- Brief us about the inception of your career? What were your ambitions as a teenager?
Parts of my childhood were difficult; my father died when I was 14, my mother and I were homeless twice, and I was also unwell to the point of long-term hospitalization. These experiences shaped me, for sure, and along the way, I found individuals who steered me in the right direction, generously helped me and my mother, and provided support way beyond their professional obligation to do so. As I grew up, I sought out opportunities to give back and that drove me to becoming a certified trainer and coach, specializing in the application of teaming competencies to accelerate and elevate the results of teams across the world.
Along the way, I have helped thousands of people get the personal and business results they tried hard to achieve on their own, and it’s been an absolute privilege. Over the past twelve years, based in Los Angeles, I have really been able to hone my craft and put my skills to the test, coaching some of the most senior executives at Fortune 500 companies, start-up entrepreneurs, board members, and celebrities to truly unlock their full potential as individuals and with their teams. I have to say that I love doing this work and it explains why I get up at all hours of the night to speak to people and travel around the world to coach teams!
- What are the aims and ideals that guide you as you run your company?
The north star of our company is to help as many teams as we can unleash the latent value that is inhibited by poor teaming competencies. Teaming competencies, or teaming for short, are the contracts team members agree together regarding their mindsets, behaviors, and practices. Most teams don’t discuss these at all and they just work in a happenstance way on their priorities. Our research shows that this wastes up to 50% of the value of their work! Teams should work less hours, get exponentially bigger and better results, and enjoy the work they are doing. We are proud to be helping so many teams achieve just that every day. Internally, I want us to practice what we preach, be inclusive, innovative, kind to one other, and have a fully safe space to collaborate and achieve incredible outcomes. When we do that, we support our clients in the best possible way.
- As an innovative leader, how do you manage to inspire your team to innovate and think outside the box?
As an innovative leader, it has always been my utmost priority to firstly hire people I trust. We hire people to provide new viewpoints, competencies, and breakthrough ideas to our teams and I believe that being too authoritative is an indication that you don’t trust your team, or your own ability to run the company. You need to create a psychologically safe space in your team where all ideas are welcomed in meetings and people leave nothing unsaid. Some of our greatest innovations have come from interns at the company. There are far too many companies that reply on hierarchy and job titles and in a meeting of 15 people, only the same 2-3 voices are heard. Our ethos is that we’ve hired these great people, let them speak. I also know that the best answers come from the team, not just one person. I have a view, you have a view, and someone else has a view. Together we have the right answer.
- What were the challenges and obstacles you faced along the way?
Growing up was tough and I had a scarcity mindset with a limited social network. I know now that neither of those is helpful, especially in business today. When I am facing challenges and obstacles, I turn to the people I can rely on most; my amazing team. Being a Co-Exponential™ leader means you have an empowered team, and your team members are your peers who can help alleviate the burden that stress causes. A great leader acknowledges that he does not have all the answers, and that’s ok, but within his team, or extended team, together we’ve got this. Creating a safe and inclusive environment within a team empowers the team to speak up and say uncomfortable things, often the ‘elephants in the room,’ which can then unlock answers and help the team conquer those big hills together. We support our clients in getting 10X outcomes because it takes the same time to target 10X as it does a 5-10% improvement.
- What sets your company apart from the rest of the market? Do you believe in diversifying?
We don’t just say it, we completely believe in the power of the team. So much so, that we believe that anything is possible when the team is aligned. Our mantra is To The Power Of Team and that represents the exponential impact the right teaming behaviors have on achieving outcomes. It’s truly an amazing sight to unleash the latent value that sits within a client team and have them go on to achieve 10X outcomes. Through our team coaching – which is practical and business outcome-focused – we are able to show them what is truly possible when they apply our research in practical ways.
While many consulting companies try and fail to solve problems for a company, forcing solutions, ending an engagement with a phone book of recommendations, we facilitate the team through live discussions on their business priorities, using master facilitation and whilst simultaneously coaching new practices and tools to help them work more efficiently, joyfully, and impactfully. Our facilitation, tools, and practices are proven to help executives and teams hit their business goals in a faster and more agile way, freeing up time, alleviating burnout, and ultimately improving their lives. Who wouldn’t want that? I honestly believe that if more teams practiced this, it could transform society.
- Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your person and organisation?
In addition to my several certifications in behaviour change, Neuro Linguistic Programming and Executive Coaching, I have been featured in and won awards with CIO today, Mirror Review, CEO Today, and more. That said, the ultimate rewards for me is seeing the powerful impact we are able to help teams make, unlocking new ways of working, which make their work more joyful and supercharge their business results. The most important impact we have is the exponential impact we help our clients achieve.
- Where do you see your organisation in the years to come? How do plan to respond to the lows that followed the pandemic?
The pandemic really just highlighted a lot of the problems that had been unaddressed for years and taken as the norm. Many companies had plans for the future but never jumped in and started making practical and much needed changes, for fear of falling behind in the market. The pandemic forced everyone out of their comfort zone in a way we’ve never seen before, forcing innovation and new ways of working. Indeed, I wrote an article on how much it accelerated change and transformation in organizations. It was scary but also very exciting. We at Redefine Winning are always evolving and our extensive research always keeps us steps ahead. It’s our job to bring those ideas to the market in service of supporting our clients. We want to be able to share best practices and new ways of working with as many individuals, teams, and organizations as we can to help them have better work-life balance, greater enjoyment, broader diversity and inclusion in their teams, and ultimately 10X their goals and results! AI is the next big area and our research project in that space, along with the impact it will have on teams and teaming competencies is a must-read for leaders, managers, and team members alike.
- What is your advice to budding entrepreneurs who wish to kick-start their careers?
At one time in my life I was young and figuring myself out. I thought that the people who “made it” were the ones that had it figured out right away, with grad school plans lined up and such. What I’ve found is that there is an inherent success present in the entrepreneurial spirit. While many people go into a field simply for the sake of money, expectations, or status, entrepreneurs often start off with something they’re passionate about and perhaps even love. Unfortunately, that niche isn’t easily manufactured for many and takes quite a bit of trial and error. Entrepreneurs should love something so much that they’re willing to bring a unique selling point, one that brings something new to the table. You should love what you’re doing so much until the long hours, chasing clients, getting rejected, and potential months of stagnation become worth it and digestible. While it’s important to break the ceiling, you must also play by the rules set in place by the market. I’ve had many mentors in my life who’ve inspired me and given me the tools to eventually start my own business. Even though competition is at an all-time high and the market is saturated, young entrepreneurs have additional media tools and resources that I didn’t have. Take advantage of the internet at your fingertips! And lastly, be good to yourself because it’s the only way that both your success and longevity can be sustained.
