Coach In The Spotlight - Piotr Jankiewicz

My name is Piotr Jankiewicz and I qualified with The Coaching Academy in Corporate and Executive Coaching Diploma. I have always been interested in learning and development. The drive for improvement has been present in a number of areas in my life – as an athlete, a secondary school teacher, an in-company communication trainer, an entrepreneur and a coach. When I was a teenager I was very much into sports and hoped to make it to the Olympics.

Although I did not exactly become an Olympic champion, the approach I developed while improving my hurdling skills have served me so far. As Tony Robbins says “Clarity is power”, I have always been able to set challenging goals - so inspiring that I am ready to invest massive energy and discipline. I also had a great sports coach back then. To be honest, I am not sure if Ryszard Bury (my coach) was familiar with the idea of “THE INNER GAME”, but he had the amazing ability to provoke self reflection. He would say- I am not YOU, so I don’t know HOW you will do it. But I believe that if this is really important to you, you will find the way.” He would ask us after each training session: “So, what have you learnt today? What has your body told you today?...”

As I said, I did not make it to the Olympics, but I have drawn on my sports experience extensively- always believing that if we know why we want to achieve something, we will find a way- the way that is the most “natural” and “ecological” for us. As a secondary school teacher and an in-company communication trainer, I was thrilled to see my Students and Clients progressing, enjoying development, exploring and experimenting. For the last ten years I have been involved in developing an in-company language training agency.

Although the market is extremely competitive, we have become very successful- with a portfolio of clients including giants like AVON, DANONE, NESTLE, SONY, BAYER, MERCK, NOVONORDISK, SHARP, CREDIT AGRICOLE and about fifty other companies.

Many people did not understand why I decided to “make my life complicated” and make a career move to explore coaching.

I took part in the Coaching Academy Weekend “Taster” over two and a half years ago. I was so inspired by the Trainers and your no-nonsense approach that I decided to start my “official” coaching journey with The Coaching Academy. What I found the most interesting to learn during my study time was that “success has a structure” and, however challenging our goals are, achieving them can take less than we think. I worked with great individuals, as part of my practical experience and was extremely happy to see that they are doing better and, first and foremost, that they are starting to believe that they could do a lot better! It was not hard at all to find time for further reading, meeting my “Coachees”, writing my thesis... I loved that as I knew I was working towards the goal that was as inspiring as my Olympic dreams.

I can say that the experience has really unlocked my potential and helped me to open my eyes to many things. Right after qualifying, I started an intensive marketing campaign – with a website, business cards and existing contacts. Although I had had some observations on the executing coaching market here in Poland before, the end of 2011 made me realise that:

- Very many top executives in this country need more time to admit that they actually have development needs;

- My professional profile did not make me the best candidate for top executive coach;

- There were two other groups I felt much closer to: middle management and private entrepreneurs – as there was much more we had in common and I find it easy to relate to their specific needs.

That was a turning point. Since then, I have been working hard to develop a new brand – Maximizing Resources. Together with a team of business trainers and coaches we have been supporting our Clients in developing their employees, blending “specific” training elements with practical coaching. Now I have a group of 106 (YES- ONE HUNDRED AND SIX!) newly nominated managers (one company) who are involved in a one-year development programme with a very strong focus on group coaching.

I can honestly say that without the skills I developed with The Coaching Academy, I would have never felt ready to face the very demanding crowd and challenge them with questions like: “OK, so we have agreed that the overwhelming majority of training programmes do not pay off and are generally a waste of time . What do we have to do here together to make this experience work for you?” “How will you know that you have achieved your goal?” etc I have also been using my coaching skills extensively while managing my team, establishing my Clients’ needs and even talking to my friends (of course I handle it with extreme care!)- whenever I see that someone is sort of ‘stuck’.

As I look at my coaching career now, I am sure that I want to work business start-ups, people considering career moves and newly appointed managers. At the moment I am preparing a project “My Great Small Business” for start-ups and small business owners who need to move forward. To be honest, “Do It or Ditch It” by Bev James has been a great inspiration for me – both to qualify as an Extended Disc certified user and come up with a development option for small business owners.

My goals for the next two years are: - Develop my individual coaching business – so that I have approximately 20 sessions a month The best thing that could happen to me is some form of cooperation with The Coaching Academy, which would be a great opportunity to learn from the best coaches – like Ann Skidmore, Bev James. The greatest thing about coaching is enjoying the results and getting to the completely new sense of opportunity.

My favourite coaching question is: WHAT IS IT THAT YOU REALLY REALY WANT? (I am not being very original here – but the question is extremely powerful)

My tips for people who are looking at coaching are:

- Experience coaching at work with the best coaches on the market; - Be VERY REALISTIC about the market potential; - COACH THOSE WHO ARE READY FOR COACHING