New Year’s Resolution: Do Different

History has always fascinated me. But I’m also always interested in lessons from History. If a country with a million inhabitants has discovered the world, why not replicate today some of their strategies? We were able to “tidy up” world map 500 years ago. Why can’t we “tidy up” our own house now?

With these thoughts on my mind, and between trips and business meetings, I have tried to find time to discover what I can learn from this people (our people) that back then, unlike today, attracted the European brains, all of them mobilized by an innovative and challenging project: Portugal.

Well, after reading a lot, books, articles and studies, I found in the XV century Discoveries some of the main characteristics that make a successful leadership and a successful internationalization process today:

– A state- of- the-art knowledge about the product and the market;

– Identifying and capitalizing opportunities for changes;

– Understanding and implementing a geometry variable policy on internationalization – accepting and managing change, going out of the comfort zone;

– Understanding the geopolitics and adapting the internationalization strategy;

– Being aware of different ideologies, not embracing ideological fundamentalism;

– Partnerships were the Portuguese Discoveries success key. Portugal had hired German, Swiss and Flemish craftsmen, as well as scientists and technicians who were attracted by good salaries, prestige and privileges.

Those are some lessons from The Portuguese Discoveries. And my passion for history became a Master’s thesis, which I hope to continue sharing successfully with my crew for the Projecto.Detalhe internationalization strategy.

As I have learned fromthat historical period, a project success depends not on the focus to be better, but to be different!

And I’m sure that these lessons can help us (as a country and company) to do different.