Join us in our journey to interview some of the most extraordinary individuals that continue to make The KPI Institute a role-model for others to follow. In today’s edition, we will be featuring September’s Employee of the Month, Silvana Bădiță.
1. What is your role at The KPI Institute and what makes it special?
I have been working as a Research Analyst at The KPI Institute, for about a year. Some of my main responsibilities are to document KPIs, to conduct primary and secondary research on performance management-related topics, to provide support in the form of research customization for different functional areas, as well as provide assistance in consultancy projects.
This variety of tasks contributes to creating a special dynamic in my daily activities, which opens up a great opportunity to develop my skills and competencies, and to acquire more expertise in different functional areas & industries.
A truly special feature of my work is that I’m guided by inspiration and creativity, which gives me tremendous satisfaction.
Moreover, another aspect that makes my job special is that I’m encouraged to think outside the box, in order to find the best solutions to today’s organizational challenges. This provides a valuable perspective on discovering the things that really matter in the field of performance.
2. What do you find most challenging at The KPI Institute?
A particularly important aspect of my work is translating the theoretical side of research into practical changes, which can then aid an organization’s development and performance.
This is equal parts challenging and riveting, for the same reason – it’s not often easy to see how an idea on paper can be transposed into reality. However, when you do manage to do it successfully, it offers an exhilarating sense of success.
3. What would be the three main career lessons that you have learnt thus far?
Never stop learning – do not become complacent – this is very important to always keep at the back of your mind because otherwise, you will not be able to adapt to the requirements imposed by today’s constantly changing society.
Set clear and measurable results – it is important to understand how your activity contributes to the organizational results, so do not overshoot your markers – aim for pragmatism, not grandeur.
Work as a team – I think this aspect is often underrated and it is a great shame because goals become more aligned when you work as a team. Teamwork leads to a greater chance of achieving your common goals.
4. If you could interview one person, either from the past or present, who would it be and why?
Considering that I am passionate about creating organizational cultures that are based on the continuous employee commitment to achieving higher levels of performance, I wish I could interview Daniel Pink, to learn more about people’s intrinsic motivations and what drives us.
Join us in our journey to interview some of the most extraordinary individuals that continue to make The KPI Institute a role-model for others to follow. In today’s edition, we will be featuring June’s Employee of the Month, Cristina Mihailoaie.
1. What is your role at The KPI Institute and what makes it special?
I am the Business Unit Coordinator for the Research Programs at The KPI Institute. My role revolves around investigating what products and services would support professionals to overcome any business challenges they might encounter – what are their needs and what tools can our research team develop to address them.
My job positions me at the crossroads of a constant back-and-forth between our development team and our clients. I provide feedback to both sides and try to keep a level balancing act between understanding our clients’ needs and our team’s capabilities for delivery.
2. What do you find most challenging at The KPI Institute?
Being comfortable with a fast-moving working environment, and keeping up with all the different initiatives we got going.
This year put our company in hyperdrive mode, and we have not lifted our foot off the gas pedal ever since. As someone who is passionate about fitness, I never thought I would experience the same level of action and energy, on a mental level.
However, 2020 had quite a few surprises in store. Nonetheless, at least I can never say that I’m bored with my work!
3. What would be the three main career lessons that you have learnt thus far?
Be bold – be willing to take risks
There is always a way if you search hard enough – perseverance and determination pay off
Join us in our journey to interview some of the most extraordinary individuals that continue to make The KPI Institute a role-model for others to follow. In today’s edition, we will be featuring January’s Employee of the Month, Péntek Borbála.
1. What is your role at The KPI Institute and what makes it special?
My current role here is Senior Research Analyst: this means both coordinating the Research team and being an off-site liaison for the Institute’s consultancy projects. There are many aspects that make this role special, but the one thing I want to emphasize is the team aspect (both the Research team and our colleagues from other departments).
On the one hand, I’ve learnt a lot from my colleagues and helpful coworkers (I want to take this opportunity to thank them for that); on the other hand, the Research team that I’m a part of is the best team I could hope for (I would also like to thank them for their overall great attitude every day, and especially during these challenging times).
2. What do you find most challenging at The KPI Institute?
The constant changes in tasks. Ironically, that’s also what I find most rewarding at my work. You really cannot get bored with your work for too long if you are part of the Research team.
Every day is a new challenge and the lessons learnt in a previous task are rarely directly applicable to your next project. However, the way we handle situations and find solutions gives us the experience and drive to overcome any other challenge that may arise.
3. What would be the three main career lessons that you have learnt thus far?
Empathy and open communication are the key to teamwork. No one is constantly right, and we need to practice accepting criticism. We need to learn how to be confident in our own decisions and choices: don’t forget about the situations you handled well, the challenges you overcame, because those will fuel your next successes.
4. If you could interview one person, either from the past or present, who would it be and why?
I would love to interview Lomb Kató (or honestly, I would just love to listen to her talk about her passion). She was one of the first simultaneous interpreters in the world. I could write a lot about her, but I advise you to read her book Polyglot: How I learn languages (my favorite part is when she talks about starting to learn Japanese, by trying to translate a drug patent description of some sort, because there weren’t (m)any Hungarian-Japanese language books at the time).
She didn’t believe in “being talented at learning languages”. She thought that the formula to successfully learning any language is (Invested time x Motivation)/Inhibition. I try to apply this formula to other aspects of my professional life, and I would love to hear more about this from her, during an interview.
Join us in our journey to interview some of the most extraordinary individuals that continue to make The KPI Institute a role-model for others to follow. In today’s edition, we will be featuring February’s Employee of the Month, Ágnes Ilyés.
1. What is your role at The KPI Institute and what makes it special?
I work as a Business Research Analyst. What makes this position special is the variety of everyday tasks and the possibility of constantly learning new things.
Thus far, my favorite responsibility has been recording the Certified Data Analysis online training course, which was a totally new experience for me, and it is a defining event in my professional career.
Such a task comes with multiple layers of micro and macro managing, and I feel as if I’ve accumulated a great deal of experience as a direct result.
2. What do you find most challenging at The KPI Institute?
The chief thing I find truly testing, yet also rewarding, is the fact that every task is different from the other one. Such a high variety of different daily objectives makes my job very exciting.
It also helps develop new skills, however sometimes, like most roles positioned at the conflux of a company, all of this can be really overwhelming.
Nonetheless, the novelty that each task brings makes every day a new adventure.
3. What would be the three main career lessons that you have learnt thus far?
With a good team, you can do things you thought impossible.
Never say no, until you’ve tried it.
Do not be afraid to ask questions.
4. If you could interview one person, either from the past or present, who would it be and why?
Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, since she was one of the most important figures in the British monarchy, which I find fascinating. Moreover, I’m someone who values one’s family a great deal, and we now know from history books that she was a good wife and mother.
I would like to ask her how she managed, as a woman in those times, to deal with her responsibilities and how she managed to keep the ”work-life balance” in check.
A research report released by Aberdeen Group, Operational Performance Visibility: Improving Decision Timeliness and Accuracy, provides a rare glimpse into how top performers have developed their corporate culture to make the best use of performance management at the operational level.
