Authentic Leadership and Professional Coaching for empathic and ambitious leaders who need support to find the balance between authenticity and effectiveness.
Is it possible to be authentic in your leadership and be successful?
If you are here, my guess is you have been experiencing an inner tension for some time, a sort of internal “tug-of-war” between your values and the way the current business world operates.
This tension is hard because the current business environment reinforces the idea that in order to be successful you need to become someone else.
This pushes many leaders to behave in ways that leave behind a residue of internal misalignment; an uncomfortable emotion that can feel like betraying yourself.
On the other hand, some empathic leaders shy away from stepping into their power out of fear of being perceived as overly directive, or overly assertive.
Being authentic and in alignment with your values, while leading your team effectively and meeting your business goals is a balancing act that is not always easy to find.
The current business environment reinforces the idea that in order to be successful, you need to become someone else.
If you are reading this, you probably know exactly what I mean. On the one hand, you want to be successful (who doesn’t!), however, you don’t want to:
Operate from the usual loud, competitive and overly assertive energy that prevails in the business world.
Feel that you need to trade your values, your integrity, and your authenticity for an external idea of “success” that feels off.
Choose between leading in a way that feels supportive and authentic to you and getting the results you want to achieve.
You are looking for an approach that balances your natural care for people and supportive style, with the right level of drive, efficiency and focus so you can be both successful and feel good at the same time.
Our work together
You are in the right place if one or more of these statements resonate with you:
You just got promoted and feel overburdened by your new responsibilities and managing a team for the first time.
You run your own business and struggle with the pressures of being a business owner and the need to maintain ongoing motivation and commitment in your team.
Despite having external recognition, you feel like an impostor and battle feelings of insecurity or self-doubt.
When faced with new challenges or conflicts, you second-guess yourself, overthink and ruminate on things others seem to brush off quickly.
You deal with complex work dynamics and need to manage challenging stakeholder relationships at different levels without sacrificing your work ethic and integrity.
You wonder whether it is possible to thrive and be successful in a world that favours speed and competition over connection and cooperation.
You would like to do something deeply meaningful and aligned with your life purpose. Maybe that’s spending more time mentoring your team, challenging the status quo to increase psychological safety and trust or even starting your own business.
What I can help you with
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Authentic Leadership
Many empathic leaders struggle with the balance between supporting their teams and achieving results. In reality, these areas are closely related. The most inspiring leaders are those who realise they can achieve even better results by focusing on the growth and development of their people. If you are a first-time manager or a leader who values people's development, I support you in learning how to best mentor and support your team.
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Emotional Intelligence
Our modern lives demand so much of us. We have competing priorities between our professional responsibilities and our personal and family commitments. Through increased self-awareness, I help you to develop strategies for managing challenging emotions while defining clear actions towards achieving your business goals. Your leadership is a function of your ability to manage your emotions skillfully without affecting your judgment.
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Career Transitions
Whether you have just been promoted, started a new role outside your comfort zone, or are going through a challenging period of expansion in your business, career transitions, even positive ones, can feel overwhelming. If you are feeling stuck, overburdened or going through a period of uncertainty, I guide you in skillfully navigating the inevitable discomfort that comes with change while defining clear actions and strategies towards a new sense of balance and purpose.
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Stakeholder Management
Managing stakeholder relationships at different levels is critical. You might be comfortable leading your team, but struggle ‘managing upwards’. If you are a business owner, relationships with investors and external partners is key. However, these relationships are often challenged by blind spots and complex dynamics. I help you navigate difficult conversations effectively to achieve positive outcomes while fostering strong and supportive partnerships.
I started a coaching engagement with Poncho during a career break when I was struggling to decide what I needed to do differently in the next phase of my professional life. I wanted to develop my leadership skills and learn how to become a better leader and manager. However, what started as an attempt to improve as a career professional, quickly became the start of a self-discovery journey on how and what I needed to do to improve/transform myself as a human being.
The coaching sessions helped me recognise deeply rooted personal motivations, which triggered my behaviours and leadership style. Beyond my leadership skills, the process helped me become a better version of myself for the sake of my family, my peers, my friends and my co-workers.
My Approach
At the core my approach is holistic, supportive and integrative, hence the name Integrative Coaching.
It is holistic because we look at the whole of you. Even though our initial objectives might focus on your leadership and professional development, as we progress, we will naturally include other facets of your life.
It is supportive as the process is non-linear and non-prescriptive. I ask you questions for you to find your own answers, and when it is useful, I share models, frameworks and practical tools relevant to our areas of focus.
And, it is integrative as I combine a behavioural coaching approach and embodiment practices with different therapeutic modalities. This allows us to work at different levels in support of your progress and sustainable growth.
To learn more about my approach and what to expect during our sessions, click the button below.
I dedicated the last 25+ years of my life to figuring out what it means to be successful while being authentic. I support your leadership growth holistically, integrating all areas of your life.
“The time working together with Poncho was so transformative. Since working with him, I have had incredible feedback on the level of my soft skills. I am much more confident in my intuitive approach, I am known in my company as a natural leader, the person you can rely on, trust, and come to for help and advice, earning the respect and loyalty of my colleagues from all levels within the business.
I've learned patience, to lead with curiosity, to inspire others to join the "mission", to focus on improving perceptions and not just correcting facts, to approach difficult situations with a balanced mindset, and to nurture, support, and empower my team. I am actively mentoring multiple people in the business who asked me to fulfill that role for them. I've managed difficult personalities better than I ever could have in the past. And all of these things have bled into my personal life leaving me generally more positive and fulfilled in all aspects. I cannot stress enough how my life can now be defined in two phases: B.P. and A.P. (before and after Poncho!). ”
Jesyka White | Director of Operations at PMKConsult
Top 20 Most Influential Women in the Construction Industry by Construction Week
Are we a match?
We would likely work well together if:
You secretly think the world would be a better place if we could all be more connected, respectful and considerate of one another.
You feel an ongoing internal friction between your values and the way our modern world operates.
You have a deep desire to live your life in alignment with your values and purpose.
You are self-reflective and interested in personal development.
You recognise that your commitment is an essential component of our work.
You are willing to take action and practise new behaviours between our sessions.
You feel comfortable with emotional processing through embodiment and you are spiritually inclined.
Logistics and Investment
Two 60-minute one-on-one online coaching sessions per month.
Minimum commitment of 3 months, after which we can continue working together or cancel any time thereafter with one month's notice.
Investment: 400 USD per month.
Apply for Integrative Coaching
If what you read here resonates with you and you want to experience what it would be like to have me as your coach, schedule a complimentary coaching session by clicking the button below.
This is not a discovery session to talk about working together.
This is a complimentary, obligation-free 60-minute coaching session for you to experience my approach and for both of us to get a sense of what working together would be like.
If after the gift session, we both decide we want to explore working together, we will schedule a separate call to discuss further.
"When you want to work on the deeper internal shifts that underpin the strategies and tactics that busy our lives, work with Poncho! He seamlessly blends the practical and the intuitive into an active session that transcends narrative. In one powerful session, he was able to help me reconcile different parts of my ‘self’ that had been dormant or neglected for quite some time. I felt like we were able to do deep work quickly in a systematic way with actionable takeaways. He has a rare sensitivity to guide somatic awareness while giving you full autonomy of the experience. I am walking away today with a new felt sense of what’s possible."
Amena Lee Schlaikjer | Founder of Untapped Lab