ABOUT
My Story
I was born in Germany and grew up in South East Asia, before my parents settled back in Berlin. I moved to the UK in my twenties and during that time even lived in Australia for a very short stint... so, my life has been all about being part of and understanding different cultures, figuring out what it means to 'fit in' vs being authentically 'me', navigating change and communicating effectively.
I have learnt first hand what these things mean from a very early age and as a result topics such as Diversity, Culture Change and Transformation, Communication and Engagement are things I am deeply passionate about.
It is my mission to support individuals to become the best version of themselves with integrity and authenticity - whether this is through the power of coaching, or through working with teams and individuals in trainings.
Why Engagement and Culture matter
If you are anything like me, you have the desire to wake up each morning and look forward to your day… To work in an atmosphere, where the tone is light, but things get done, where there is trust and gratitude. We spend such a huge amount of our time at work, it makes sense to want to enjoy it...
When I first started out in my career, I thought ‘Engagement’ was just a fancy term for having after works drinks or Employee of the Month schemes organized on a regular basis. That couldn’t have been further from the truth!
Before I really understood what Engagement is and how it works, and how a Culture of an organisation can have a huge impact on you, my work life was mediocre at best. I often felt under pressure to perform, but felt no real support or trust from those around me to achieve the best outcome for the organisation.
I would dread Mondays, and weekends (and even holidays) were never quite long enough. Those that I worked with were friendly enough, but it all felt like a game and a show – without human connection or depth.
Needless to say, I moved away from that role…
When I joined my new team I could not believe the difference in atmosphere and mutual trust and support. It was mind blowing. The work Culture I had joined was totally different and my Engagement levels soared!
I suddenly LOVED going to work. I was given bigger and more daunting things to work on than I ever had in my career, but it felt good, not worrying. The team around me was genuine and supportive and there was room for everyone to grow and learn, without fear. There was energy and conviction and power to what we were achieving each and every day!
Ever since that time, I decided to find out as much as I could about Engagement and Culture Change. How it works for different people, different industries, countries and even generations. What works for some, doesn’t work for others, but when you get it right – you know it!
Over my years as an Engagement expert I have tried a huge range of things with different teams – and I have seen the teams come ‘back to life’ through these. I’ve seen formally downtrodden individuals start to smile again and enjoy coming back to work. I’ve seen teams have that ‘aha’ moment and suddenly figure out how to connect with each other again. Time and time again, I have seen that beautiful moment where whole teams and individuals ‘click’ again, where they turn the corner and enjoy themselves again – it is as if a huge weight is lifted off their shoulders and a lightness and energy returns to them.
Engagement runs deeply through everything we do at work – and it is a key part of the culture we create. It is part of how we treat ourselves and each other at work and can make the difference between loving what we do and enhancing our lives, or having a job that drags us down and makes us miserable.
Engagement is often so closely linked with Culture Change, Organisational Development, Transformation and Effective Communication. I've dedicated my career to grow in expertise and experience in these areas and support teams and individuals to not only be high performing, but love where they work, too!
My Experience
I have worked in the private and public sector, in local government, the Civil Service and the NHS, helping teams and leaders to enjoy their working lives more. I started off at the management consultancy Accenture where I worked with some of their major clients such as Unilever and United Utilities to develop and implement global engagement programmes for their teams. I then moved on to work with Camden Council, as their Lead for Employee Engagement and HR Communications, and more recently with a number of NHS and local government clients to support their leadership teams and frontline staff through major change, transformation and OD. I also worked as part of the National Employee Engagement taskforce to create the EngageforSuccess website.
There has been a huge shift in how we do things – and some of these emerging key Trends were visible even before Covid struck. People want ‘on-demand’ training to access at the time of need, on the go, and to fit around their busy schedules. Being able to access training flexibly is key (especially for Millennials), as is the ability to have a suite of ‘self-service’ learning tools available .
When I speak to my clients, the reality of what their organisations are dealing with centres around teams feeling divided and isolated, individuals are figuring out how to draw the boundaries between work and life and make sure they really switch off rather than be available 247. My clients report a rise in Wellbeing issues – both mentally and physically from increased virtual working, as well as a focus on being more ‘Human’ as leaders and as an organisation as a whole.
My Offer
Engagement, Culture Change and OD is often about having the time to dig deep with the team concerned to really understand what the underlying issues are. All my HR colleagues out there will know exactly what I am talking about – is it about Trust for this team? Or about communicating effectively? Or is it about feeling valued and recognised?
My mission is to provide leaders, managers and individuals with easy to implement tools that are effective and quickly show results - whether this is through our 'done for you' tools and resources, coaching or training. Sometimes it will be 'just' about Engagement, other times it will be more broadly about changing an organisation's culture.
My Why
I believe we all have the right to live our best lives and as work is such a huge part of that, it is so important that we get that right!
We should be able to be part of a team that is full of energy and that enjoys working together. Where the individuals have each other’s back, share ideas and resources and go the extra mile. Where challenges are achievable together, no matter how tricky they seem alone.
Where there is time for rest and celebration as well as high intensity work sprints. Where your opinion is valued and you are recognised for your work, and you can meaningfully contribute. Where it feels GOOD to be part of something each day!
Interwoven into living our best lives is also the desire to treat each other and our environment well - with kindness, respect and integrity. To constantly learn and grow, to empower individuals with heart, to value diversity, and offer real value to those around us!
If Engagement, Transformation or Organisational Development is something that you are struggling with, then I’d love to help.
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