Strategies should result from values – thanks to them we know where we want to go, who to be. Thank you for 2020.

“When, just before the pandemic, on the Radio 90.6 FM News in South Africa, I was asked about the best strategies for developing cities and countries, I talked a lot about the challenges of the future, such as digitalisation, green transformation, industry 4.0, etc. I did not even mention pandemics Well, It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future (Niels Bohr). However, there is one thing I am sure about strategies. If you know what your values are, you will adopt the right strategy in any future. I wish this knowledge to each and everyone in the new year! And for the last year, I would like to thank everyone with whom it connected me professionally and privately “.

I posted the above post on my Facebook profile, and someone commented on it with the following statement:

– “People associate strategies with soulless technocratic management, and the professor associates them with values”.

I answered him:

– “In strategic governance, the most important question is where you are going and where / who you want to be. Without knowing what really matters to us, it cannot be answered. The question of how to get there, about a plan, is only in second place. It’s like the difference between being able to drive a car and knowing where is worth going with this car. “