About JAKAPA

JAKAPA measures, trains, and tracks soft skills. We help businesses improve their productivity and decrease turnover.

Have you ever heard the saying, “Hire for Hard Skills, Fire for Soft Skills?”

A lack of soft skills is the #1 reason an employee is fired.

It’s also what drives away your great employees. Manager’s soft skills directly impact productivity and turnover.

17 hours per employee per week are wasted due to clarifying previous communication. 82% of employees say they will quit due to their manager’s bad soft skills. $1.5M is wasted each year by an average company of 50 employees due to their employees’ bad soft skills.

JAKAPA fills the gaps in existing solutions. We do that by providing frequent feedback, experiential learning and an actionable dashboard available anytime, anywhere all from your mobile device.

We enhance what you are already doing by providing an impact measurement so you know if what you are doing is actually working and experiential learning that helps your employees practice these skills in the real world.

How Does JAKAPA Work?

JAKAPA fills the gaps in existing solutions. We do that by providing frequent feedback, experiential learning and an actionable dashboard available anytime, anywhere all from your mobile device.

Measure: Frequent Feedback

We measure 32 skills using valid, reliable and research-backed self and peer assessment technologies so you get accurate, useful data. It’s fully customizable to fit your needs, pick and choose which skills you measure, and when and how frequently you want to measure.

Track: Soft Skill Dashboard for Data Clarity

Managers can view their department and individual employee’s strengths, weaknesses and engagement.

Individuals can see their own data. Freely group employee profiles to reveal insights and trends.

Train: Daily Soft Skill Challenges

Think of us like a Fitbit for Soft Skills: Pick a challenge -> Get a daily action in your real life -> Report back if you did it and how it went.

Personalized development plans aligned to your needs, track engagement and progress.

We Measure Across 5 Skill Domains

JAKAPA’s assessment and development system addresses 32 foundational skills in five domains.

Social Engagement

  • Leadership
  • Conversational
  • Expressive
  • Persuasive
  • Energy Regulation

Self Management

  • Goal Regulation
  • Decision Making
  • Task Management
  • Organization
  • Detail Management
  • Rule Following
  • Consistency
  • Time Management
  • Responsibility Management

Innovation

  • Creativity
  • Information Processing
  • Cultural Competence
  • Artistic
  • Self-Reflection
  • Abstract Thinking

Cooperation

  • Perspective Taking
  • Social Warmth
  • Teamwork
  • Capacity for Trust
  • Ethical Capacity

Emotional Resilience

  • Stress Regulation
  • Optimism
  • Anger Management
  • Confidence Regulation
  • Independence
  • Adaptability
  • Impulse Regulation

About JAKAPA

Meet Our Team

The JAKAPA team is diverse and each member of our founding team brings expertise that will help us succeed. 

Gavin Pringle

Founder & CEO

Gavin Pringle

wanted to be Ruler of All the Ants

Gavin Pringle is our CEO and he has experience in organizational leadership, teaching, and developing curriculum and assessments. He has over 7 years of management experience in the US Navy and education sector and five years experience as an instructor and professional development provider.

He has successfully designed and executed multiple proofs-of-concept in the education technology space and has conducted extensive customer discovery and feasibility research in the education technology space. He leads our funding efforts, represents our company in St. Louis as an Arch Grant Winner, and focuses on sales in the quick service restaurant space. 

Lisa Riegel, PhD

Chief Operations Officer

Lisa Riegel, PhD

wanted to be a judge

Lisa Riegel, PhD is our Chief Operations Officer. She manages operations, leads the development and support of our coaching network and oversees the development of JAKAPA’s skills challenges, implementation and resources. Her doctoral cognate area focused on adult motivation and engagement, and she is an expert at designing curriculum and professional learning. Her strategic counsel on program improvement, communication, and evaluation has been sought internationally. 

She has experience building statewide learning curriculum in Ohio, including an intensive pedagogical institute for career switchers earning teaching licenses and a formative instructional practices series to improve instruction and assessment practices.  Dr. Riegel holds dual bachelor’s degrees in English and Secondary Education, a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from The Ohio State University. Her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and she has authored three books.

Keara Pringle

Chief Technical & Finance Officer

Keara Pringle

wanted to be a doctor

Keara Pringle is our Chief Technical and Finance Officer. She oversees JAKAPA’s assessment system software. She manages the development of the user experience, supervises the developers and leads efforts to develop integrations that make the software more user friendly. She also manages contracts, generates our financial projections and manages all our accounts payable and receivable. She has a B.S. in chemical engineering and an MBA.

She worked for 9 years in product development, production operations, and product support for customers. She manages projects from design to released production and then oversees ongoing product support. She has worked extensively on accounting, sales, marketing, procurement, and technical teams and led oversight and budgeting of several million dollar development projects.

Measure | Train | Track Soft Skills.

Latest News & Articles

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