National president's welcome message Being a young organization in the JCI universe, JCI Portugal is very proud to host the European President’s Meeting in 2009.  This opportunity is an encouragement to our national organization to maintain its energy in contributing to create a better society. Over the centuries, the Portuguese showed to be major contributors to a global view of the world. Without knowing its real meaning, the Portuguese of the 15th and 16th centuries became the Pioneers of Globalization. The great strategists of the Discoveries, Prince Henrique, “the Navigator”, and King João II, “the Perfect Prince,” would never imagine the economic and political consequences of their expansionist policies; how they would foster innovation in the art of innovation by attracting talent from all over the world. You remember the enigmatic Christopher Columbus (who would join the Spanish service) or the Portuguese Fernão de Magalhães.

Portugal was making a difference at the world geopolitical scene.

Remember the elephants and rhinos that enchanted Emperors, kings, queens and popes, dragging crowds in delirium. The white elephant offered to the Pope by the king D. Manuel I, and that the Roman people baptized Annone, the rhinos that Dürer immortalized in its most famous engraving on animals; or Salomão, the last pachyderm of the Portuguese diplomacy in the XVI century - the elephant offered by the King João III to the future Emperor of Austria.

Lisbon was at the time the capital of globalization. 

The idea of system building is also a great contribution. The Portuguese set out to build a system, creating and imposing a new partial structure on world politics and the world economy.

In recent times, we all have heard about the "Lisbon Agenda", followed by the "Renewed Lisbon Agenda" and lately the controversial Treaty of Lisbon. In Portugal, European Union leaders searched during the last decade for a large consensus on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment policies based on innovation -  the motor for economic change; the "learning economy" and social and environmental renewal. I am sure that at the JCI scale and context, it is not so different what European JCI leaders will try to achieve in our EPM next February...

For our 2009 mandates as National Presidents, we may consider the learnings of  the Portuguese of the 15th and 16th century. They followed a very modern approach defined by a good friend of mine as the “Discoveries Matrix” that includes the following elements:

Strategic intent. JCI leaders are proactive when they have "an enterprise to execute". Globalist vocation.  JCI leaders have a global outlook. Knowledge management.  JCI leaders are engaged at developing people, creating knowledge workers who can act in society. Looking ahead. JCI leaders look beyond the current geostrategic boundaries. They are aware that looking “inside” or simply focusing on minor conflicts may not be best long term strategy.  Control of asymmetric information. JCI leaders choose the unknown, the “unsual”, over the known and usual in order to make a difference in their countries competitive environment.

Incrementalism. Trial and error and pragmatic correction are key to JCI leaders strategies.

Critical attitude. JCI leaders challenge existing dogma with experiments and facts.

Geostrategic 'cleverness'.  JCI leaders are aware of the importance of diplomacy, secrecy, intelligence, and information to achieve its ends.

Organizational improvisation. JCI leaders employ the right mix of organization, improvisation and clear strategic intent to achieve its goals.

In February 2009, at the EPM, we will not bring the elephants or rhinos and will leave the sailing in the beautiful cost of Cascais for your next visit.

In a year that is being announced to be stormy, we will probably not be able to influence the strong wind, but we will start working together in Estoril in order to redirect our sails.

Be open to work hard, but also to enjoy the sun, the beautiful landscapes and the hospitality that we are keen to offer you.

Looking forward to meet you all here,

All the best,

Pedro das Neves

National President 2009