Jolanta Lewinska has always strived for self-improvement. Now, as Caliper’s first Learning and Development (L & D) Generalist, she gets to spread her knowledge of the Caliper Profile and love of learning to clients.
The reason L & D work spoke to her, Jola said, was that the content “revolved around the Caliper Profile, and what my expertise has become is Caliper Certification.” Her new role involves educating clients and helping them become in-house experts on Caliper’s assessment. Jola works with stakeholders to develop their ability to talk in behavioral terms about what they see in the Profile, instead of simply engaging in single-trait interpretation.
Jola called “intellectual curiosity” the driving force behind pursing this opportunity.
“I’m someone who likes to learn,” she said. “I like educational content, and now I’m understanding how to use that in a client-facing role. Being able to develop that same curiosity in the client is motivating for me.”
Her commitment to learning is not lost on her new manager.
“Jola has been a fantastic addition to the Learning & Development team,” L & D Director Ann Anderson stated. “She embraces opportunities to challenge herself, and she steps outside of her comfort zone to develop new skills, which sets an excellent example for our clients, who are frequently stepping outside of their own comfort zones when learning in our Certification program.”
Jola’s transition into L & D has required her to shift how she interprets assessments. In Client Services, she specializes in telling clients what she sees in a Profile; now, Jola also endeavors to develop that skill in clients. And, she has to admit, sometimes perfectly manicured responses are not feasible.
“While there is a strict interpretation–because it’s a science–there’s still an art to it,” she said.
Melding science and art not only plays to both hemispheres of her brain, it comes naturally to someone who grew up dreaming of being Dr. Lewinska.
“I was always preparing to be a doctor, probably from middle school,” Jola said.
When asked if she ever saw herself working at an HR management firm, she laughs.
“No. Not in any sense of the word, ever.”
Five years ago, she decided not to go to medical school, partially due to the financial burden it represented. But she had also acknowledged that it “wasn’t what I wanted anymore.”
Never one to shy away from new experiences and challenges, she went out and earned her MBA, which eventually led her to join Caliper’s Client Services team.
After finding client engagements at Certification events “motivating,” she made it clear to her manager that she wanted to explore the L & D world.
“This is where my motivators and strengths lied,” she said. “I wanted more, and that’s where my interest in L & D started to cultivate. It just took a long time to figure out what I wanted.”