Rita Paulovicsné Petes:  Learning never ends

Rita Paulovicsné Petes, Körber site: Pécs, Hungary 

I’ve always been learning. 
Not because I had to. 
Because I wanted to.  

I’m a psychologist. 
I’ve been working at Körber for more than 20 years.  

And if I’m honest: 
I never felt finished.  

There was always this feeling: 
There’s more.  

While others paused, 
I kept going.  

I became a trainer. 
I completed a coaching certification. 
And I continued my education in family therapy.  

I wanted to understand: 
how people think, 
how teams work, 
and the dynamics that emerge. 

And then there was this one thought. 
For a very long time. Actually, always. 

A PhD. 

I kept postponing it. 
Not enough time. 
Two kids. 
A full-time job. 
A life. 
And… 
Fear.  

What if I can’t do it? 

Then something changed. 
I became part of a global culture project at Körber.  

Workshops. Conversations. 
More than 100 people. 
Different countries. Different perspectives. 

And again and again, the same insight: 
When people feel trust, 
when they truly collaborate, 
performance follows.  

That stayed with me. 

One evening, after one of those workshops, 
I was sitting in my kitchen. 

And suddenly the thought was back. 
Clearer than ever. 

This is it. 
This is my topic.  

And this time, I didn’t push it away. 
I applied. 
I spoke to my manager. 
To the managing directors. 
To my family. 

And everywhere I got the same answer: 
Do it. 
We’ve got your back. 

So I started. 

Almost 50. 
Sitting in a classroom 
with 20-year-olds.  

And you know what? 
I feel younger than ever.  

Not because everything is new to me. 
Because I’m learning again.  

Today, I connect two worlds. 
Practice and science. 
Company and university.  

I bring knowledge into the company. 
And real experience into research. 
And every day, I keep learning. 
Maybe that’s a little crazy.  

But I believe that’s exactly what it takes. 

I don’t want to be the best to stand out. 
I want to keep learning so I can better support others. 

Because in the end, it’s not about me. 
It’s about people. 
And what becomes possible when we never stop learning.