Services OFFERED

Drawing from proven game changing ideas and leadership skills, I help to answer the question “What do you do when you don’t know what to do”?  My help is not always garnered from my own knowledge or any magic wand, but from the wisdom and the gifts of the executives / leaders themselves. By creating the right conditions and asking the right questions, their best insights can come forward.

It is impossible to be objective when involved in a conflict. For this reason, it is beneficial to work with a non-invested external conflict coach.

Conflict Coaching is a one-on-one process that develops the client’s ability to manage conflict. It can also objectively supports the client to work through a particularly difficult or complex conflict. The goal is to help the client:

1. Understand the conflict and what is at stake including what the client wants as a resolution.
2. Analysis of the conflict from an outsider’s perspective and asking helpful objective questions.
3. The exercise helps to explore options, perceived outcomes, their feasibility, reasonableness and necessary preparation to take action.
4. The action is followed by a review and lessons learnt for future conflict situations. Conflict happens! Competence through intentional skill-building is key.

Conflict Coaching is not:

1. Mediation
2. Legal counsel
3. Is not a representation of the client’s case or advocating for the client’s side against the other party to a conflict. It is an impartial yet developmental exercise.
4. It is not therapy.

​We facilitate workplace dialogues for difficult and challenging conversations, and team-development services with  the goal of building conflict competency across teams.

I assist organisations with community development initiatives. It is a known fact that vital communities are capable – they have the commitment, skills, and personal attributes to learn, self-correct, and create a safe, non-judgmental environment to win together. Community development strategies help break down the “corporate arthritis” that stifles service, trust, love, dependable dependency care and mutual respect.

Today’s questions on embracing diversity are no longer about selling it as making business sense or even as a compliance requirement. The statements about attracting and retaining a diverse workforce or body of learners are everywhere and seemingly well-meaning, but not necessarily well thought through.  Little or no effort is aimed at operationalising the D.E.I.B. acronym itself.  My role is to assist with the necessary steps that give real meaning and commitment to building and sustaining equitable and inclusive spaces in a practical way.

Research tells us that “Bullies bully because they can”. The bully’s personality is often unrestricted by the environment of the workplace. Implicit support of bullying through ignoring behaviours or through a lack of thorough, objective investigation of reported concerns, allows bullying behaviour to continue unabated .

In the South African context with the newly ratified Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace (March 2022) bullying is no longer an embarrassment, a laughing matter or something that can be swept under the carpet with the goal of meeting the expectations of shareholders or managing public relations.

As mandated by the Code, I am available to unpack the bullying phenomenon in all its facets. Allow me to take you through the remedies available and what employers should do to launch an anti-bullying culture to comply with the notions of a healthy and safe workplace. It is good to be on the right side of the law but even better to be on the right side of social justice.

Much is said about change management but little attention is paid to transition management.  Often it is not the change in itself that is unsettling but the poorly or unmanaged transition. Covid has changed our understanding of flexibility and created new ways of managing our environments, strategies and plans.  How are you dealing with these real changes? Have you thought about how the pre-Covid strategy and mindset may no longer be viable post-Covid. What is the new normal?

In many organisations, staff who are operational experts, ascend to leadership positions. The transition from operations to management can be a challenging one and often there is little or no development and support to assist them.

Leadership is a skill that can be developed. One way to provide the necessary guidance in these contexts is to provide the new manager with specialized Executive Coaching.

As an expert in several areas and a professional consultant, I am an expert first and a speaker second. I have unorthodox views about several areas including Leadership, where leaders who should perhaps think about leading themselves before others follow them. I would ask the question, “Would I follow me?”

Power is often misunderstood and misapplied. Power does not corrupt but powerlessness does. Conflict can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. Change management is overused and most difficult for those who promulgate it as champions or sponsors, let alone the rest of the people they lead and expect to adopt it.

Presentations are customised to your requirements, but previous seminars and keynote speeches have covered topics such as Transformation, Change, Gender, Conflict management Change Management and Ombudsing.

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I provide support before, during and after the setup of an Ombuds office. This includes:

• Building a business case for ombuds office, along with awareness and communication strategies.
• Designing and/or managing an ombuds program.
• Establishing an ombuds office case management system, policies, and practices.

• I provide outsourced ombuds services for companies, educational institutions, and other organizations on a need basis (contract and/or temporary).
• I am available to deal with case load overflow, especially complex cases when required.
• Developing surveys and/or assessments, analyzing feedback, and creating reports.

• Evaluating and coaching existing ombuds programmes.
• Reporting standards and writing annual reports
• Creating, facilitating, and delivering topical training workshops on conflict, diversity enablement, change management and ombudsing developments and dilemmas.

Every second Thursday of October people from around the world take time to celebrate ombuds. IOA wants to invite you to take part in these celebrations.

Ombuds Day serves as an additional opportunity to educate and raise awareness among the public about the history and practices of the ombuds profession including the various ombuds models, the roles they play, the services they offer, and the value provided.

Mediation is a confidential process in which parties to a dispute, with the assistance of the mediator (as a neutral third party) identify the disputed issues, consider alternatives and endeavour to reach an agreement. Confidentiality is a key characteristic that encourages frankness and openness in the process by assuring the parties that any admissions, proposals or offers for settlement will not have any consequences beyond the mediation process. They cannot be used in subsequent litigation or arbitration should the parties abandon mediation as a non-binding process.

Mediation tends to enjoy high rates of success especially because of its non-binding nature which is an empowering feature of the process.

The benefits of mediation beyond its empowering nature include:

• Saving time and money,
• Opens communication,
• Preserves and often improves relationships and minimizes further disputes while providing a satisfactory outcome.

Get in touch to discuss for your mediation requirements.

• Mediation and Ombudsing (IOA/USA), 2011
• Civil and Commercial Mediation (University of Stellenbosch, Africa Centre for Dispute Settlements and Conflict Dynamics), 2011

• “Ombuddy Mediation” FAMAC Conference, Cape Town (2016)
• “Disputes, Dilemmas and Differences: Ombud thoughts on Mediation”, University of Stellenbosch (2016)
• “Mediation and Ombudsing as Complimentary Processes”, Conflict Dynamics (2014)