Challenge:

Political fragmentation was paralyzing the government

Leading up to 2016, the rise of the extreme right-wing neo-Nazi party in Eastern Europe was the latest and most alarming symptom in the decline of Slovakia’s way of life.

The reality was staggering — the neo-Nazi party won over 10% of the Slovak popular vote resulting in their party holding 14 of the 150 seats of the Slovak national council. Moreover, the leading political party (who had held power for 13 years) promoted little, if any, change.

One of the most debilitating aspects was that the leaders who wanted change could rarely work together in unison.

Most wound up working on their own to try to make a difference, as evidenced by the 236 registered political parties for a country of just over 5 million. (In contrast, Canada, a country of 37 million, has just 16 registered political parties).

Solution:

Uncovering leaders’ inability to trust one another, even when the very future of the nation was at stake

In 2016, Unstoppable was asked to convene in a series of one-of-a-kind workshops in Bratislava, Slovakia — workshops that would ignite transformative conversations between Slovak leaders who were committed to move forward with a nation for all people.

Unstoppable convened a series of one-day conversations for Slovakia leaders in the corporate, political, not-for-profit, and media sectors entitled “Rewriting the Future of Slovakia.”

Utilizing our unique model to uncover blind spots, each leader, one-by-one, was able to discover the debilitating limits of their long-standing assumptions about one another.

They found that as soon as someone was elected to office, their friends and colleagues saw them as “one of them,” and viewed them as “pigs” and as if they were out just “collecting money.” Journalists competed with no regard for one another. Not-for-profits survived on meager funding at the expense of other competing charities.

Slovakia’s leaders began to realize that most of these destructive views came from the pervasive influence of the past — a past rooted in totalitarianism, fascism, war, secret police, hiding, surviving, and a long history of no sovereignty.

Naturally, these inherited views of survival had a tremendous impact on current leaders’ ability to trust one another — even when the very future of the nation was at stake.

By uncovering these blind spots, Slovakia’s leaders were able to see why they had been previously unable to come together authentically.

Results:

Slovakia elected the first woman ever to the Presidency.

The time with Unstoppable Conversations left the leaders of Slovakia transformed, empowered, and ready to move forward together as critical partners in the mission to make a new Slovakia.

Shortly after our time together, a young journalist, Ján Kuciak, and his girlfriend, Martina Kušnírová, were assassinated due to Ján’s investigation of corruption linked to the current government. Lucia, a business leader who attended our workshops, said of this event: “This was our 9/11. It rocked our country.”

In the months to come, Peter Nagy, one of the young journalists who attended our transformative workshops, instigated the coming together of over 100,000 Slovaks who marched on Parliament in Bratislava.

He engaged with other journalists who had traditionally been competitors, while other leaders (who attended the same Unstoppable Conversations workshop) stood side by side with him as he presented a vision for a mobilized and unified Slovak voice.

Within weeks, the unprecedented happened. Robert Fico, leader of the government, resigned. And from the ashes, inspired by the unprecedented breakthroughs, Zuzana Čaputová — a young woman who stood for justice and equality — ran for president.

And against all odds, in the summer of 2019, she won.

Lucia, the aforementioned business leader, called us to return to Slovakia in the wake of these unprecedented changes, a testament to the impact of our previous work. They want to ensure the elevation of everyone’s unity and power. The need for continued breakthrough conversations is of critical importance for Slovakia’s future.

100,000

People march united with one voice

1st

Woman president elected in the history of Central Europe