Mission: Wellbeing

Prof. Nadya Mironova, PhD is the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Administration at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE). She is also the Director of the Regional Center for Distance Learning of the UNWE in Haskovo. She is a member of the Board of Directors of NDK Congress Center Sofia EAD. Prof. Mironova is a long-time lecturer at the UNWE and a business consultant in general management, human resource management, business communications and PR.

She has participated in numerous scientific and business projects. She is the author of more than 100 textbooks and publications in Bulgaria and abroad. Prof. Mironova has registered a practical model for training people in key competencies. She is also the inspiration behind the popular public initiative "Mission 100" and has her own "professorial" podcast. She dabbles in aurometry as a hobby. She is a leader and mentor at "The Secret" - the first and only well-being center in Bulgaria.

Prof. Mironova, you get to work with many people in everything you do. How does that make you feel?

The opportunity to influence many people means dedication and a huge responsibility, but also satisfaction. As a teacher, I have more than 30,000 students who have adopted at least one skill, belief or value from me. These people are part of the management and business elite of the country - the lives of all of us depend on them. That is why I never forget that responsibility comes first. I try to convey to as many people as possible the feeling of conscious connectedness - every decision and every action has a consequence on other people’s lives. That is why we must be extremely precise and responsible in management, as well as in our personal lives. Satisfaction comes from recognition. And from results.

You are a teacher. What is your mission and calling with this profession?

It's very easy when your profession coincides with your calling. There is a difference between a lecturer and a teacher. I have always felt like a teacher. I grew up in a family of teachers, for whom the profession was a daily inspiration. And as we know, for each person what counts the most is what they hear at the dinner table at home. Since childhood, I have accepted that there is nothing more responsible and more rewarding than helping other people improve their mind and spirit. This is how I perceive my mission professionally and personally.

For years, the changes in the Bulgarian education system have been a constant debate topic. What would make it more adequate to the dynamics of the market and the needs of business?

Systemic connections and prognostic models of demand and supply, because it’s good to remember that education cannot be changed overnight. We do not have such dynamic models, there is a static educational landscape here. The problem lies in the constant clichés and public grumbling on the topic. In recent years, the UNWE has shown a practical model of these connections, and the number of our candidate students has grown noticeably. The basic reason for the discrepancy, in my opinion, is inaction. Businesses are looking for qualified personnel, but as a rule, they do not want to finance targeted training and paid internships, do not want to participate in the implementation of joint projects with schools and universities, and are not ready to pay for highly qualified personnel. So, how can we achieve an adequate landscape then? Of course, there are exceptions, but they are few and far between.

Bulgaria’s educational system receives plenty of criticism. Do you find this to be useful?

We (Bulgarians) are champions of criticism. But we lack a new, modern ideological basis on which to create functions, structures, connections and control of education. The old system was built on the idea of ​​​​all-round developed individuals. There hasn’t been a new concept since then. I think that this should be the departing point for critically thinking people with a high level of technical and social competencies. On this basis, they can build new criteria and indicators for the different levels of competencies, upgrade simple, accessible and practical educational content, connect the "entry" and "exit" points of the educational levels to the main professions, and train teachers and parents... This is not an easy task, but it has now become obligatory.

Why should one choose to pursue higher education in Bulgaria and at the UNWE?

Because it is in no way inferior to higher education at any world university. And it has a main advantage - you can study in your native language. The proof is the growing number of wins of our university teams in different global competitions. Another proof is the huge number of students who continue their subsequent degrees abroad and then return to Bulgaria. UNWE is an organic part of the European University ENGAGE and the European educational space through mobility programs for hundreds of students and teachers. UNWE has an extremely intensive academic life and a strong academic culture. Its diplomas are recognized everywhere. What more could one ask for?

Why do large numbers of young people still go abroad to study though?

Mainly because of the distrust and lack of prestige in anything labelled "Made in Bulgaria". Parents are looking for a higher social status by sending their children to study abroad. When young people decide, they choose to seek an escape further afield, to have access to foreign cultures and better-paid jobs in the future. A little bit of everything. But that's not a bad thing.

Should we keep them here? And how?

Not by creating administrative obstacles! It makes no sense unless we can create competitive conditions. We simply need to take professional care to improve the image of our education system. Each higher education institution has its own responsibility for this. If it cannot attract students, no one can help it by instituting administrative measures. Plus, students studying abroad are a major means of transferring information and positive experiences. Let's use that experience!

Do you have a vision of how to solve the issue of chronic shortage of personnel? But also, the employee surplus issue at certain times in some companies and sectors?

There is no perfect system for regulating the labour market. However, there are simulation models that show these processes in the long term. The national economy is an inertial system. What is happening today will only yield results in months and years. The chronic shortage of personnel in some professions and industries is the result of chaotic changes in the education system, wages, working conditions, the behaviour of employers, and the prestige of professions. The factors causing the labour surplus are the same. The solution is a systematic connection of education, science, the labor market and employers. At this level of information technology, such a connection is completely possible. A matter of conviction and action.

What is the key approach to good human resource management that you emphasize to business representatives in your lectures?

I am a faithful follower of the Wellbeing method, and I train students, managers and specialists in it. Its essence is: Managers must get professionally, physically and mentally better and take care that their employees feel the same way. I have a registered practical model for training in key competencies using this method. I also have a center where we work on individual programs that teach this.

You are a long-time professor of management. What is your view of Bulgarian state management in recent years?

Governance can be analyzed under quality metrics. Here is a summary of my assessments of these metrics:

Low effectiveness from the point of view of public goals – the decision makers have placed as a priority their own personal and group interests. First, it is time for something like a Law on the Wellbeing of Future Generations to be adopted. It should mandate that every new law and regulation should be evaluated through its long-term results on the quality of life of young people. Second, we need a deep reform of institutions. They are crumbling before our eyes. By definition, they should serve general, public goals and were not created to work for personal interests.

Low efficiency - no one monitors the cost of resources and what result has been achieved. Do you need examples? The debates surrounding the State Budget. The politicians argue about revenues, expenses, deficit and debt, but there is not a single word about benefits. In France, they have a so-called Green Budget - an assessment of the benefits of public spending on sustainable development. The use of communication and information technologies in the governance sector here is also critically low considering the funds invested.

Pseudo-democracy – we are in a situation of critically low representativeness. Democracy is based on representative power. For years, increasingly smaller groups of people have been nominating leaders who make decisions on how to dispose of all the state's resources. This deformation logically leads to overt or covert oligarchy and to authoritarian rule.

There are many more details in this assessment. The good news is that all of this is fixable in a country of this small size. We can relatively quickly become a "protected land" - a well-organized state that performs its functions for the benefit of the security of the people and the well-being of the nation. Such a state would not engage in business ventures and racketeering. This would be a land of free, responsible and enlightened new generations, brought up in the spirit of traditions and Christian morality. There are several priorities and several reforms that we can adopt so we can go in this direction in an organized and quick manner to start living better. If digital services for citizens and businesses become a priority in the public sector, I believe that in just 4 years we will have a qualitatively new living environment.

Do you have any recommendations for better management of municipalities?

I am a supporter of the complete decentralization of functions, resources and decisions. There are no people who know the opportunities and problems of municipalities better than municipal councilors. There is no person who works for the people more efficiently than the mayor. They see their constituents on the street, and they get to experience criticism first-hand. Therefore, my model is: "Money and decisions should be as close to the people as possible". Such a change is important and should be planned and well-managed. At least corruption at the highest levels of power will decrease sharply and auditing the municipal level will become easier.

What is the most important thing about regional development in your view?

Without a doubt, it would be the balanced development of the regions - economic, social and demographic. The emphasis on the quality of life in medium-sized and small settlements is key to the future of our nation. Young generations care a lot about the environment and the state and municipalities must attract them with infrastructure, jobs, access to education and healthcare, fast internet and communications. And if we had fully digitalized administrative services, many young families would naturally choose the villages and small towns as viable places to live.

Aurometry is another field where you are involved. What possibilities does this method offer and why do you practice it?

Aurometry is a holistic method for determining physical, mental and emotional health and related behavioural patterns. Our aura contains all the information about us, although we can only read part of it. The current state of a person in these areas is the basis for implementing a program for general improvement, increasing personal efficiency, and improving health and communication. These results are applicable in corporate management, but also on a personal level. This method helps me with diagnostics, teaching and tracking progress in my work as a mentor.

What is the "secret" to maintaining good health?

Observe yourself without fixating – do it from above, from the sideways and with some self-irony. Your body and your own information field know everything. Whatever you see, heal it before it manifests. If you can't see, find those who can see.

What is your personal formula, collected in the word ‘Wellbeing’?

Wellbeing is the natural goal of our personal lives, and wellbeing for the nation is the meaningful priority of our professional work and our public activities.