We invite you to read a story prepared by our Member Andy Kowalski:
The Call
My raison d’etre was being frustrated at being put down in the past and peers saying I would never amount to much due to my Polak foreigner background!
Even at school we Poles (who were born in Loughborough UK) were told to go back home cos the war was finished, and our country was free so “get lost” was often shouted at us!
No point in arguing as they would not listen and neither did the teachers who were complained too, so it was my first exposure to racism!
A bit later in life was I told that would never pass driving test, proved them wrong and got a pass first time!
In my early 50’s was told by my line manager that I was not Intellectual enough to pass a Management Diploma offered by Loughborough University so I proved him wrong by obtaining a ILM Diploma in Management in January 2014 from Loughborough College two months ahead of desired finish of course!
He did not like to be proved wrong but alas got headhunted by the above college and went on to cram a 9-month course into 6 and obtained a Diploma in Management Coaching and Mentoring from the ILM in May 2005!
The Pit
Guess this was further down the career line (about 2010/11) when all staff had to undergo Personal Development Reviews and they were both imposed and led by our line manager who did his best to belittle me and set ridiculous targets to achieve, however I did not succumb as found a way to get out of elephant traps he set up!
One of the ways I got around this, was to go on a Navigator course which was one designed for men to raise their profiles and assertiveness!
Tim Smith was both a great leader and presenter but was also a motivational speaker who could raise out spirits and show there is hope by aiming high in the organization we worked for and therefore created a strategy to put that into practise which worked out.
As time progressed and more staff left the department because of the toxic atmosphere which prevailed (10 in 2014) I made a conscious decision to get out in April 2015 by which time I would have put in 40 years’ service under my belt and had a reasonable private pension and not to long until I got my state pension so started planning my exit!
A few weeks before I was due to retire, I slipped on the stairs at work and fell sustained a head injury which fortunately was not life threatening but left a fair bit of claret on the wall after I collided with it on my journey downwards!
Anyway, got carted off to Leicester Royal Infirmary accident & emergency, had CT scan and then got stitched up and sent home. I survived that and finally departed about three week later after a few days back at work to tidy up all loose ends, pack my worldly possessions and drive away into the sunset!
The Search
I knew what really appealed to me and decided to take my Coaching and Mentoring to the next level and help people at the same time. I had some discussion with a very trusted friend and mapped out a strategy on how I was going to get there and the things I needed to do to enact it!
One of my postgrad friends created a letterhead and website based on a wix platform and also upskilled my coaching skills by doing an online course on Three-Dimensional Coaching which had both a human and holistic dimension. I also had some advice from an academic colleague who was a Professor and dealt with Entrepreneurship at the University.
He advised me that if I wanted to stand out in my field, I need to stand out, so I contacted the CPD Standards Office in Richmond Surrey and got forms, filled them in and then a couple of months became Accredited.
One of the other ways I stood out as a Coach and Mentor was that I could also help my Polish friends in their career challenges and two of the recently arrived Poles became my first clients.
I continued refining and improving my presenting skills and with the help of the Marketing Officer for the local Chamber of Trade and Commerce helped me upgrade my LinkedIn profile and website to a more market friendly appearance.
I also had a lot of support from the Collaborate part of Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LlEP) by way of having my own advisor who mapped out a strategy on how to move forward and gave me 1;1 support and mentoring for the duration of the programme. it also gave me an opportunity to attend a number of courses that LlEP ran and were very beneficial as they taught me a lot about marketing my services and using Social Media Marketing (SMM).
Breakthrough
Guess this came through when people started finding me on LinkedIn and asking for me to do various assignments or them and getting paid for them!
Was asked to write an article for SMT Schools magazine with particular emphasis on STEM applications aimed at younger people and hyperlink can be found here https://www.smtmagazine.co.uk/importance-of-stem-subjects/
Have been approached by a LinkedIn connection and asked to review his CV and profile and provide advice on how he can change both in order that he can move on with his career aspirations in H&S field.
Also had two articles published on the Polish Business Link website which I had written on the Congress I attended in November 2019 and a Branding workshop in December whose aim was to raise your Brand as a provider of services.
The biggest and most focused assignment has come in January 2020 when I was asked to write and then present 6 mini lectures on how Chemistry is applied in real life situations to create products and services for use of mankind.
These will start from end of February and run into April. I can utilize my knowledge and experience to present to year 12 (17-Year-old students) and also answer any questions they may have.
Have also been asked to review a e Book on Health and Safety and how technology and AI can make the workplace safer for all those who work there.
So how can I help you?
No matter where you come from and what your career challenges are I can and will help you overcome them!
Where there is a will there is a way and my track record of helping people move on is listed both on my LinkedIn profile linkedin.com/in/andy-kowalski-66505117 and also on my website www.andykowalskiconsulting.co.uk.
I am currently mentoring two Chemistry postgraduates from African states, 4 undergraduates at my former University where I worked for over 40 years.
Although my Coaching and Mentoring is focused on STEM subjects I will help anyone else so please do not hesitate to contact me via email on andykowalskiconsulting@gmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you!
© Andy Kowalski MRSC MIScT FCMI
