I’m always interested in learning more about people who have out-of-the-ordinary professional backgrounds. A great example is Joanna Kozlowski, who, like me, is based in the Washington, D.C. area, and whom I first met when she participated in one of my in-person reinvention workshops in Washington in February 2020, right before the pandemic changed the world.
She consults for both organizations and individuals, including volunteer/pro bono consulting, and as described on her company’s website, “Her multi-faceted approach was built through her first career in teaching and training and her second in marketing and business development.” I subscribe to Joanna’s Resolute Consulting newsletter, and enjoyed her virtual workshop, Designing Engaging and Equitable Training: Techniques and tools for success, for EDEN/Executive Development Exchange Network, in October 2021.
I’m grateful to Joanna for answering my questions about her varied work experience, her international background, and what she learned from working with architects and engineers.
Is it accurate to say that the combination of your different skills and activities, and your approach to these activities, is one of your main distinguishing factors in a very crowded professional marketplace for advisors/coaches/trainers/teachers, etc.?
You’re absolutely right about the crowded marketplace! I would say that knowing myself, and being bold in presenting that to my clients, is the most effective way to differentiate – for the success of my business and the satisfaction of my clients. My most objective differentiator is that I have both education experience and business experience – and that my education background focused on adult learners. It means that I have a different focus on the learner, and a different set of skills when it comes to activating learning.
A more subjective differentiator is a commitment to my own ongoing professional growth – there’s a vulnerability to being the learner rather than the teacher. I put myself on the learner side of the desk intentionally and consistently. I believe that keeps me grounded and effective as a trainer/teacher.
How does your international background impact and affect your day-to-day work, as well as your continued professional planning and development?
My international background has given me a curiosity and an appreciation of difference. I don’t presume to know what’s going on for my clients – and I’m genuinely interested in finding out! This plays out most in my consulting and advisory work.
While I characterize myself as an expat rather than an immigrant, I was shaped outside the mainstream American experience, and I bring those outside eyes to each engagement. I serve my clients best when intentionally using that distance to allow perspective.
What are some of the specific things you learned and were influenced by in your years working with an architectural firm?
You can be fantastic at the craft you were trained in and end up in a position for which you received no training at all! Architects and engineers – and many other professionals – end up leading teams, running firms, pitching to clients… and they have no training in those skills. But they are intelligent, experienced, skilled professionals. In any of my roles, it’s important to recognize and respect that people are experts – just not in these skills! The moment a client feels patronized, trust is broken and learning stops.