You believe that helping people build on their strengths is the way to build a great culture.

Pointing out failures is as useful as annual rail travel card in a pandemic. Going nowhere fast. You believe that failure is not a sign of unintelligence, but an opportunity to learn and a springboard for growth.

You see what we are capable of and help us stretch into that awesomeness.

The command-and-control way of leading is like a bad haircut from the ‘90s. Best forgotten!

A growth mindset is what it’s all about for you.

You identify and encourage us to leverage our strengths. You sprinkle feedback and guidance like confetti at a wedding – generously and with a big heart.

You create open and supportive conversations with powerful questions like ..

………What does great look like?

………What’s working?

………What’s not working?

………How can I help?

Asking these open-ended questions is one of your superpowers. These help us think and learn for ourselves. You draw energy, creativity and learning out of your team. And this allows people to grow and develop, and results in you getting positive emotional responses and better results.

In this crazy, complex world, flawless performance is as likely as Darth Vader becoming a force for good. Ain't gonna happen! And you know this.

You choose a very different path - be a coach leader. Did you know it’s one of the least common styles used? More about that below!

You delegate with ease and hand out challenging assignments because you know this is a great way to grow. All this is accompanied with unwavering support.

You feel most alive when you are working in a way that allows you to spend time in a process of guiding a hands-on relationship. When you tell us you believe in us, we just know this to be the truth.

You value connection, relationships and learning.

Feeling loved up?

Well, you are pretty awesome! And I know you are thinking….

…. this all sounds great but there are ways I mess things up.

Welcome to being a human. We all have ways we get in our own way.

Let’s meet some of your derailers:

If you are relying almost exclusively on your coaching style, you will struggle to assert control in a crisis.
Calling out people is hard for you so you tend to overlook poor performance
You can miss the signals of how people are feeling and what they really need from you
When working with staff who want/need a more directive approach - you will be uncomfortable with the self-management aspect of the coaching style.

CHIN UP!

You took this quiz because you want to feel energised and excited when you each day. You want to know that you have the right tools to navigate the vagaries of the corporate world. You want to trust you are able to make the complex decisions you are faced with. You wanted to be a better person and leader.

Like all great subjects, there is much to learn about you and what comes next. So read on!

Like a good hollandaise sauce on eggs benedict, your super-sauce is empathy.

You use this skill to help us learn from our mistakes and grow.

** Fun fact**

Did you know that 58 % of people say they trust strangers more than their own boss?

But the good news is around the corner!

The awesome aspect of your Coaching leadership style is that this very style inspires us to self-direct, try new things and make new discoveries.

And the more we find we do this, the more committed we are and more satisfied with our jobs. And the funny thing is that your colleagues will rank this as their least favourite style. Crazy, right?

You are the conductor coaxing out the top notes of the violin.

Your ability to help people grow into the best versions of themselves makes you a Chelsea Flower Show level gardener amongst gardeners.

Can I be on your team?

Empathy is your superpower, my friend.

Hi, I'm Catherine

I’m a recovering perfectionist and overachiever who is obsessed with helping people like you hone in on their leadership strengths and find fulfilment in becoming the purposeful leader they want to be.

I spent years lost in the wilderness of a corporate career, earning accolades, bonuses, and promotions whilst on the inside, quietly feeling ‘meh’. No matter what I accomplished professionally, it never felt quite enough. Like whack-a-mole, every target I reached was replaced by another.

If I’d had a fairy godmother, I’d have asked her to sprinkle some magic dust to illuminate my goals and help me find inspiration and purpose in my work. This clarity I would give me what I needed to bounce out of bed on Mondays,, free from the drag effect of ‘Sunday-itis’.

I wish now that I’d had someone on my side to descramble corporate politics, the difficult conversations and dead ends. With someone to help me find my path, I know I would have shone from the inside out.

Fast forward to today, and I want to be the person I needed when I was in leadership.

I am the ally, champion, and decoder for leaders and changemakers who want to lead like they really care about a positive impact. I’m a truth teller with an eagle eye for patterns and themes.

My secret sauce is 20 years of leadership experience

+ courage to throw myself over the edge

+ a sense of humour

+ a passion for pragmatism

+ deep skills in personal, social, and systems intelligence.

I help ambitious leaders like you level up their game, find their leadership DNA, and play the best game of their life.

Satya Nadella

CEO, Microsoft

When he took over a Microsoft in 2014, there was a culture of inertia and infighting. He encouraged employees to shift from the historical "know-it-all" culture to embrace a "learn-it-all" curiosity. This approach transformed the culture from one from Balmer’s style of command and control to one of coaching.

“The key to everything is empathy because nothing is more fruitful than walking in the shoes of others.”

Tony Hsieh

CEO, Zappos

In the ultimate coach perspective, he introduced a self-organised model of Holacracy at Zappos. In this model, leader’s primary role is not to make all the decisions for the team, but to provide resources to help and engage employees, and trust they will find the way to do their job. In other words, be a coach.

"For me, my role is about unleashing what people already have inside them that is maybe suppressed in most work environments."

“C’mon Catherine, I need more than awareness of my strengths to level up my game!”

I’m digging your thirst for more, and to quote the little guy, Yoda, “Patience you must have my young Padawan.”

Let's dig a little deeper!

TIME FOR SOME RADICAL SELF-INQUIRY

When you are in your groove, you inspire people because you see what’s possible and help them build on their strengths. . Consider this your sweet spot. In this place, you have the most fun – even when the work is hard. This is where your passion and greatness lives.

What follows are three exercises to guide you on a journey of self-discovery.

It's time to put pen to paper ...and yes, I am being serious about pen and paper!

Awareness

It’s normal to have a bunch of assumptions about what is to be a leader.

Being a leader carries responsibility and power, and if you are like me, you haven’t had many great role models. So let’s get these assumptions out in the open. Remember, knowing your beliefs and assumptions about leadership is another degree of awareness.

Grab your pen and free-write for 5 minutes on the following sentences. If you are new to freewriting, the rules are simple. Set a timer, keep your pen on the paper, and just keep writing. Don’t edit.

“Leadership is…”

“To be a great leader….”

What death can teach us about life

It’s time to write your obituary. Yes, you read that right! As crazy as this may seem, this writing exercise helps you cast yourself into the future and imagine what kind of life you would like to have lived. How is this helpful? This is one step you can take to reconcile the path you are on to the path that leads you to a fulfilled life.

Find a quiet space and at least half an hour. Grab your notebook and a favourite pen.

Start by visualising the future. We often limit our imagination when we think in a straight line, so instead, take a leap into the future and think about the age of your passing. You might be drawn more naturally to a year or a given point in time. What’s happening in the world? How will you be living? Who else is around? Who has already gone? How will you be spending your days?
Work backwards. With context added, start to walk back through time, pausing at key dates like birthdays or other life events. Consider what got you there. Who brought joy to your life? What has given you the most fulfilment? Writing your own obituary allows you to emphasize the people, relationships, events, lessons learned, and unforgettable moments that have meant the most to you.
Get personal. Maybe it’s your life-long punctuality, your legendary apple pie, or the sense of calm during a crisis. What makes you, you? What are the personal attributes that you hope others remember? Weave these to bring life to your story.
Let the tone reflect you. Whether you’re serious or silly, rigorous or rousing, you’re the teller of your story, so the tone should see your unique character and personality shine through. Looking for inspiration, we give you romantic, hilarious and heartfelt. Decide, too, if you want to write in the first or third person.
Take a break. Once it’s feeling like a good draft, let it sit for a day and revisit with fresh eyes. Make sure your thoughts are conveyed in the way you’d like, and that there are no major gaps. Remember this is an opportunity to preserve your world-view for those left behind—and those yet to come.

Thinking about our death need not make us despair but can shake us into re-committing to pursuing the life we know we need to lead.

Reconciling today’s reality with tomorrow’s dream

We all want to have an impact on the world. As most of us aren’t addressing what the world sees as nobble and heroic causes, we are shy to own our own version of what impact means. In doing this, we dismiss ourselves and our own value.

Your obituary will have given you a real insight into the impact you want to have on family, friends, colleagues, and your community.

However large or small your perception of your impact is, own it.

As the Dalai Lama says, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”

Grab your pen and journal again. Carve out some time.

How on track are you to live the life you want to live?

What three actions can you take in the next week that will get you back on track for your best life?

See the invitation for action as broad. You could share this quiz with a friend or colleague. You could share the obituary exercise with your partner as a way of framing a conversation about shared paths and purpose. You could ask for support from a mentor. Seek out personal development training. Or perhaps find yourself an executive coach (yes, that’s me and we will get to know each other a little better in the coming week).

Your Curated Resources

I’ve put together some resources just for you to support you in exploring your style. Consider this a deep dive for the brain, the body, and the heart.

A deep dive into Satya Nadella’s application of Growth Mindset to turn around Microsoft’s fortunes
A playlist Tune in when you need
A poem to inspire – Some questions you might ask, by Mary Oliver

So what next?

The world could sure do with more leaders like you!

The first step starts with understanding YOU and by learning about your leadership style, you've started the journey.

Taking this quiz is an important step in building up the knowledge of how you show up in the world, and understanding the impact you can have when you operate with purpose.

I’m here to help you along this path wherever you find yourself today.

Let's get to know one another. I answer every email, so hit me up and let me know what you think of your results, and what’s keeping you awake at night.

So…..

Check your email. It kills my ego but my emails can end up in the junk/spam folder! I’ll be coming to you with insights and tools for your leadership journey over 5 emails in the next week.

Come hang out on Instagram and LinkedIn.

P.S. I’m so excited you are interested to learn more about you. I believe the path to a happier life lies in us being our own specialist topic.

Drop me an email to let me know your experience of this quiz!