By Leeann C. Naidoo – iCN Division Head (South Africa)
It is no surprise – with the ever-changing work context and the socioeconomic impacts on organisations – that executives need to prioritise their time effectively. Leisurely meetings have become obsolete and are replaced with short, punchy, results-oriented decisions, matching the fast-paced environments that dominate business nowadays. To the sceptic, a 90-minute chat, that the executive has to pay for, with someone sometimes younger or less experienced is something that drops to the bottom of the list of priorities, yet to the executive reaping the rewards of a high-impact coaching session, this is not so at all.
In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey eloquently stated that creating a habit of taking time out to “sharpen the saw” goes a long way to becoming a more effective leader. What executive coaching does is create exactly this time for leaders to reflect, consider alternatives, and obtain a different perspective on challenging situations – thus providing a measure of intelligence which may otherwise have been overlooked. What is most interesting about the experience of coaching is that the shift in mindset is often exponential in relation to the 90 minutes spent per month.
Source: iCN Issue 14 vol.2 (Marketing for Coaches); pages 10-12
About Leeann C. Naidoo
Leeann is the Division Head of iCN. Leeann’s leadership development and learning design experience is significant. She has consulted for and delivered leadership development programmes for several large corporates in South Africa, such as FNB, the SARB, the Financial Intelligence Centre, Discovery and the Edcon group. Prior to this, she has worked with Capgemini’s University in Paris and global design teams to develop a new curriculum for consultants aligned to a new Global Competency Model which she led the implementation of. She has worked alongside the firm’s e-Learning team in India, to develop world class blended learning solutions using gamification, simulations, mobile learning, & implementing virtual classrooms. She has done similar work with the Deloitte University and war-gaming team in London, developing behavioural change solutions for major clients. She has designed a large number of management and leadership development programmes, incorporating behavioural psychology and neuroscience principles. Leeann is an expert communicator, facilitator and trainer. She has over 3,000 facilitation hours. She has designed, presented at, facilitated and hosted an ordinate number of international events, leadership and management and women in leadership programmes, including analysing and recommending solutions for the retention and
