On context. On alignment. On reality.
What looks right doesn’t always hold.
The same decision doesn’t hold the same way across markets.
In her experience, decisions rarely fail on data.
They start to shift when local context is underestimated — or when alignment across leadership is not fully there. What looks clear at the start can play out differently in reality.
For Petra, decisions are tested in reality — not in the plan.
The role is not just about making the right call.
It’s about understanding what sits behind it — beyond the numbers.
On regional reality. On context. On execution.
The same call plays out differently.
Decisions across markets don’t play out the same way.
The same call can work in one country — and not in another.
Not because it’s wrong, but because the context is different.
Q1: Where do decisions go wrong — even when they look right at the start?
Decisions rarely go wrong on logic.
When we ignore local context —
or when there isn’t enough alignment across leadership — things can go wrong fairly quickly.
Q2: Where do you see this break most across markets?
Decisions tend to work when local context, leadership maturity and market dynamics are taken into account.
Without that, the same approach quickly stops working.
—
This is where it shows most —
in leadership transitions, under pressure, when decisions stop being theory.
Petra Májová on how decisions play out differently across markets — in conversation with Peter Nemčok, Leaders Talk 2026.
On execution. On pressure. On what stays.
Leadership shows in execution — not in plans.
Across markets, execution is where leadership shows.
Plans don’t travel — execution does.
Q3: Was there a decision that changed how you approach decisions today?
I’ve seen that even the right structural decision can fail without real alignment behind it.
It taught me to focus on change management in practice —
taking the time to bring people along.
So decisions don’t just happen, but last.
Structure holds — until reality tests it.
Q4: Many plans look solid — until the business is under pressure.
What usually doesn’t hold? What actually does?
What falls apart first are processes or frameworks that look good on paper but are not fully embedded in the organization.
On the other hand, trust in leadership, authentic communication and real ownership hold best.
Pressure always exposes the reality.
Petra Majová on what holds when the business is under pressure — in conversation with Peter Nemčok, Leaders Talk 2026.
On what remains. On what holds. On what lasts.
What works without you defines your leadership.
Q5: When a leader moves on — what continues to work?
What people remember is how they were treated —
the level of trust, fairness, values the leader stood for and how they were represented in their everyday lives.
After a leader moves on, a healthy organisation continues to function and evolve, allowing others to build on what has been achieved.
Structure alone doesn’t hold organisations together.
People who can act without you do.
—
In our work with CEOs and boards across the CEE region one pattern repeats:
If things stop when you leave, it wasn’t leadership.
Petra Májová
Chief People & Culture Officer
Lyreco Group
Brings over 25 years of experience including regional leadership,
working across multiple European and CEE markets where execution, alignment and local context decide outcomes.
Menity Leaders Talk — April 2026
Conversations with executives on real leadership decisions from their markets.
Interview by Peter Nemcok, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Menity.
Photography © Menity.