Miracle worker
It's going to be a busy summer for Piotr Tymochowicz. He's in big demand among the candidates of the upcoming local elections in September. Why? Because Tymochowicz is the political-guru-cum-spin-doctor, who helped Andrzej Lepper transform himself from erstwhile pig farmer into the controversial, striped-tie-wearing leader of the Self-Defense party. "When I first met Andrzej Lepper, he was shy," said Tymochowicz, who met the tanned politician four years ago. "Sure, he was blocking the street, but he was afraid to go out and speak to the public. Right now, Lepper is what I call a charismatic leader." Lepper's not the only high-profile name on Tymochowicz's books. Last year, about 40-60 politicians and 100 business leaders sought out Tymochowicz for advice on turning up their charisma levels. Ever the diplomat, Tymochowicz, who operates through his eponymously-titled company ICCE Greenpol Piotr Tymochowicz, is cautious about mentioning names. But he let slip about his 2 a.m. visits to the office of Prime Minister Leszek Miller. And he "cannot comment" on the recent transformation of President Aleksander Kwaśniewski (who has lost weight and opted for the Lepper-style tan), presumably because Tymochowicz is currently under contract to the nation's dapper leader. "And right now, I have no contact with Lepper because I am connected with other people (from other political parties)," Tymochowicz said.
But the two speak regularly by phone, and Tymochowicz has, on occasion, even helped write Lepper's speeches. Help is something most of Poland's politicians need, according to Tymochowicz. "All you have to do is watch television and compare the behavior of Polish politicians and foreign politicians, and you can see very clearly that Polish politicians need a lot of help," he said. The problem, he said, is that they are not educated in the nuances of modern politics or the persuasive effects of charisma - although this is beginning to change. "In Poland, charisma has never been as important as it is now, and I think there is a change happening, Tymochowicz said. "It's as if we're waking up out of a state of sleep. "The paradox is that the worse the economy fares, the better it is for me because people think that if they can increase their charisma and improve their appearance or communication skills, it will help them cope with the current economic conditions." But will charisma help the candidates in September be more like Lepper? "I think it's too late for those other people.... (because) there is only one Andrzej Lepper who is unique and significant," Tymochowicz said.
With his unruly curls, rough complexion and his chain-smoking, it's hard to imagine Tymochowicz telling Kwaśniewski to lose weight or Lepper to turn up the setting on his tanning bed. But whatever Tymochowicz is doing, he's doing it right. And he has worked with politicians in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, plus some French and Polish businessmen in Hollywood. In October, he is hoping to publish two books in the United States, based on his ideas about communication: "The Genetics of Manipulation" and "Solving the Holy Trinity or The Theory of Personal Transition." Big titles for an idea that Tymochowicz calls IET - Influence Exerting Theory. Tymochowicz uses a whiteboard in his large empty office to explain IET. There are lots of algebraic squiggles, arrows, circles, squares and flow charts. He says things like "we are not what we think we are; we are what others think of us," or "we are 90% emotions and only 10% intelligence," and there is lots of talk about "virtual people." "It's not so easy to say in one sentence," he said to sum up what it is he actually does. "You have body language, you have ways of controlling emotions and communicating, and this together builds charisma."
And his methods are fast: In two days, he said he can change someone's personality - although it took eight months of intensive work just prior to last year's parliamentary elections to mold Lepper into what he is today. Tymochowicz said he used IET to help deprogram hundreds of people who have been rescued from various religious sects across Poland. "Of course I never make them pay a fee for this service," said Tymochowicz, who charges his professional clients rates that are "rather high than less." Tymochowicz is also working on another pet project: the construction of a new city in the Mazurian Lake region. It will be two-thirds the size of Warsaw, and only the world's "most creative and dynamic people" will be invited to live there. So they can communicate, they will have to learn to speak a new language that Tymochowicz has spent the last 10 years creating. "And if someone does something wrong, they will be expelled and not allowed back in," he said. Which poses the question of just how long citizen Lepper would last in this new idyll
