Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The Hidden Architects of My Career.

We live in a culture obsessed with the "Self-Made Man." It is a seductive myth, especially in the world of high-stakes technology and leadership. We love the image of the solitary executive standing atop the mountain, surveying a kingdom built on singular genius and sheer will.

But if I am honest with you, and if I am honest with myself, that image is a lie.

I have achieved a lot in the last twenty years. I have served as Country Manager, Vice President, and CEO for some of the world's most respected organizations. I have led interdisciplinary teams across continents, closed nine-digit deals that reshaped national infrastructures, and navigated the chaotic transition from the early days of Polish capitalism to the AI-driven "Intelligence Supercycle" of 2025.

However, from today's perspective, I see clearly that my professional DNA is not entirely my own. It is a mosaic, pieced together from the brilliance, the grit, and the grace of the people I was lucky enough to call "Boss."

These were not formal mentors. We never signed a coaching contract. They were the leaders I reported to. Demanding, complex, and exceptional individuals who, often without realizing it, taught me the "Natural Intelligence" required to survive in a digital world.

Today, I want to pay tribute to the hidden architects of my career.

The Gentleman Officer: Grzegorz Wiśniewski

My first real lesson in leadership came from Grzegorz Wiśniewski, the CEO of Intergraph in Central Europe. Grzegorz was an officer by education, and it showed in every fiber of his being. In the rough-and-tumble early days of the Polish IT, a world often defined by sharp elbows and aggressive posturing, Grzegorz moved with the elegance of a British diplomat.

He taught me that manners are a strategic weapon.

I watched him in high-pressure negotiations where tensions were nearing the boiling point. While others raised their voices, Grzegorz would straighten his back, lower his volume, and speak with an impeccably polite precision that sucked the oxygen out of the aggression in the room. He didn't just teach me how to behave. He taught me that class is a form of control. He showed me that you could command a room without dominating it, simply by holding yourself to a standard that others felt compelled to rise to meet.

The Iron Lady of Value: Alicja Wiecka

If Grzegorz taught me style, Alicja Wiecka, the long-time CEO of SAS Institute Poland, taught me Grit.

Alicja operated in the brutal reality of the "Analytics Economy." We were selling SAS software, the Rolls-Royce of the industry. It was brilliant technology, but it was often four times as expensive as the competition's. In a market obsessed with price, how do you win?

Alicja taught me that you win with grace, elegance, and absolute perseverance. She possessed a unique combination of entrepreneurial drive and personal charm that disarmed skeptics. She refused to compete on price because she knew we were competing on value. She taught me that if you believe in your product, "expensive" is not an objection. It is a signal of quality. Watching her, I learned that resilience isn't about enduring pain. It's about maintaining your elegance while you outwork everyone else in the room. She taught me how to develop a business against the odds. How to always, always win.

The Architect of Winning Teams: Andrzej Horawa

Then came Andrzej Horawa, the Head of Enterprise at Microsoft Poland (and later the GM of AWS). Andrzej is a titan of the CEE technology scene, but his superpower wasn't just technical acuity. It was human engineering.

Andrzej brought a warmth to the cold world of enterprise sales that was disarming. He possessed a healthy, ferocious competitiveness, but he channeled it in a way that made everyone around him want to run through a wall for him. He taught me the paradox of high-performance teams: You have to have fun to win.

Under his leadership, I learned that a "winning team" isn't just a group of high performers. It's a group of people who genuinely enjoy the battle because they enjoy each other. He showed me how to construct a culture where pressure didn't break us. It bonded us. He taught me that if your team isn't laughing, they probably aren't selling.

The Boardroom Strategist: Grzegorz Bors

At T-Mobile, I walked into the land of giants. Corporate governance at a massive telecommunications firm is a blood sport, and Grzegorz Bors was its grandmaster.

Grzegorz Bors taught me the art of Board Interaction. Before working with him, I thought board meetings were about reporting data. He showed me they are about theatrical preparation and psychological perspective-taking.

He taught me to never walk into a boardroom without knowing the answer to the question before it was asked. But more importantly, he taught me to sit in the empty chair before the meeting started and ask: "What does the Board fear? What do they desire?" He taught me to translate my project success into their language of risk and return. He turned the terrifying "Executive Review" into a strategic instrument.

The Diplomat of the Mega-Deal: Daniel Matusiak

When I moved to IBM, I met Daniel Matusiak. Daniel operated in the stratosphere of the "9-digit deal." We are talking about contracts that sustain national banking infrastructure and public-sector backbones.

Daniel showed me that at this level, sales is not sales. It is international diplomacy.

He taught me to win with intelligence, grace, and patience. A deal of that magnitude is a marriage, not a transaction. Daniel moved through these high-stakes environments with a diplomatic immunity to stress. He showed me how to map the invisible lines of influence within a client's organization, how to align the CIO's ego with the CFO's budget, and how to close a massive agreement without ever looking like you were "selling." He taught me that the biggest deals are won in the quiet moments of trust, not the loud moments of pitching.

The Innovator in the Tower: Jakub Garszyński

Finally, at Deloitte, I worked with Jakub Garszyński. In a "Big 4" organization, a place naturally designed for risk aversion and audit trails, Jakub was a force of Innovation at Scale.

Change is painful. Corporate resistance is like gravity. It pulls everything back to the status quo. Jakub taught me how to make change meaningful despite that resistance. And the miracle was, he did it always with a smile.

He showed me that you don't innovate by fighting the old system. You innovate by charming it. He taught me the "Trojan Horse" strategy of bringing creativity into a rigid structure and protecting the flame of innovation until it was strong enough to survive on its own. He proved that you can be a rebel in a suit, provided you deliver the results.

From Serendipity to Strategy: The Case for Executive Coaching

Here is the "fun fact" about this list: None of these people were my formal mentors.

I never asked them to mentor me. They were my bosses. They had quotas to hit, shareholders to satisfy, and fires to put out. I was lucky enough to be in their orbit, absorbing their "Natural Intelligence" by osmosis. I stole their best traits. I mimicked their manners, grit, warmth, and diplomacy until those traits became my own.

But "getting lucky" is a terrible career strategy for 2025.

We are entering an era of unprecedented complexity. The "Intelligence Supercycle" is rewriting the rules of business every six months. The pressure on executives today is both physiological and professional. We are seeing burnout rates skyrocket among senior leaders. The old model of "learning by watching your boss" is breaking down because your boss is likely just as overwhelmed as you are.

I achieved a lot because I stood on the shoulders of giants. I am grateful to Grzegorz, Alicja, Andrzej, Grzegorz, Daniel, and Jakub. And in fact, many others. They were the architects of my success.

But you don't have to wait for a giant to walk into your office. You can build your own board of advisors. You can choose to be the architect of your own legacy. In 2026, executive coaching is no longer a remedial tool for struggling managers. It is the secret weapon of high performers.

Your move.