{"id":5021,"date":"2021-04-21T19:44:18","date_gmt":"2021-04-21T17:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/?p=5021"},"modified":"2021-04-21T19:44:19","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T17:44:19","slug":"professionalism-passion-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/professionalism-passion-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Professionalism, Passion, People"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Talk with a board member of insurance company Aviva, Katarzyna Laurenza, on individual approach to the client and\u00a0their needs, and the self-growth. Broady educated and connected with insurance business for 20 years, Mrs.\u00a0Katarzyna is responsible for property insurance. Regardless of the avalanche of work, this\u00a0sensitive and empathetic woman still\u00a0finds time for community work and her passions. She has just been\u00a0distinguished with the title of\u00a0Charismatic Woman.<\/strong>
<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you think that it meticulousl studying and climbing the another levels of career in order is enough for one to become a\u00a0charismatic leader or manager, or maybe you have to be born with that something and, no matter what we do, we they will be leaders anyway?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

It is definitely not enough. However, in my opinion, charisma is more of a\u00a0gift than knowledge and experience. You cannot learn it, you simply have it. It is something completely different from leadership that can be learned in college, by leading your company for a\u00a0long time, or even managing a\u00a0corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


So there is an option of being a\u00a0but charismatic, good CEO?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n


This is especially visible in crisis situations. A\u00a0charismatic boss can drag people with them, and the one who is efficient will often have to act alone. I\u00a0want to believe your title because I\u00a0prefer to think of myself as a\u00a0charismatic person, rather than just an effective, efficient, well-educated person with some experience. I\u00a0think everyone would like to see themselves that way, but it\u2019s much nicer when others see it in you. It is important to do things not only with talent, but also with passion and love, and to be brave enough to make conscious decisions. Now I\u00a0know what I\u00a0want and what my dream is; I\u00a0am a\u00a0pragmatic idealist, and certainly not one of the strongest. Nontheless, I\u00a0have people around me because, as a\u00a0sensitive, empathetic and open-minded person, I\u00a0can talk openly about my feelings and weaknesses. Being aware of my fears allows me to move forward. Courage, sensitivity and leadership skills go hand in hand. I\u00a0believe that we become strong when we don\u2019t supress our sensitivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Does it apply to both professional and private life?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Definitely. I\u00a0can\u2019t fake. It\u2019s not possible to do important things without being genuine and truthful. We become someone when we manage ourselves; when we are consistent in what we plan, intend and then eventually do. I\u00a0need people and their energy, joy, security. My approach to life and people is the same. I\u00a0believe in the \u201eenergy cycle\u201d model which implies taking and giving. People and relationships are essential to my life and work. If I\u00a0have them next to me, I\u00a0can act, I\u00a0get involved; I\u00a0also see business through the prism of people. Empathy is the key word here: I\u00a0always think about the people who work hand in hand with me and about those we can help. And so it is when it comes to insurance, thus it is an especially good direction for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Was it the same when you were at school? Did you notice your potential, for example when holding some functions?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u00a0did not pursue it, but still, I\u00a0participated in many activities with a\u00a0group of friends. I\u00a0endeared others to me. It just worked out like that, because we had different ideas that were preceived as good. I\u00a0have always liked sports and I\u00a0have proven myself there; I\u00a0trained tennis and skied to the Warsaw Ski Club for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The higher the position, the less free time. You became involved in the insurance market, gaining new positions in companies. Is this a\u00a0plan for life that you had to prepare for from the start?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

I\u00a0am a\u00a0graduate of law at the University of Warsaw; it is interesting because during my studies I\u00a0was more into international law, which was the topic of my MA thesis. It was the time when numerous foreign insurance companies, some of which I\u00a0also worked for, entered the Polish market. It was an interesting experience because it was the start of their activity in Poland. It was both long and not long ago at the same time; cell phones were not that available then (laughs).
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign companies entering Polish market, more often offered jobs to people who were fluent in foreign languages.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

True. Now it\u2019s more an obvious requirement, especially when it comes to English. I\u00a0encourage children to take the opportunity and learn languages, because it educates, because we cannot live without travel, because the world is wide open to them. I\u00a0learned Italian myself when I\u00a0was 40 and I\u00a0can say Learning in this age is more difficult. But speaking this language has always been my dream. I\u00a0would like, when I\u00a0retired, wake up in a\u00a0country where people say good morning and smile to each other. The South is that kind of place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Let\u2019s go back to the work in insurance companies.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve learnt a\u00a0lot in this industry and, despite my previous plans, I\u00a0stayed permanently. Insurance business gave me independence from the very beginning, when I\u00a0was not yet in key positions. I\u00a0have worked in Polish and international insurance and brokerage companies. I\u00a0have one of the first broker licenses. I\u00a0am lucky to work with smart bosses and great people. I\u00a0have always worked hard, and to this day I\u00a0struggle with my weakness for perfectionism. I\u00a0was raising my children, but during that time I\u00a0managed to finish my AMP studies at one of the best business schools in the world, IESE Business School in Barcelona. In addition to practical knowledge I\u00a0gain during the studies, they allowed me to obtain me a\u00a0different perspective on many things and introduced extraordinary people to my life, including a\u00a0group of friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, you use your experience and knowledge as a\u00a0board member of insurance company Aviva Towarzystwo Ubezpiecze\u0144 Og\u00f3lnych.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Yes. We have many companies and an unusual for financial institutions board fifty percent of which are women. I\u00a0am a\u00a0living part of all these companies, but my main responsibility is the Aviva property company which deals with fire, theft and third party liability insurance. I\u00a0am in charge of both individual insurance for our children, homes, cars and travel, as well as insurance for big corporations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are your insurances the best?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Insurance products are very good indeed, but the client is the most important. Our approach, experience, way in which we conduct concversations, their comfort, convenience, understanding of the complex matter. The offer is important, but the human relations are more important. High quality service is a\u00a0must: if we don\u2019t have a\u00a0good relationship, we cannot hope for their leniency. The offer should cover everything the client needs without the necessity of purchasing the most expensive policies to achieve it. Insurances are not the nicest products to be bought because they usually remind us of difficult moments in life; our role is to help, provide protection and help in the way that our client, a\u00a0human, needs and expects.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are a\u00a0socially responsible company.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

We do this because we are convinced that we need to help. There are plenty of activities to be involved in. Especially during the times of the Covid-19 pandemic. We respond to current events both as a\u00a0company and as employees and agents. We mainly supported the medics by offering free life insurance, as well as the Polish Red Cross which supports seniors and poor families. We help children in hospitals and orphanages by collecting books and art supplies. We also undertake pro-ecological activities for the sake of the climate and the environment, such as the campaign \u201eI\u00a0know what I\u00a0breathe\u201d focused on clean air. We have been guided by the principles of corporate social responsibility from the beginning of our activity in Poland. We have an impact on the world we create.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for the interview. <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Piotr G\u00f3ralczyk
Beata Seku\u0142a<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Talk with a board member of insurance company Aviva, Katarzyna Laurenza, on individual approach to the client and\u00a0their needs, and the self-growth. Broady educated and connected with insurance business for 20 years, Mrs.\u00a0Katarzyna is responsible for property insurance. Regardless of the avalanche of work, this\u00a0sensitive and empathetic woman still\u00a0finds time for community work and her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5021"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5021"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5023,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5021\/revisions\/5023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}