About WsquareD

WsquareD came about as I believe that we can do better in developing ourselves and the teams we work with and within. The patterns we “fall into” don’t always serve us well, most importantly we don’t often choose to spend time considering those taken for granted assumptions we hold and the ways we interact with ourselves and those around us.

To make a difference I believe that by standing in the spaces between patterns, we are able to garner insights on how to change the way one sees the world we inhabit; and, to shape how you'd like the world to see you! To achieve success in all that we do, our focus needs to be on ourselves first. Mindsets matter!!

As Marie Forleo (American life coach, motivational speaker and author) said “Insight without action is worthless”; coaching provides the coachee with an environment where insights are able to be safely explored and action plans developed that enable a process of unlearning the patterns that are holding one back, and provide the impetus to explore and implement the “relearning” of new patterns that over time will enable success.

The name WsquareD is derived from three words, that in my mind describes the very essence of what’s required to create the crucible for effective coaching with individuals and teams, so that coaching delivers its maximum benefit.

I acknowledge Tim Lomas’ Positive Lexicography Project for inspiring me to use words which have no direct English equivalent; to describe my approach and hence the creation of the business name WsquareD.

I’m very passionate about success for all in New Zealand, I do believe that we can do things differently and address some, if not all of the wicked problems the country faces, as we head towards the 3^rd decade of the 21^st century.

A Passion for People

I am passionate about the people dimension, both the external and internal system view in all that one does.

I see that this whakatauki expresses where I come from in my approach to my coaching practice; human systems are complex and they always respond to system interventions and changes in unexpected ways. For coachee’s this means that they find that I bring a realistic, down to earth approach to supporting their experimentation as they look to refine existing and develop new patterns that represent their world view.

Leadership Approach & Business Philosophy

I am well read and have a continuous approach to staying abreast of current management & leadership thinking. I believe that I bring deep understanding and experience of how modern organisations work. During the first quarter of 2018, I worked with the Chair and Board of the Operations Career Board; and the SSC Leadership & Talent team to identify what future capabilities “operations leaders” in the Public Sector would require to be successful in the future. This assignment required deep investigation of the future of work and the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

To borrow a phrase from Marshall Goldsmith; “what got us here, wont get us there”; the environment in which we’re now living and working is nothing like we’ve ever experienced before. However as noted in a recent Harvard Business Review article which outlined a review of several decades of articles from the Harvard Business Review to understand the recurring messages from academics and practitioners about what leaders should do concluded that the best leaders with the most outsize impact almost always deploy these six classic, fundamental practices:

1. uniting people around an exciting, aspirational vision;
2. building a strategy for achieving the vision by making choices about what to do and what not to do;
3. attracting and developing the best possible talent to implement the strategy;
4. relentlessly focusing on results in the context of the strategy;
5. creating ongoing innovation that will help reinvent the vision and strategy; and
6. “leading yourself”: knowing and growing yourself so that you can most effectively lead others and carry out these practices.

My experience in a range of organisations and contexts has demonstrated the truth of these six practices and in particular “leading yourself” is an underpinning principal with my approach to coaching.

My role is owner and Principal at WsquareD. I bring extensive experience in public sector management; I’ve held Acting Deputy Commissioner and Group Manager positions over the last decade, leading large operational public sector business units in a regulatory environment. I have a track record of success, building and executing business strategies, leading and managing change, and galvanising teams to deliver superior results often within tight time frames and limited budgets. I led the programme Making a Difference – doing the right things right, which won an IPANZ Award in 2016.

I am a Leadership New Zealand Fellow; an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation; an Institute of Executive Coaching & Leadership Accredited Coach, and Team Coach.