{"id":6741,"date":"2026-08-09T06:25:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T04:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/?p=6741"},"modified":"2026-08-09T06:43:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T04:43:47","slug":"what-matters-is-the-well-being-of-poland-and-the-quality-of-the-polish-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/what-matters-is-the-well-being-of-poland-and-the-quality-of-the-polish-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"What Matters is the Well-Being of\u00a0Poland and the\u00a0Quality of\u00a0the\u00a0Polish\u00a0Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An interview with Krzysztof Przyby\u0142, President of the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d Polish Promotional Emblem Foundation and recipient of the Leader by Vocation title<\/em>, about how the Foundation operates and why quality, trust, and responsibility for the Polish economy are essential in this project.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mr. President, do you have to be born a leader, or can you become one?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve never seen myself as a classic leader. I\u2019m much more drawn to the role of someone who can bring people together, build understanding, and integrate diverse groups around a common goal. I prefer to create a space for collaboration, because that\u2019s how success can be achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So success is primarily the result of teamwork?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Definitely. I\u2019ve never believed that one person builds great projects. Each of us is part of a larger whole. I don\u2019t like to talk about who\u2019s in the spotlight. What\u2019s more important is whether our work yields tangible results. In the case of the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d program, the ability to cooperate is crucial \u2013 with the laureates, experts, members of the Award Committee, and the business community. It\u2019s thanks to this that the Foundation can operate stably, despite its very demanding organizational model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exactly, you\u2019ve been managing the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d Foundation for twenty years. It\u2019s an organization with a unique operating model\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

And I consider this model to be one of our greatest achievements. We are a non-profit foundation: we don\u2019t conduct business, we don\u2019t rely on public funding, and we don\u2019t receive ongoing subsidies. Winners of the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d Competition use the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d Emblem free of charge for the first year, and then they can choose to renew their license. This is a model based on trust and the real value of the emblem \u2013 if the Emblem supports a company in building credibility and market position, entrepreneurs want to continue using it. In the Polish context, this is a truly unique solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, you could say that it\u2019s the entrepreneurs themselves who maintain the program\u2019s prestige?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely. The prestige of the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d Emblem is built primarily by the winners. We reward products, services, and innovations that meet the highest quality standards, so it\u2019s their quality, credibility, and market position that reinforce the significance of the entire program. The emblem is not an abstract symbol \u2013 its value stems from the quality of the products and services marked with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I mentioned, after the first year, winners can decide whether to renew their license to use the emblem. Many do so because they see real business value in it: the emblem supports their credibility, recognition, and communication with customers. This, in turn, influences sales volumes, for example. Some companies go a step further and continue working with the Foundation as partners, engaging in the development of the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d brand and its presence in the debate on the quality of the Polish economy. Good examples include FAKRO and Blachy Pruszy\u0144ski, which have been building their image around Polish quality for years, and the emblem has become an important element of this narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d award?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is a unique distinction that cannot be bought or earned through popularity alone. Only products, services, or innovations that meet the highest quality standards can apply for the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d emblem. Each application undergoes a multi-stage expert evaluation, audits, and analyses. Only after positive verification does it go to the Competition Jury, which selects the winners. The Emblem is awarded to only 25 products or services annually. It is this rigorous selectivity that builds the Competition\u2019s prestige.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Do you care about a large number of applications?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Paradoxically, no. We don\u2019t run aggressive promotional campaigns. We prefer companies that are aware of the program\u2019s value to apply. Experts typically select between 70 and 100 projects. Simply being nominated means meeting very rigorous quality criteria. Only from this group does the Jury select the winners. And it is this selectivity that ensures the Emblem maintains its credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do companies later remember their beginnings?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, as a company grows, they naturally focus on the next stages of their journey and don\u2019t always revisit the beginnings. This is understandable, although we are always pleased when winners maintain a long-term relationship with the Foundation. It is precisely to maintain these bonds that we organize winners\u2019 clubs, which create a space for meetings, conversations, and the exchange of experiences several times a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does one manage such a recognizable project from the inside? Is there a huge team of people behind the brand?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the biggest surprises. The Foundation is made up of just a few people on a daily basis, but its strength lies in its diversity \u2013 including generational diversity. Those with more experience bring institutional memory, knowledge of the program\u2019s history, and a sense of responsibility for its continuity. Younger individuals bring a fresh perspective, new skills, and a better understanding of modern communication. This combination is crucial for the Foundation and very valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For everyone, this project has long been more than just a job \u2013 it is a commitment and a passion. My goal was to maintain the continuity of the program and maintain its full independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the outset, the Foundation has emphasized its apolitical nature. Is it possible to maintain this today, in such a polarized reality?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From the outset, \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d has remained an apolitical project. The President of the Republic of Poland holds honorary patronage over the Competition \u2013 regardless of who holds this office and what political background they come from. The Jury is composed of representatives of various backgrounds, but all are united by a concern for the good of the state and the quality of the Polish economy. – This project has always been about more than current political divisions \u2013 about the interest of Poland and supporting what is best in the Polish economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you joined the Foundation, you successfully worked in business for many years. What were those early days like?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Even as a student, I was actively involved in student worker cooperatives. In the 1980s, such cooperatives played an important role \u2013 they taught independence, entrepreneurship, and responsibility. We organized, among other things, International labor camps in East Germany, Bulgaria, and Hungary. In turn, trips to the West, such as Sweden or the United States, radically changed our way of looking at the world. They revealed a different work organization, a different salary scale, and a completely different functioning of the market economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What path did you choose after graduation?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In 1988, my friends and I founded a private company \u2013 only the second limited liability company registered in Warsaw. At the time, officials weren\u2019t sure how to classify us. We built the company from scratch. My colleagues were responsible for technical and IT issues, and I handled organization and management. Initially, we implemented IT systems, but we quickly became fascinated by satellite and cable television. After 1989, Poles en masse wanted to see the world. We built cable television networks from scratch, consolidated the market, and ultimately created the Warsaw-based Aster City Cable network, which was sold years later to a foreign investor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you switch from business to the Foundation?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After over twenty years of running my own business, I had the comfort of choosing where I wanted to dedicate the next phase of my professional life. I treated managing the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d project as a mission and a form of service to the Polish economy. I\u2019m not an entrepreneurial theorist. For years, I myself took risks, employed people, and was responsible for multi-million investments. These experiences help me better understand the needs of Polish entrepreneurs today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude our conversation, I wanted to ask what you consider your greatest success?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I won\u2019t name a specific company or project. What gives me the greatest satisfaction is building relationships based on trust, honesty, and reliability. This is the most important asset \u2013 both in business and in life. And if we\u2019re talking about my most important personal success, it\u2019s, of course, my two sons and my grandchildren. n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katarzyna Jankowska
Beata Seku\u0142a<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An interview with Krzysztof Przyby\u0142, President of the \u201eTeraz Polska\u201d Polish Promotional Emblem Foundation and recipient of the Leader by Vocation title, about how the Foundation operates and why quality, trust, and responsibility for the Polish economy are essential in this project. Mr. President, do you have to be born a leader, or can you become one? I\u2019ve never […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1115],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6741"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6741"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6758,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6741\/revisions\/6758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}