Leadership Coaching Testimonials
My management style prior to coaching was very much a doer rather than a delegator. I am now more of a coach leader. The observations I have seen in most cases where I am coaching are that people are going to new levels of performance and motivation levels are running high. I am seeing quality of work improved and teams coming together with improved communication They all want to participate and are willingly offering their skills to ensure the best possible results are achieved
– Rob Jewell, Executive, Shotover Jet Group of Companies
I had thought about coaching for a while but did not do anything about it – I was unsure it was for me! My board suggested it would be a great thing for me and offered me support with coaching. I took the chance and already it is paying dividends. I am more focused, more motivated and just love the frank and honest discussion I have with Amanda. I can feel difference and I am already experiencing the benefit at both the personal and professional level. It has been an uplifting experience and I have some really exciting plans in place for 2010 and beyond. It was/is for me – I don’t know why it took me so long to do it in the first place!
– Tim Cossar, CEO, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand
Some of the things I have covered during coaching over the last 6 months would never have occurred to me as viable ways of getting better results. I would have just continued to tread water, barely keeping my head above the surface thinking that was “normal”, or at least normal for me. I now realise that it is OK to say no to people when they ask me to do things, although this will always be difficult for me. I now realise that most people are unlikely to dissolve in the face of constructive criticism, and neither am I when giving it – it is all in the delivery and such feedback is of value to the individual in the long term. I have benefited from interacting with the workforce during break times, and am currently actively attempting to spend more time with them out on site (by popular demand!). I now have a switch in my head that flicks whenever a task comes to me, asking “Who can I get to do that”, rather than automatically doing it myself. I’m not afraid to shut the door or ask for no calls to be put through once in a while. Gradually, with all but the exception, I am seeing that the team are managing to come to their own decisions much more often than before – or at least just “keep me informed” rather than “ask me to solve”, and that foot traffic through my door has decreased somewhat. Downer have benefitted from this process as they now have someone who is probably much more equipped to take on a wider range of tasks and situations.
– Kirsty Marlow, Divisional Manager, Downer EDI Works
Coaching has helped me have better understanding of my management techniques, increased business satisfaction and is giving me the balance I have been searching for between my personal life and career.
– Adrian Walters, GM, Queenstown Lodge
I found coaching to be immensely helpful. Being the leader of the organisation often found me with no avenue to express my feelings while at the same time being there for everyone else. Amanda would listen with patience, ask the right questions about the decision making process and be 100% supportive while at the same providing best practice examples from her extensive knowledge and library of business books. Coaching has been enlightening and invaluable and I have since encouraged members of my senior management team to give it a go. The results are immediate and I have witnessed nothing but positive outcomes for myself and my management team both as people and in the application of our duties.
– Graham Whorskey, GM, AJ Hackett Bungy
I felt somewhat burnt out prior to coaching. I am now stronger, more assertive, more energized and more confident. I communicate more effectively and enthusiastically with my team and am able to give more in terms of support and direction. As a team we are communicating more openly and we are now focusing on solutions instead of problems.
– Louise Forsyth, GM, Eldercare
I have become more confident in leading my duty managers and directing them to complete tasks. My team has been very receptive to this new assertiveness, which has increased their confidence in me as their leader. I have left every coaching session feeling positive and enthusiastic that I can do this and am more willing to deal with situations that I would normally have shied away from.
– Klaus Kinatender, Asst. GM Novotel Gardens
Organizations often struggle at the Exec level of training within their companies. Many companies look to Chamber of Commerce and Inst of Mgmt type seminars and block courses, some look to on-line resources. ACCOR too, has employed a variety of all of these options but to take on behavioural change is a big one. Behavioural change requires trained expertise in psyche? Psychotherapy? Combined with a good understanding of what makes an effective leader. Coaching of the type that you dguio des you thru a practical process to understand what you “look like” now…what you want to look like and identifies the gap. What you do is give practical pointers and aids to solve/improve behavioural habit. For example.. We talk about stress and bang you have “top of mind” practical suggestions. We talk about needs and bang, you have a way of extracting what they are and how to affirmatively seek a resolution. We also talk about the practical solutions to delegation, time management etc etc but in a format where it is practical? Ie. “ So what CAN you do to manage this Carl?”And then the re-cap…”So what are you going to PRACTICE this week to help to get you where you want to be/how you want to look?
– Carl Braddock, General Manager Hotel Ibis
Please accept this brief letter as a thank you and a note of appreciation for the Coaching sessions I received. They have not only assisted me as a Manager but also helped me become a better Coach to my staff.
Some of the skills, which I have already successfully introduced into my portfolio of tricks (which I thought maybe of interest) thanks to you, are:
– An increase in the level and confidence of delegation and the coaching of my supervisors to delegate down.
– Improved open communication between my supervisors and me, which has enabled honest rapport between us so delicate issues can be addressed (unilaterally) face to face with an improved level of comfort.
– An artillery of improved questioning techniques to gain more open honest responses from my staff.
– Learnt the skill of LISTENING to gain clear understanding of what’s really happening with staff and the operation.
As well as these skills that I have already adopted are a host of other skills and techniques that will further assist me in becoming a better Manager. Once again thanks for being my Coach and be sure I haven’t finished picking your brain yet!
– Clarke Scott (Scotty), Operations Manager, Shotover Jet Group
The coaching received really makes you think about what you’ve achieved in your job, what you want to achieve and how you can go about doing that. The time management aspect is a real eye opener and helps you strive to improve yourself and your productivity throughout your working day, week and eventually month. You can filter out the silly little things you get distracted by and learn to get important tasks prioritised and sorted out first before other distractions occur.
It’s really great to get an outside opinion and another view on things that you know go on, but don’t quite know the best way to deal with them. The way that it is put across makes you come up with answers yourself as if you always knew them already, so it’s quite empowering and really positive. Developing the organisational side starts to become a habit and part of your every day routine which helps to get so much more done. No more procrastinating around things that need to be done and just grow like a darker cloud over your head! You jump straight into them and get them out of the way meaning your day is more productive. Learning to take a step back too and reflecting on what you’ve achieved that day or even week is really rewarding. It’s so easy to get bogged down in the thick of it and not realise what an impact you’re having so it’s nice to learn to give yourself a pat on the back. The little hints and tips for delegating and saying no save yourself so much unneeded hassle too so overall it completely changes the way you do things…..for the better!
– Male, General Manager, Hospitality Industry
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