Karolina Jackowicz
Mediator
Listening, managing creative problem-solving and guiding you towards a beneficial outcome of your dispute are the cornerstones of acting as a mediator. Before, you need to decide to engage me as your mediator. So, here’s my full disclosure.
For professional and academic details – view my LinkedIn and let’s connect.
Trust
Thank you for visiting my website. If you’re considering using my services then, soon, we’ll get a chance to speak. I’ll ask you to share with me the challenges of a dispute that needs resolution or to open up about your goals for which you wish to improve your communication skills. These acts require trust and rapport, both of which I would like to earn.
Let me take the first step towards building trust by sharing with you my story. The goals, the drivers and the experiences which have shaped me and make me the right person to guide you.
Values
Authenticity, in work and life, is a key value of mine. Equally important is curiosity. I’m naturally interested in all the why’s, what’s and how’s of things (which is useful in mediation). When it’s not as it should or could be, I analyse what can be done about it, plan and act. Because it’s essential to actively pursue, create and be the change we want.
So millennial, you might think. Well. I am, it is. I’m a true representative of my generation. The purpose, I believe, is to make ourselves and our community – if not the world – better.
Goals
What motivates me in this pursuit is a quest for knowledge (both book-smart and street-smart) combined with a passion to share its benefits. The end goal is for each and all of us to be better. As not everyone has equal opportunities in life we must help each other out. We should collaborate, acting with empathy, integrity and flexibility in accommodating the needs of others; cherishing diversity.
Be kind and lift when you climb. This is my motto.
Be curious. Be authentic. Be the change. This is my credo.
Be curious. Be authentic. Be the change. This is my credo.
Mission & Vision
My mission is to empower people with effective communication for improved satisfaction and growth. I help businesses navigate conflicts and resolve disputes conveniently, efficiently and affordably. My vision is the business environment where conflicts trigger improvement & innovation and disputes are resolved collaboratively, with business cultures and strategies driven by effective communicators.
KJADR’s goals align with the needs of entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs, while also embodying my values on a business level and reflecting my mediation story.
I’m a lawyer and mediator accredited by CEDR, Fellow of CIArb. The world champion of commercial mediation.
Discovery
International Chamber of Commerce in Paris (ICC) and its global competition, 2013 round. That’s how my mediation journey had started. Although our team’s win is an accomplishment of the student days’ glory, it’s one of the most transformative experiences in my professional life. My “this is it!” moment. Career: alternative dispute resolution.
Mediation, with its team efforts, creativity and dynamism empowers a win-win mindset. For win-win outcomes.
Mediator
After the discovery, came the sense of belonging and an urge to learn more. I have trained professionally as a mediator – in 2015 achieving the globally renown mediator accreditation from the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in London (CEDR) and in 2019 being admitted as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London (CIArb).
Passion naturally leads to growth. I’m developing as a mediator since my job requires to be the best I can.
I’m an entrepreneur once tangled in an acrimonious internal dispute and the ensuing co-founder departure.
Business
The second defining moment in developing my mediator’s toolbox came from changing the perspective. Road-testing the principles of collaborative conflict resolution as the party to a dispute. Practical listening, exercising empathy and value-creation capabilities. All with emotions running high and significant repercussions for our company’s projects, finances and its future.
Constructive management of conflicts allows to harness their energy for creativity and development.
Lessons
I understand that entrepreneurial success is measured not only by achievements, but also the lessons learned. Negotiating the split was tough, yet the compromise resolved our dispute and introduced improvements. Mostly, it’s been an invaluable lesson on how to be a better mediator and adviser to entrepreneurs and start-ups – now, that I had truly put myself in your shoes.
Next to professional craftsmanship, the most valuable offer which I’ll share with you is experience.
In my career, I’ve worn many professional hats, such as of an entrepreneur, a legal professional and an academic. Experiences of these roles enrich my mediator’s toolbox.
Working abroad in international teams has built my cross-cultural communication skills and practical understanding of and appreciation for diversity.
Exploration
I’ve built up a track record of turning ideas into reality and so have a few successes under my belt. For example, training ministerial staff in mediation, establishing an acclaimed ADR course for professionals or roles with prestigious global organisations. Equally, not all of my projects brought the expected results or have been accomplished. These trials, errors and failures shaped me.
I’m accustomed to venturing outside my comfort zone and dealing with unexpected, adjusting on the go.
Focus
Undertaking varied roles in business and law crystallised my calling to mediate. The tech element combined with my interest in process improvement and innovation served as a catalyst to provide solutions tailored to modern needs – online. Having experienced the power of mediation, as a mediator and an entrepreneur, I support businesses in navigating conflicts efficiently and successfully.
I apply my natural curiosity, analytical mind and organisational rigour to resolve business disputes.
KJADR provides an answer to the problem faced by many small businesses: preventing and resolving disputes conveniently, effectively and affordably.
KJADR’s Origins: Problem
One winter evening of 2016, while presenting ADR to the Google Campus start-up community, I asked a question that ultimately led to the creation of this boutique practice, focused on the needs of entrepreneurs, start-ups and SME’s. The question: “Please, raise your hand if your company or you have a conflict or a dispute in need of resolution”. Virtually all (around fifty) hands shot up. Next question: “Are you actively resolving these issues?”. A meagre three hands stayed up in the air.
This was striking. In follow-up conversations with the attendees, it turned out all of them had run into some sort of disagreements, whether with their co-founders, teams or investors. In all cases it was negatively impacting their businesses: stifling growth, draining their energy and team morale. Most of these entrepreneurs did not know how to begin addressing these issues. They tried by themselves, frequently getting further apart. They sought legal advice, yet this route seemed like opening a floodgate of costs and uncertainty about the outcome and timings. Their businesses, in most cases, could not afford to take these risks nor to pay for the court proceedings. Not in a single story, the entrepreneur was offered or even told about mediation.
KJADR: Solution
When presented with what mediation is, the vast majority concluded it seemed much more fitting to their situation (as it’s relatively fast and affordable; the involvement of lawyers is not mandatory) and habits (as entrepreneurs they appreciated being in control and playing an active role under a specialist guidance). We also discussed how outdated the procedure of “going to the lawyer” and “a day in court” appeared to them – accustomed to operating almost exclusively online.
Some of the attendees, who contacted me after the workshop, reported they could not find any appropriate service providers. That’s not to mention specific individuals who would understand the realities of being an entrepreneur, mainly in the tech and creative fields. And so, the idea of setting up such a dedicated service, based on my professional profile and experience matching those needs, was born.
Following further research and validations, KJADR has been established.
I’m ready to help you and – as always – to iterate, responding to the customer feedback.
Following further research and validations, KJADR has been established.
I’m ready to help you and – as always – to iterate, responding to the customer feedback.
If this story resonates with you and my expertise fits your needs, then let’s talk about how I can help you achieve your goals.