacles they face on this path of transformation, and citizens’ demands for a safe and healthy life. That is why the golden rule of any strategy is the 3K rule: communication, coordination, and cooperation.

Are there more real leaders in the world? Namely, you are also a board member of the Swiss foundation Stars, whose role is precisely the education and upbringing of new world leaders.
There are no longer so many visionary statesmen who are capable of sharing that vision with the people and then presenting it together. And who is the leader today? A person who carries the characteristics of inspiration with his own personality, vision, ability to realize it, knowledge, and competence.

Leaders are people who inspire others by personal example because they know how, and this recognition among young people today encourages the development of new areas of development that we did not even think about until just ten years ago.

Will we ever again see leaders in the form in which they existed until recently? Young people carry with them some new things, energies, and desires…
We won’t, that’s already obvious. Young people who carry the greatest energy of the development potential of society today need to be awakened much more by new ways of communication, and of course, with all due respect to social networks, develop themselves much more in terms of vocabulary and applied knowledge.

If they want it, I’m sure they will find teachers along the way. My project of economic connection of the region and the world T²: TESLA SQUARE with the slogan: A place where youth has a say is also in the name of this.

You live between Belgrade and Paris, and you do business on four continents. What are the main differences between Southeastern and Western Europe when we talk about the culture of life and business?

I believe I will not make a mistake if I list the following determinants: orderliness, definition, accuracy, understanding of the essence and difference between the word business and the word business, knowledge of the place of power and decision-makers in Western Europe in relation to, on the other hand, politically determined and defined decisions, the so-called of business, those business catchphrases, such as no problem, we’ll do it easily and similar.

Issues such as illegal dumps, entrances to buildings that cry out for renovation, parks, and the environment in the west are a matter of personal culture and behavior of the individual, and the community should provide a framework, both legally and financially, by which these issues are resolved. However, the growth of creative creativity in the Southeast and increased inventiveness are also very visible.

Considering everything you do and the large number of people you talk to and meet, how do you see the world in the next ten years, considering all the transformations we’ve already started going through?
It will be the way we want it to be, that’s clear. I believe that everything in life is a matter of measure and intention. If you have a clear intention, you will find the measure by which you want to make it a reality. It’s like that in business, it’s like that in life.

In my performances, lectures, and columns, I regularly invite people to activism, to more clearly define the goals and values ​​of their lives, just like to know themselves. This observation of the micro-macro relationship is extremely important for each person in order to determine his position. Only by knowing himself can a person make correct decisions and choices. Then he knows what he wants and what he doesn’t want.

With this, he clearly sets the direction of his path and, above all, bears the responsibility for those choices and decisions. A healthy individual thereby creates a healthy community, awareness of the importance of all of us is very important because everyone has some value and qualities that they incorporate into the overall quality of society’s life. In that name, listen to yourself, your environment, and nature.

In that trinity are all the answers. As far as the world is concerned, multipolarity is its new phase, which is already seriously looming on the horizon, and certainly leads to the balance of forces and potentials that we need for the further development of humanity.

Author: Ivana Belić
Source: poslovni.hr

Mirjana Prljević, an international and world-renowned consultant for Strategic Positioning, said in an interview for the ADRIA portal that Montenegro should opt for the concept of Singapore or Switzerland rather than Monaco because it has great potential.

At the beginning of the conversation, I would first like to congratulate you on the important recognition you recently received in Trebinje from the Association of the best teachers, teachers, and educators of the former Yugoslavia ANN EX-YU, which is the title of Ambassador of Education and the teaching profession. You are, without a doubt, a person of enormous reputation and incredible opportunities, and you could live and work anywhere, in much more developed countries. When did you develop the idea that you are more needed here than somewhere else and what was the turning point that decided Mirjana Prljević to return, at a time when the “brain drain” was popular?

Thank you very much, yes, you are right, I was really pleasantly surprised to see my work in the field of informal education through the author’s project Academy of Small Geniuses TESLA GENIUS, through which 2,400 children have passed so far, and I am grateful to those wonderful people who selflessly invest in our children, into our future. I highly appreciate their work. On the other hand, as a person who, from a young age, developed a deep sense of experiencing momentum, which is defined as the state of mind and the level of awareness of society, and to which I dedicated most of my life working in the field of positioning strategy, I saw the importance of my return as the leverage of activating other individuals with whom I would develop the core of the future concept, publicly presented today in the form of the concept Algorithm T.E.S.L.A. Many say that it was Nikola Tesla, hypothetically speaking, who brought me back to Belgrade and our region, which has its own explanation and could be said that way. For the last few years, I have been fully committed to the realization of the mentioned concept both in our area and around the world, with a clear attitude, which is that this proposal of an integrated matrix of human development should start from us and our areas. This also applies to the methodology by which I am recognized around the world in my field of GPS: Global Positioning Strategy, and the domains of Economy, Security, and Technology.

As you wrote in one of your books, you were always on Western Europe vs Eastern Europe relationship. Can we today, here and now, in our region, say that we have adopted something of the strict professional business that characterizes the “western side”, and what is it that the “eastern side” can impose as its model of success in business and work in?

You yourself know that I have repeatedly emphasized the importance of a good understanding of the terms we are talking about when we sit down with someone with the desire to establish a long-term business relationship. The essence of the concept of business in the West is not the same as that experienced in the East. During the last decades, it has been harmonized a lot, but there is still a significant area that needs to be worked on, especially with young people. We have a more relaxed approach to work based on the previous decades of life and business in socialist systems, while the West, primarily based on the right to private property, is different precisely in that foundation, which is the goal of business. When the goals are clear to partners coming from both sides, for example in trade, it is much easier to establish lasting relationships, while for strategic investments and joint partnerships, it is more difficult. In this sense, my experience, which I pass on during consultations with companies and state institutions, is primarily related to understanding the question: Why do I want to cooperate with someone from the West or the Far East, so that the answer to it gets the correct content? The creativity and serious potential in the IT sector that the East brings with it when combined with the discipline and clear organizational structure of the West give high results, at least that’s what reality says.

You are the author of the book Positioning Strategy as the Key to Success. It has been translated into several world languages. Let’s not miss the opportunity to ask you how, in your opinion, Montenegro has positioned itself strategically and do you see the possibility of some success in the times to come?

Yes, the fact that this book of mine – practicum is sold significantly more today than in 2004 when the first edition was published and that it is sold on all continents can be useful to all those who strive to improve their business or other organizational strategic position and themselves team and the Government of Montenegro. Today, everyone is positioning themselves, from the state, cities, and regions, to small and medium-sized enterprises, NGOs, and individuals. There are also Wine Routes, Cultural Heritage Routes, and many others. And all that together make up one country. I am of the opinion that Montenegro has a lot of potentials, only they are insufficiently visible in the region and even less on the world map. I have often been asked how much the size of the territory affects the strategic positioning of a country. And I have to tell you, that just like a company, a small or medium-sized company can become a significant factor in the world market if it brings its unique range of products or services to the highest standard and sets and defines it in its own branch, just like the state. Whether it is a small, medium, or large territory does not influence its strategic position as much as the wise and long-term sustainable goal it strives for.

This is currently what I do not see when it comes to Montenegro, and certainly, my advice is to better define development priorities in that field, the number one of which is Respect and Protection of the Environment. I say this because of the territorial configuration of the country’s terrain because when we strategists start the process of defining the overall positioning strategy of a country, we first look at the diagnostics, which is the territory and natural heritage, then the composition, structure, and level of education of the active population, and the economic portfolio of companies and entrepreneurs. The possibility of success in the future always depends on understanding the power of the present moment, as we say, that is, firstly, a good knowledge of the terrain and potential by those who lead the country, and then their level of vision for the development of those potentials in full capacity. Then it is much easier to define the next steps, which should be upgraded and built in a certain period, and give them a realistic dimension. Tourism, healthy food, healthy life, entertainment, yes, they can be development sectors, and that draws me more and more towards the realization that someone wants to bring the concept of development of one Monaco closer to Montenegro. However, I am of the opinion that due to the potential of the population and the exceptionally strong and well-positioned diaspora, Montenegro can make a winning combination at the world level and in other highly profitable development positions. Only if his leadership wants it, of course. Will is the most important element of any Strategy.

The business novel The New Algorithm of Serbia is one of those books that can be read in one breath. Can Montenegro, as well as the entire region, become part of that New Algorithm and, together with Serbia, make it possible to “sail with the helm towards a prosperous future?”

You are right, the novel carries within itself a representation of how we see Serbia in the year 2043, i.e. one hundred years after the death of Nikola Tesla. The novel was written by engineer Branko Dimitrijević and I, interweaving decades of knowledge and experience at the international level in the domains of Quality Management systems, i.e. Strategic Positioning. In that name, in addition to the “Disk of Principles, Needs and Values” which you can develop both on a personal and organizational level, other important concepts necessary for the sustainable development of an organization or a country has been covered through clear examples, such as desire, plan, leadership, competencies, study, service, habits, and others. And of course, finally, the strategies crowned by our proposal to establish a T.E.S.L.A. Institute. All this is actually the concept of the Algorithm of the same name. On the other hand, recently, within the Danube Business Forum 2022, which follows the implementation of the Danube Strategy in our region from the very beginning, I was invited to lead a Panel entitled – TESLINE TECHNOLOGIES: A chance for the Western Balkans? It was the first time that the official representatives of technological and economic sciences met with Teslans, if I may say so. The power of this moment and the conversation itself lies in the fact that ether technologies with the proper implementation of the Algorithm T.E.S.L.A. which covers five interconnected fields: Technology, Education, Science, Love, and Activism provide inspiration and a call to the region to increasingly connect and unite in this field for common projects and goals. Here I am talking about something that I myself live at the management level, which is Quantum Management, and when you combine this important management skill with Tesla’s heritage, primarily patents, you get the opportunity to make a Quantum Leap as a society. It is the next step that should awaken the consciousness of our people in the region to the realization of how strong we are when we are united for the same development goals. This provides an opportunity, mostly for young people, to understand why they should stay in the country or return when they go to gain new knowledge and experience abroad.

How do you see Montenegro and the region in ten years?

Following on from the previous question regarding the analysis of the strategic position of Montenegro, I would rather opt for the concept of Singapore or Switzerland than Monaco, only that is up to the citizens of Montenegro and their leadership to say. They certainly have potential.

What inspired you, and what inspires you today to work hard, often around the clock?

When young people realize their mission and when they receive the gifts to develop their potential as much as possible on the life path of that mission, then there is no age or working time, everything becomes one and you align yourself with the wave that you have chosen to carry you, of course, carefully listening to the situation around and at the level of humanity. Then the relationship micro-macro, that is, you – society becomes clear and your pure intentions find the right measures for their realization. For me, my mission is the biggest inspiration.

Is Nikola Teska one of your role models and sources that influenced your work?

Yes, and to the greatest extent compared to anyone else outside of my family. My family gave me fundamental values ​​and role models for the development of my identity and the integrity of my personality, while Nikola Tesla, whose legacy I first got to know when I was sixteen, brought knowledge and techniques that developed my potential to the maximum. First and foremost are the importance of self-discipline and work habits, dedication and will, intuition, and the realization that we are individuals in the universe, small but significant, and that the most important thing is to develop that personal value that brings benefits to the entire society. Techniques such as Mastering the mind’s eye and Visualization have contributed to the fact that I can deal with the field of Strategy at a much higher level than I acquired through formal education. So thank you to Nikola Tesla, whose full time to realize the importance of his legacy and work is yet to come.

Finally, the last, but not least, question – what are the principles that would lead us to the integration of “Western” efficiency and effectiveness with the “Eastern” spirit? Are we really East to West and West to East…

I am of the opinion that we live the values ​​of both parties and that we are free as much as we fight for that freedom, and before that, we should definitely define it, because today freedom is a very undefined concept, and therefore significantly endangered. The principle of respect for universal values, which says that man is the most important individual on the planet because of the level of awareness he is endowed with, gives him by default the greatest responsibility for everything he does. We see very well where our planet and society are today by the consequences and the state of our basic sources of life from the very heart of nature. No matter where he is, in the East or the West, the North or the South, it is the man who defines the level of consciousness of the society, in the family, at the local level, and at the state level. That’s why when you carry Love in your heart and a strong will in your mind that what you do is your best, that your intention is the purest possible so that you can find for yourself the most relevant measure to implement it, you yourself realize and determine how much you will apply the knowledge and skills of the developed West, and how much wisdom of the East. The most important thing is to know who you are.

Author: Bojan Milić