We want our clients to come back to usTo be a partner who is there to help when needed

They say that Dagmar Poláchová has a knack for quickly finding out what's wrong in a company and why it's not doing as well as its management would like. When I asked her how she does it, her answer was straightforward: "Many years of diverse professional experience have taught me how to ask the right questions - and most importantly, how to listen. Listening is often overlooked." Companies typically call her when something isn’t working, expecting her to diagnose and fix the problem. More precisely, she specializes in implementing comprehensive transformation strategies. Sustainable ones, as she emphasizes.

I imagine you as something of a detective, a doctor, or an investigative journalist. All these roles require analysing situations, examining the details, uncovering hidden opportunities and solving problems. This means talking to people who are affected by the problem and who may not always welcome you with open arms. Is that accurate?

(Smiling) From this perspective, there are probably even more roles involved, but fundamentally, you’re right. We usually step into a moving train, and the main thing at the beginning is to uncover where the problem is and how to fix it, in order to move the company towards its dream goal. We start with a kind of psychological-coaching-mentoring session, which is a friendly discussion that can take several weeks, until we truly understand what the company management really wants and needs, and align our mutual expectations. Only then do we tailor our services, often involving our partners if a broader scope is needed, to deliver the desired results.

Every company is a different playground, but can you tell me which mistakes are repeated the most?

There would be a long answer to this question, but to simplify it: companies often act in an uncoordinated and impulsive manner. They don’t take enough time to precisely name what they want to achieve, plan the steps that will lead to it, assess whether they have enough resources – not only financial but also human – and whether their people are ready for the change and have somewhere to turn for help. When communication is lacking and people don’t understand what the change entails or interpret it differently, it can’t turn out well.

How many companies have you helped transform?

Over the past seven years, it’s hard to count. Annually, we work on about four to five larger projects, which we know will require at least six months or more. These are mostly corporate or large companies, but we also work with smaller businesses. We are currently working on a complete process review and document flow system integration for a family-owned company. The project will take about four months.

Can you name a recent major project that you were particularly happy with?

I can't name it explicitly. It's a corporate client, an authorized dealer of construction and earthmoving machinery, whose parent company is based in Germany. Initially, they aimed to meet their parent company’s request to optimize processes and find efficiencies, simply taking one step back to have a different view of the situation. However, we gradually moved on to a process audit. The project has been ongoing for a year now, and we plan to delve deeper because it has already yielded clear results.

Can you be more specific about the results?

You know, every company is a kind of interconnected ecosystem. You change one thing, and that triggers many other changes elsewhere. You have to be sensitive to identify things that can slow down or even ruin the entire process. For example, we found out that the company had sixty other projects alongside ours, none properly managed or documented. So we agreed with the management that we would take an inventory of the projects, train people on what a project is, come up with a methodology for them that they would be ready to adapt to and follow. In the end, half of the sixty remained, but they are working. Processes have become transparent, and people no longer run away from the meeting room when the word "project" is mentioned. Instead, a project office was established within the organizational structure, which is also associated with specific competencies and responsibilities.

What does the German parent company think about that?

Well, that's the icing on the cake. Not only has the Czech branch earned recognition, but we are now advising the management of the German parent company on implementing an IT tool for project tracking and documentation. They found out that we are fast, dynamic, have a reasonable approach to pricing and deliver projects on time. My colleague has been mapping the situation in their Danish branch for the second month now.

Your motto on LinkedIn is: “Life begins at the end of our comfort zone. Let’s push its boundaries together.” Where are yours?

They’ve been shifting a lot recently, but I enjoy it and intentionally set new challenges for myself. For instance, as an introvert by nature, I’ve been taking on public speaking at conferences, microphone in hand. My biggest recent challenge was definitely when I left a well-paid management position at a prestigious insurance company last summer and decided to fully commit to my own company, which I had been managing in the evenings and weekends. It was a leap into uncertainty, but it taught me what’s possible when you give your dream maximum energy and pursue it with courage and with a well-thought-out strategic plan.

Aside from work, what are your private challenges and dreams?

I’m learning to make more time for myself. I returned to my childhood love and bought my own horse last summer. Riding is my way to relax, and it’s probably the only place where I don’t look at my mobile phone.

Dagmar Poláchová was interviewed by Jana Jenšíková

Photo credits: Dagmar Poláchová