Małgorzata Kwiatkowska, Owner of Business Training Center

Business Training Center has been helping managers develop their soft skills using such tools as: mentoring, individual coaching and group workshops. Recently the programmes have been expanded to include gamification. 

 

“The year 2015 was very good for my company. We delivered over a dozen large-scale projects for managers. I have always wanted the leadership programmes to be planned as a series of events organised over 1-2 years and comprising a variety of activities: group work, individual coaching and mentoring sessions (face-to-face and on-line), supervision as well as individual implementation work of the participants and writing projects useful for the employers. This system is far more effective than a single workshop with no continuation... Development is a process. With this type of projects managers consciously master certain skills, they may be supervised by their coach and adjust accordingly. This helps them achieve higher competency levels and become effective in implementation of actual changes in their companies,” says Małgorzata Kwiatkowska when summing up her recent work. 

 

Mini CV

 

Małgorzata Kwiatkowska was born in Szczecin. She completed econometrics and statistics at the University of Szczecin, post-graduate studies in coaching at the Warsaw School of Social Psychology and MBA studies at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and West Pomeranian Business School.

 

“I come from a corporation. I managed sales structures and teams,” she says about her earlier professional experience. Having graduated she worked at two Scandinavian companies and then took part in a huge technological project which changed our reality, namely the development of the Plus GSM mobile network, as the head of the corporate clients team. Next she was a director for the North-West region. At VOBIS S.A. she developed the Vobis Mobile network and Nokia Store whose director she later became. The next step was her own business. 

 

How would you describe the current conditions in the industry? How’s the business been? 

 

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The training industry is doing well. Szczecin market is weaker compared to other regions in Poland. Regional companies invest less in the development of soft skills among their staff. The majority of my projects take place outside Szczecin, though I must say that their number in Szczecin has been growing. I think that Scandinavian companies, which are becoming more numerous in Szczecin and around, will set the right direction and will share good practices for the development of mature organisational cultures and work standards for the management. These companies are our partners.

Nowadays EU subsidies for training are not as big as they used to be so most likely some of the firms which were established only to run EU projects, will simply disappear. This does not apply to us. All our projects have been delivered without EU support and this will not change.

 

As far as the business coach profession is concerned... The industry has become very attractive because it seems to offer a very simple way to make money. This is not right. There are many people who have learnt it the hard way that a coaching school and read book that we have read are not enough to win projects. What is necessary is experience and expertise in a given industry, e.g. managerial if we wish to host workshops or sessions for managers. Otherwise it’s difficult to gain authority...

 

*− Hopeless. ** − Poor. ***− So-so. **** − Good. ***** − Excellent! 

 

What inspires me

 

Books. They are on the first place. Let me quote Umberto Eco: The person who doesn't read lives only one life. The reader lives 5,000. Reading is immortality backwards. The world of books gives our lives another dimension, it is an escape from everyday life. I highly recommend The Way We're Working Isn't Working by Tony Schwartz − a must read for all busy managers. Recently I have read a book by Daniel Goleman based on his talks with Dalai Lama: A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World. It is a long-term perspective, a combination of science and philosophy. The book discusses the importance of taking care of our planet and putting our energy to good use. I would also recommend Żony bogów. Cztery portrety żon sławnych pisarzy. written by Sławomir Koper which includes information, some of it funny, from the lives of great writers, such as Gombrowicz, Mrożek and Miłosz.

 

Travelling − once a year I go on a trip somewhere far away. I have visited Asia and Middle America several times. I have recently been to southern parts of Africa. Now we are planning to visit South America so I’ve taken up Spanish classes. 

 

Sports − I like active leisure. I ride a bicycle, play tennis or do jogging. I ski in winter and windsurf near Hel.

 

After work

 

Books and sports (see above)

Family cooking − usually inspired by the flavours brought from our trips.

 

I listen to

 

I usually listen to smooth jazz and chill out music, e.g. Peter White, Kenny G. I also like Margaret. If I go to a live concert I choose classical music and jazz.

 

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