Sample recommendations

I worked with Sylwia in 2011-2012. Sylwia was leading the HR team of Shell Business Service centre in Krakow. There were about 1700 employees at that time and the centre was serving 6 business functions for Shell.

Our cooperation was great. Sylwia is an excellent advisor. I could count her support always. I used it especially in these complex situations where any solutions seem to be good. Thanks to her analytical and creative mind she has the ability to look at things differently and find the new and best way.

Sylwia was well recognized person in the centre. She was liked by her team and colleagues. She is very open, direct and an authentic leader.

 

At that stage of the organizational development of special value were her good understanding of the business, strong competencies and the courage to introduce non standard solutions.

 

I have very good memories of the time we worked together  Sylwią and I would be very happy our professional paths would  cross again.

I worked with Sylwia in 2003-2006 in LG.Philips Displays Poland. At that time Sylwia was heading the HR and CI department and I was leading the Technology and Development team. At first a combination of HR and CI function seem to me pretty strange but  this unique solution proven to be a very beneficial one for the business. 

Over these few years of working together, Sylwia proven to be a good specialist  and mentor. I was a freshly appointed  manager for a pretty mature team and her support in growing me to the leader, was extremely useful. She helped me to develop myself and my managerial competencies. In an open and honest way.The mentoring sessions we held are benefiting till today.

Sylwia had  good relations with employees at all layers in the organization. She built it by engaging people in all kind of improvement initiatives (quality teams, Kaizen, 6 sigma). I think that thanks to her engagement in the floor activities  her voice in the management team  was very important.. She spoke as the HR who knows what she is talking about.

Despite the distance we continue our relationship till today being support and inspiration for each other. I wish everybody to have similar experience. 

Telling the truth working with Sylwia is not so easy:

• She does not command, she speaks about the challenges to be dealt with ,
• She does not tell what to do, she requests to look for solutions,
• She does not provide ready answers, she supports with advices and tips.

Working with Sylwia means looking for creative solutions.  The so called common ways might not be accepted . Sylwia has a good feeling of what the customer needs therefore she also “feels” the business  very well. Her understanding of the HR role is rather broad; by serving  the needs of people she wants to serve the needs of the client. Her knowledge and experience are definitely of the benefit  in this. Working with Sylwia means a definite NO to the boredom.

For me talking with Sylwia is very inspirational and motivating me to develop further.  

Telling the truth working with Sylwia is not so easy:
I have known Sylwia for several years, we have a history of close professional collaboration. I value her for a number of qualities – her approach to business, her drive to develop and improve, and her tremendous knowledge of HR discipline – I could go on like that for ages. The coaching and advice she offered me in various moments of my life was priceless! ‘Don’t think about pink elephants’, ‘Focus’, ‘First things first’… and many other. These are still on my mind. The power and energy to live at your best and overcoming all barriers, that is what I value most about our relationship. She has passed all this on to me in full. Boosting energy and inspiring others are definitely part of her DNA. Sylwia – thank you!

Strengths coaching with Sylwia gave me the power to act and increased my self-awareness in relation to my approach to work. What is working? I try to draw on the experience of the many people I work with every day. I make time in my diary for thinking things over, plus I mark quick wins when setting priorities (it works!). For me the sessions was a mixture of inspiration, systematisation of issues and motivation for further development and action. I am very grateful for that! This was my first coaching programme and it is definitely not the last!

When Philips took over Ferpol, a traditional Polish factory in Skierniewice I was assigned to modernise and extend this factory by a factor 10. From the beginning it was clear to me that the current management was not able to cope with this challenging task and I decided to recruit a new management team. One a the first members was Sylwa Czajka as Human Resource Manager. Although still young and not very experienced she managed extremely well. Not only she managed the Human resource and later Quality department in a very professional manner, but she was also a key member of our management team and the driving force in our quality improvement programs and in our drive towards manufacturing excellence. Teamwork, skills, professionalism and team spirit has improved during the 5 years that we have worked together. I might say that was a cultural transformation.

Sylwia is a very pragmatic person. She works very systematically. She is results driven with a proper attention to people matters. A quick learner, able to absorb new tools and techniques, able to get teams together to achieve ambitious goals. She is also a very pleasant and open person who can cope with criticism.

What I really appreciated was that she was critical in a positive manner towards her boss, being one of the few people in the team who said what she thought in a frank and open way.

We worked together with Sylwia in Genpact PL sp.zoo in 2012-2014. Sylwia in the position of Assistant Vice President and in the role of Senior Human Resources Business Partner for few locations in Europe.

Sylwia’s experience and knowledge is very rich and especially in change management, engagement and building a positive work culture. She was happy to share her experience with individuals and teams.

Sylwia played a crucial role in planning, communicating and implementing the change of the operating model for one of our key customers. The strategy we used to progress the change was the result of discussions she initiated and led with various stakeholders: operational, HR, training, finance and work councils. She engaged people in a way that builds trust, taking into account diverse opinions of others, demonstrating courage and openness to non standard solutions.

Sylwia played quite a lot of attention to the after work activities and engagement. To mention are some eco or charity actions, workshops for employees and their families. That was to provide opportunities to develop individual potential, engagement and have fun from hobbies.

Sylwia let to know herself as the engaged and engaging change leader.

I’d like to recommend Sylwia Czajka-Jansen based on my experience I had working with Sylwia few years ago but also maintaining our relation up until today.

Sylwia is authentic. She articulates her thoughts clearly and what she does reflects what she thinks. She is able to make decisions fast, be it tactic or strategic, and act quickly but reasonably. Sylwia likes to see a bigger picture and include numerous aspects when in operations management: people aspect is as important as business value, relationship, client value, learning and development or work life balance. Sylwia is a mature, confident and reliable manager as well as an inspiring leader. She offers great support and enables growth, she is trustful and positive. The skills I admire a lot are exceptional analytical thinking, decision making, networking (and maintaining long lasting relationships), collaboration, self development.

What did Strengths Coaching mean for me? It was a breakthrough, a wonderful experience and rediscovery of myself. It made me realise that my strengths, which I didn’t appreciate, were really important and that I should be making full use of them. All this has resulted in me being more courageous when making decision, taking on new challenges and adapting more easily to change. Now I can not only grow myself, but also help others to grow.
P.S. One more thing – I think I benefited so much from the coaching thanks to having a great coach– as without her there would be no Power!