When our goal is to improve and develop our leadership skills, we often get stuck focusing on the places we’re falling short and emphasising skills we’re not so confident about.
As a Gallup-certified strengths coach, it’s my mission to harness and develop your strengths and challenge your mindset around your perceived weaknesses.
By focusing on your strengths and bringing awareness to the areas that may feel like blind spots, it’s easier to build confidence in your amazing abilities as a leader!
What makes a strength based coaching strategy so effective?
It’s a common misconception that if we focus on our strengths that we may not improve or develop in other areas. Research reflects that employees feel more confident, self-aware and productive when honing in on their strengths as opposed to focusing on their weaknesses. Our strengths make us feel resourceful, more impactful and encourage us to continue making positive change. Operating from a place of strength is is both empowering and energising.
The personal development industry gets a bad rep for making us feel as though we have to ‘fix’ aspects of ourself that may be hindering our self-growth. Strength based coaching turns this on its head, and encourages us to challenge ourselves by leveraging our talents and the ways in which we work best.
With my experience as a strengths coach and helping so many amazing women harness their strengths, focusing on the areas we excel in gives us more confidence to approach our blind spots with compassion.
Client testimonial
I had so much fun working with the talented Jess White, Programme Lead at Health Care Home National Collaborative. We entered into a three month high intensity partnership. Jess is an incredibly talented leader, driven and committed to performance excellence. Watching Jess develop, grow in confidence and strengthen her leadership even more was so rewarding. Catching up with Jess at our six month check in session was an absolute joy. Jess successfully implemented her leadership development plan and as a result she took her career to a whole new level. This young leader has young children and is an absolute inspiration to all women who want to show up and create impact. I will always watch your career with interest and happiness Jess. I know you are going to continue to go far – unstoppable wahine toa xx
Here’s what Jess had to say about her coaching experience:
“Mel really challenged my mindset right from the beginning in the leadership space, as I had always considered it was important to work on my weaknesses, which for me I could easily identify and knew was a work on. Mel flipped this and encouraged me to instead really channel my strengths identified through Gallup and lean into them as a foundation for leadership. In fact, Mel made me realise that what I thought were my weaknesses I was actually using and developing everyday and while they don’t come naturally to me and I have to work at them, it doesn’t mean to say that I am not good at them.
My leadership 3 month plan was a game changer in ensuring self-accountability and as tool you can continue to refine and develop yourself even when the coaching and mentoring is completed. The 6 month check in was a timely reminder to keep on track.”
What areas of growth and transformation did you experience through your partnership with Melanie?
“One area that I had never really considered was career reputation, and while I have high expectations of myself I have never been one to showcase these and put them to the forefront. Once again Mel really challenged me in this area and encouraged me to set myself some tangible goals in this space.
We did a deep dive into maturing from change management into change leadership and developing some strategies around this mahi. I could see and feel myself grow during the 3 months and while there were ups and downs during this time the overall progress was really tangible for me. It was also at a time where the development was much needed and I really felt like in my career journey I needed this time to reflect and develop. Sometimes when you are so busy it is easier just to put your head down and get through each day, but Mel encouraged me to personally spend and allocate the time during my week to plan and strategise and this has definitely helped but is something I am still working on to achieve regularly
I have definitely recommended Mel to other women who have expressed they are having a moment of self-doubt or are looking for something to grow themselves professionally. I have also found myself sharing with my team the bits of gold I have learnt during the process and this has felt good to be able to share the learnings I have taken from my time with Mel.”
Are you wondering if coaching is the right leadership development tool for you? Check out the benefits below and let’s chat melanie@wsfnz.co.nz
What can be gained through a coaching partnership:
- Discovering and maximising your talents and strengths
- Building self awareness and confidence
- Addressing challenges in your job
- Ongoing learning and development
- Becoming more purposeful about your career and leadership brand
- AND helping you realise that leader within
Ngā mihi nui
Mel Beirne
Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu (with feathers a bird can fly)
