About Delphine the coach

Coaching is to me a natural outflow of my career – the next step in my personal development and in my contribution to others.   My solid base of experience and my own ability to analyse and reflect on my experiences enable me to move readily with my clients through their personal journeys of clarification, discovery, learning and commitment to action.

A little more about that solid base:  

I hold a Masters degree in social work (MSW) from Dalhousie University, Canada. My special field of interest academically and professionally is the world of work  - the systems and processes of work and how people organise themselves in that environment according to their needs and interests. 

I worked as a university administrator and subsequently as a trade union negotiator  in Nova Scotia before proceeding to South Africa in the midst of its profound political transistion from apartheid to democracy, where I worked in various middle management and executive positions with The South African Breweries (SAB) and SABMiller.  

Thereafter I worked as an independent consultant in organisational development and change management for  10 years and established an excellent track record, with solid ROI (Return on Investment) results on my leadership development programmes. Coaching and mentoring were natural adjuncts to this work, which brought me to resume my academic studies.  I trained as a coach at Adler International Learning/OISE of University of Toronto and am continuing my studies towards a higher qualification and accreditation with the International Coaching Federation.

I recently returned permanently to Canada and am currently building up my coaching, conflict resolution and leadership facilitation practice in the Maritime provinces.  It is wonderful to be home again.

I continue on the rocky ride of transition in my own life, knowing that it is part of the bigger picture of being human on this planet. Part of that has been to accept change as an ongoing and unpredictable factor of life and to elect to be constructive and ethical in my responses.  I'm a passionate nature conservationist.

I am cheerful and optimistic and easy to talk to.   I firmly believe that work is and should be enjoyable - we spend far too much time working to allow it to be a burden.  Fun isn't just possible, it is essential.

My ideal client is someone who is seeking fulfilment either in what s/he is doing now, or in what s/he wants to do in the future.  This can be a lifestyle choice; it can be a post-retirement choice; or it can be a career choice.  Such a person is restless in the situation they are in and ready to change, but  doesn't always know where to start - there are so many choices and how do you know what is right, right? 

In these stressful and unpredictable times I strongly subscribe to the belief that as much as we need a purpose in our lives and goals to guide us in fulfilling our purpose, whether as a private human being or as a corporate executive as a human being, we also need resilience to overcome the unexpected and even to find a new, formerly unknown strengths in ourselves and purpose to our lives.   Through coaching, my clients and I therefore co-create their path to their own future: as travellers who know that the unexpected is to be expected.  And, not knowing what the unexpected might be, preparing for it through the development of awareness and resilience, and even a sense of adventure  - ready to derive the best from it despite all odds.  I call it "recognising the Black Swan when it arrives", after the writings of Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

I know my purpose is to do the best I can with what I have and to help others do the same. In particular, 'the best I can' is in service of enjoyment of work and appreciation of the environment. (Thanks to Benjamin Zander who taught me about the art of possibility).

In South Africa, where I grew up and where I'd been based for some time, the word 'ubuntu' is often used.   It means recognition of the inter-dependent nature of us humans - we are singular individuals but we are also part of our communities. We cannot attain complete fulfilment in isolation from others. South Africans speak of 'the spirit of Ubuntu' - literally it means 'I live through you'.   This is true for me in coaching, facilitation and dispute resolution.  Through working with you I am a more fulfilled person and through working with me, you will attain a higher level of fulfilment also.

If all this rings true to you, but you are still uncertain, I welcome a call or an email from you.

Offer of coaching services

My first coaching session with you is free. 

It is an opportunity for you to experience my coaching style first hand and to get to know me before you commit to a formal coaching relationship.  

Thereafter I normally offer a short-term coaching agreement representing 5 hours over 4 sessions.  The first session is normally 2 hours and subsequent sessions 1 hour each.  At the end of this programme we then review the work we've done together and you, the client, decide whether you want to enter into a longer-term coaching agreement with me.

Coaching takes place either telephonically or face-to-face in HRM or by special arrangement elsewhere in the Maritimes. Telephone coaching is  very convenient in that it eliminates travel and it is highly effective in creating an atmosphere of deep listening and reflection - both essential in effective coaching. 

Client Feedback

“Delphine has put me through an exciting and stimulating mentoring program and exposed me to new and innovating thinking. She is an engaging coach and created a forum for lively and enthusiastic discussion. I would highly recommend her expertise and service and have seen few who can consistently deliver the quality of work she does”. Hassan Dewji, Director Human Resources, METL.
 

 "INVESTMENT WORTH THE MONEY" – Mr. Juerg Fluehmann, Managing Director, Tanga Cement Company Ltd.
 

 “Recently I attended the mentorship program for a year, and it has been very beneficial to me. I have built a strong and lean team, operational performance is progressively improving, and my relationship with my boss, colleagues and other staff is rich and stimulating.

On a couple of occasions after mentorship I have expounded on the merits of mentorship and sound management skills to my peers around Tanzania.

I recommend the mentorship programme offered by Delphine to anyone who has the calibre, will and desire to raise his or her career to new heights, and to organizations that desire to hone the management skills of its staff, which, as a whole, will stimulate accelerated economic growth and progress in Tanzania.” – Ben Lema, Plant Manager, Tanga Cement Company Ltd.

  In a recent study by Harvard University it was found that the following are the most common reasons why coaches are engaged by companies and executives:

1  The development of high potential employees and/or the facilitation of their transition to a new role or new position;
2  Serving as a confidential sounding board to a top leader;
3  Addressing behavioural concerns (for example someone who is highly competent as an engineer but whose previous lack of focus on people management skills is causing career difficult as s/he moves up the career ladder).

COACHING IS NOT TRAINING and yet it is one of the most powerful learning experiences ever devised, dating back to the days of Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher.  It has been updated and modernised, particularly influenced by our expanding knowledge in the field of POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY (the study of what works in people rather than what psychology has been known for up to now, namely the study of what is wrong with you).  

Your coach helps you recognise your strengths and helps you choose how to use them to your best advantage in your career and your personal life.