koi consulting

Empowering Leadership
and Team Development

At Koi Consulting, we specialise in transforming leadership and team dynamics. Our mission is to cultivate working cultures where conversations foster shared understanding and promote continuous learning and growth.

Our Philosophy
We believe that effective leadership and team skills are essential for creating environments grounded in authenticity and respect. By solving problems collaboratively, we build stronger, more resilient teams.

Leadership Development

Our bespoke Leadership Development programmes are designed to enhance the qualities of current and future leaders. Our philosophy is that Leadership is not a position. How every person at every level of your organisation shows up impacts on your organisational culture and ultimately your business results.

Team Development

We empower team leaders and their teams to cultivate stronger connections, enhance team dynamics, and develop the vital skills required to align their efforts, achieve meaningful objectives, and excel collectively.

Executive Coaching

A one-to-one confidential engagement with a qualified coach tailored to enhance skills which achieve behavioural change and develop a leadership mindset.

koi consulting

Transforming Work Cultures

15 years and growing!

Impact on Wellbeing and Performance
The behaviours of managers and leaders directly influence employee wellbeing and performance. According to Gallup Research (2022), teams that feel their organization cares about their wellbeing achieve higher customer engagement, profitability, and productivity, while experiencing lower turnover and fewer safety incidents.Real Results
Our leadership development programmes and coaching sessions bring about real changes in mindset and skills. Clients consistently report significant improvements in how they think, feel, and operate both in the workplace and in their personal lives.Join Us
Experience the transformative power of effective leadership and team development with Koi Consulting. Let's build a future where every conversation leads to growth and every relationship is rooted in respect.

Koi Consulting was established in 2009. The name was chosen in reference to a Koi Carp’s growth being directly related to the health of its environment. This symbolizes our commitment to creating healthy, thriving work environments where both individuals and teams can flourish.

What our clients have to say about Koi

© Koi Consulting. Reg Bus No. 474156. All rights reserved.

koi consulting

Transforming Work Cultures

15 years and growing!

Isolde Norris, Leadership and Team Coach at Koi, spent 12 years in a large cyber security multinational, where she was recognised as a leader who put a strong focus on people. She designed and implemented a culture change programme which improved employee morale, introduced new ways of working, and brought significant increases in performance. Isolde saw the potential for managers to shape work environments, trained as an executive coach.Isolde and Eimear Carney met as facility members of the Trinity College MBA coaching panel. They first collaborated under the Koi banner in 2020, designing a bespoke Women in Leadership programme for Irish Rail, called Emerge. As a team, Isolde and Eimear share a philosophy on leadership which has enabled them to develop their female leader talent offerings and expand them for all genders.

Isolde is a qualified Executive and Team Coach accredited at Master Level with the Association for Coaching. She holds an MSc in Business and Team coaching.She coaches senior leaders and teams from a diverse range of industry sectors including; Technology, Pharmaceutical, Telecom, Legal, Health, Fisheries, Travel, Agri-Food, Professional Services, Universities and not for profit.
Having spent 12 years in a large Software multinational, in a range of management and leadership positions, she designed and implemented a successful culture change program resulting in improved employee morale, new ways of working and significant increases in performance. This experience ignited her interest and continued passion for organisational development and led her to re-train as an executive coach.
Her development as a coach has been informed by a number of disciplines and experiences. She has an MSc in Executive and Team Coaching. She also holds an MBA and many years management experience working in a high pace, high change, global environment. This gives her the coaching, business and organisational competencies required to effectively support her clients.
Her coach training is grounded in the Gestalt process and this strongly influences her approach. She has also trained in yoga, meditation, energy and somatic practices which deepen her knowledge and ability to work with clients at a deeper level when they feel stuck.
She works with clients on their Emotional Intelligence as research shows it is a predictor of performance. The essential principles incorporate self-awareness, personal responsibility, personal power, non-judgement of self and others, being present, kindness and the importance of boundaries. These are the foundation for all emotional intelligence competencies including building self-esteem, self-confidence and well-being.

Eimear is a qualified Executive and Team Coach accredited at Professional Executive level with the Association for Coaching. She holds an MSc in Personal and Management Coaching.
She coaches developing and senior leaders and teams across a diverse range of public sector departments, Health, Transport, Technology, Professional Services, Engineering, Universities, Insurance and not for profit.
With a Bachelors of Commerce and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Eimear qualified as an Accountant with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Prior to transitioning into her career in executive coaching, Eimear’s 25-year business career included finance, marketing and general management positions in Diageo PLC and Life Sciences.
As an Executive and Team Coach, Eimear supports clients to build leadership capability whilst thinking strategically about how they need to change themselves, their teams or their wider organisation with careful consideration of their specific context, stakeholder engagement and the impact of that change on others.
Eimear has a special interest in executive education  focused on   developing leadership capability.  Her practice includes being both Facilitator and Coach on business and leadership development programmes including Trinity Business School’s International Growth Programme, Skillsnet Women ReBoot and Irish Rail ‘Women in Leadership’ Programme. She is also a Registered Volunteer Coach with the European Mentoring & Coaching Council, supporting Social Entrepreneurs through Ashoka Coaching for Changemakers programme.
A certified practitioner in assessment tools including emotional intelligence, TTI Success Insights and 6 Team Conditions, Eimear utilises these to provide clients with insights that support professional and personal growth and confidence.

Executive Coaching

The art of successful coaching is to enable the person being coached take ownership and problem solve for themselves.

The purpose of coaching is to bring about growth, development and change. Coaching is about inspiring independence and resourcefulness.Topics people bring to coaching sessions include:• Building confidence
• Transitioning to a new role
• Developing skills in delegating and time management
• Dealing with conflict and difficult conversations
• Developing as a team leader
• Dealing with ‘difficult’ colleagues or employees
• Gaining clarity on career pathTypically, clients receive four to six coaching sessions and an Emotional Intelligence individual or 360 assessments. Sessions are ninety minutes in length and take place every four weeks in person or online.

Leadership Development

How every person at every level of your organisation shows up impacts on your organisational culture and ultimately your business results. Developing leadership capability in your organisation is the catalyst for transformational change. The process opens new possibilities and increases optimism by empowering and energizing your people.Our approach to Leadership Development encompasses the principles of being present, getting to know yourself, getting to know others and connecting to the big picture. Self-awareness developed via curiosity is integral to the process.

We can support you with:
• Leadership Development Programmes
• Women in Leadership Programmes
• Individual Executive Coaching engagements
• Executive Coaching Programmes
• High-potential Coaching ProgrammesOur programme design is based on our core Koi leadership development framework. We develop and adapt our programmes, based on the desired organisational outcomes and key learning objectives identified in a co-create stage with key stakeholders.See Programmes for specific examples.

Our Leadership Development ProgrammeLife teaches us to develop strategies and ways of being in the world that work for us and have enabled us to achieve what we have so far. Leadership Development is a process of raising awareness of what has shaped you, acknowledging these strategies and honouring them. From this place of increased self-awareness you create choices and new possibilities for your leadership presence and impact. It’s about becoming more of who you are; accessing more of your potential to impact your team, organisation, and the broader environment.Leadership Development Programme Overview

Team Development

Effective teams not only meet or exceed expectations of their clients. They foster an environment that supports learning, growth and well-being. They get better over time.

Organisations achieve their full potential when individuals within the business connect, communicate and work together effectively. Effective Teamwork is vital for success. However, teams often fail to reach their full potential. This results in a frustrating, sometimes demotivating experience for the individuals in the team and reduced performance for the entire team.We take a Systemic Team Coaching approach to working with teams. We guide the leader and team members through a process of evaluating their environment, context and working relationships. Based on the outcomes of this Discovery phase, we work with the team to define and implement appropriate interventions for the purpose of achieving better performance, improved business results and/or transformation of the business.

Action Learning

A highly effective way to develop individuals and leaders, solve difficult problems, build teams and enable organisational learning.

The concept of Action Learning was developed in the 1940’s by Dr Reg Revan. He recognised that managers are people of action and in the right environment and with the right structure, managers can help each other learn. The power of Action Learning comes from people resolving and taking action on problems in real time.The process: A group of six to eight people working at comparable levels of responsibility meet regularly for a contracted number of meetings to work on real situations and problems that they are dealing with.The process enables people to hear their own story differently, to understand and create different responses, and to become more self-aware and open to different possibilities in themselves and others. Fundamentally, it enables them to take action.

Coaching Supervision

We provide one-to-one, group and corporate in-house coaching supervision.Supervision on a 1-1 or group basis is a formal opportunity for coaches to confidentially reflect on their practice to gain insight, support and direction for themselves and thereby enabling them to better work in the service of their clients.

Supervision has 3 functions.• The development function is concerned with building the capacity and skill of the coach.• The resourcing function allows the coach to attend to the emotional aspects of their work.• The qualitative function is about the quality of work, including ethical standards.Supervision is considered best-practice for coaches. Evidence of supervision is required by coaching professional bodies for accreditation and increasingly corporate clients and procurement specialists are making evidence of regular supervision part of their quality assurance process.For organisations with internal coaches, our experience is that in-house supervision facilitates peer coaches to share experiences of coaching within the organisation and build a strong peer support network.

Psychometric Assessments

We offer a range of Emotional Intelligence and Team psychometrics to facilitate awareness-raising. Psychometric assessments empower leaders and teams to engage in honest, transformative conversations about their development. To find out more about these assessments or to engage us to complete an assessment and debrief with you, please contact us.

Isolde and Eimear hold Level A & B certification with the British Psychological Society. We hold certification across the following individual and team assessments.

Emotional Capital Report - Roche MartinThe Roche Martin Emotional Capital Report is a set of psychometric tools that signifies an innovation in the measurement of leadership behaviours. Several ECR reports are available including the ECR Self-assessment and the ECR 360 Multi-Rater Report. They use a broad evaluation methodology, making it ideal for leadership development programs, executive coaching, and personal development.Each report provides a comprehensive interpretation of scores on 10 emotional intelligence skills linked to leadership along with narrative descriptions of the leadership behaviours associated with the score. They also offer tailored coaching strategies for developing emotional intelligence and an action plan and personal blueprint for systematically building emotional intelligence.Additionally, with the ECR360, you see how you are rated by yourself, your manager, peers, direct reports and others. Rater scores compared to your own scores yield a gap analysis and an understanding of differences in self/other perception. Finally, a verbatim section allows raters to elaborate on responses anonymously.

TEAM DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY – 6 Team ConditionsThe Team Diagnostic Survey can be used for any kind of team, and its purpose is to measure the handful of team features that are most consequential for team effectiveness. This scientifically validated diagnostic surveys give you rapid insights into how you can take your team to the next level.

Everything DiSC - A Wiley BrandDiSC is a model that helps us understand different behavioural styles - our behavioural style influences what we perceive as being important, it influences how we communicate, how we make decisions, how we approach our work and how we interact with others. We use the Wiley Everything Disc assessment.

EQ360The EQ 360 assessment provides a more in-depth analysis by gathering information from an individual’s work colleagues, manager and direct reports, resulting in a more complete 360-degree profile.EQ-i 2.0EQ-i 2.0 is the leading emotional intelligence assessment used in recruitment, coaching and leadership development. It provides an in-depth understanding of an individual’s emotional functioning in five broad areas of Self-perception; Self-expression; Interpersonal; Decision Making; and Stress Management.

EMOTIONS AND BEHAVIOURS AT WORK (EBW) FOR INDIVIDUALS AND TEAMS:EBW is a Business Emotional Intelligence assessment that is a practical, work based approach to Emotional Intelligence that helps individuals and teams understand why people behave the way they do and how to maximise their engagement with, and performance at, work.Business Emotional Intelligence or Business EQ focuses on the critical emotions and underlying behavioural traits that predict occupational performance.The key to the Business Emotional Intelligence is self awareness and awareness of others, it explains peoples’ capability to manage their emotions and behaviours at work and what effect it has on their potential and their performance.The practical, straightforward approach of Business Emotional Intelligence, with its engaging and accessible business language, makes it ideal for leaders and teams to quickly understand how critical emotions and behaviours impact on the success of themselves and others.Business Emotional Intelligence consist eight main Emotional Behavioural Clusters that focus on the emotional drives and behaviours that predict success. These are Decisiveness, Motivation, Influence, Adaptability, Empathy, Conscientiousness, Stress Resilience and Self Awareness.

BELBIN TEAM ROLESDr Meredith Belbin and his team discovered that there are nine clusters of behaviour – these were called ‘Team Roles’. Each team needs access to each of the nine Team Role behaviours to become a high performing team.However, this doesn’t mean that every team requires nine people!Most people will have two or three Team Roles that they are most comfortable with, and this can change over time. Each Team Role has its strengths and weaknesses, and each has equal importance.By using Belbin, individuals have a greater self-understanding of their strengths, which leads to more effective communication between colleagues and managers.

Programmes

Leadership Development

This six-day programme is designed for mid-level leaders looking to develop their leadership efficacy in their current roles and provide them with the knowledge and skill to advance their leadership careers.

PERFORMANCE COACHING SKILLS FOR MANAGERS

A combination of theory and experiential learning, providing participants with the tools and frameworks required to understand when coaching is appropriate.

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

Specifically designed with the female leader in mind. We place an emphasis on the personal development side of leadership.

Mentor training

Mentoring is "a learning relationship, involving the sharing of skills, knowledge, and expertise between a mentor and mentee through developmental conversations, experience sharing, and role modelling” (EMCC).

Managing Emotionally Charged Conversations

This workshop will equip participants with the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage emotionally charged conversations. To communicate effectively in these types of situations, whilst also taking care of themselves.

TEAM BUILDING for EVERYTHING DiSC©

Promote collaboration through increased awareness of team strengths and preferred working styles.

DELIVERING WITH IMPACT - BEING STRATEGIC WITH TIME

The purpose of this workshop is to equip participants with the tools and knowledge to:(1) evaluate what constitutes a good use of their time i.e. what is the impact?(2) make informed and strategic choices about how they use their time

Wellbeing and Resilience in your Workplace

Flex your cognitive, emotional and behavioural response to adversityThis workshop is designed for people managers and their teams who want to develop resilience, both personally and collectively in a workplace context.

INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND EXECUTIVE PRESENCE

This workshop is designed for people managers and leaders who want to develop an inspirational leadership style to motivate and engage their people and empower them to lead the organisation effectively.

Contact us to find out more about these programmes or to discuss any bespoke requirements you may have.

Leadership Development Programme OverviewThe programme takes a systemic approach to leadership, helping participants recognize how their role as leaders is about them as individuals, their relationship with their teams whilst also having a wider impact across and beyond the organisational system. Participants are invited to explore how they can influence ways of working at a team and system level and consider how they can develop the practices and capabilities to lead for something that matters to them and that has a positive impact on the wider society.Programme Structure with Aims and Learning Outcomes
• 6 non-consecutive workshop days (in-person).
• Individual Emotional Intelligence assessment debrief (virtual meeting).
• 3 Individual Executive Coaching sessions (virtual meeting).
• In addition to course materials being provided in advance each day, participants are invited to develop their goal plans between workshops and to maintain a reflection diary.
• We also encourage participants to discuss their goal plans and progress with their line manager for additional feedback and guidance.

Workshop One:
Setting the Stage for Leadership Development and Group Formation. Understanding Wellbeing and Leadership.Workshop One is about setting the group up for success by getting to know each other better and putting the foundations in place that create psychological safety. We explore our shared ‘whys’ for the group, set group and individual objectives and agree ways of working. We use our KOI Leadership Framework as a guide to explore what leadership means and we explore the concept and role of wellbeing in leadership effectiveness.Workshop Outcomes:• Establish group norms and relationships to promote psychological safety.
• Explore what leadership means and develop a leadership vision.
• Develop awareness of what has shaped individual leadership styles and preferences.
• Introduce Resilience as a core leadership skill and understand the link between leadership and wellbeing in the workplace.
• Set personal Leadership goals.

Workshop Two:
Developing Leadership Presence and ImpactWorkshop Two focuses on the personal development side of leadership, inviting participants to gain increased awareness around their strengths, values and needs. We explore the underlying challenges and personal barriers that typically hold managers back at work and support participants in developing their knowledge and skills to overcome these barriers in a way that is authentic to their personal strengths and values.Workshop Outcomes:• Understanding of personal emotional intelligence and leadership style strengths and development opportunities.
• Deeper understanding of emotional needs and drivers and how this influences our leadership style and impact.
• Exploration of personal values and how they shape our leadership style.
• Appreciation of different leadership styles and preferences
• Understanding of cognitive bias
• Updated goal plans

Workshop Three:
Developing Self and OthersWorkshop Three explores the role of the leader in developing and motivating themselves and others. We provide a useful model to help participants understand how they can reduce interference to performance in themselves and others.
Developing self and others implies change. Using a research-based framework we explore the stages of change we need to go through to achieve behavioural change.
We also introduce core skills that every leader needs to be effective, such as active listening, giving and receiving feedback, structuring conversations.Workshop Outcomes:• Understanding of how to support self and others through change.
• Understanding of how our inner critic impacts our confidence and performance and how to better manage it for self and others.
• Development of core leadership skills including structuring conversations, active listening and giving and receiving feedback.
• Updated goal plans.

Workshop Four:
Building and Leading Effective TeamsWorkshop Four is about building and leading effective teams. Participants are provided with practical frameworks that support them in evaluating the teams they currently belong too; identify how they can support these teams to be better and what role they can play in setting up their own effective teams.
We explore the value of difference in teams, how this creates discomfort but if managed well, will ultimately produce better teams.
We explore the dynamics that exist in teams and organisations and how they can navigate these more effectively.Workshop Outcomes:• Understanding of role of the leader in the stages of a team’s development.
• Understanding of how to develop effective teams and address the structural issues that lead to conflict in teams.
• Introduction to conflict styles and how these can be flexed for different situations.

Workshop Five:
Influencing and Relationships across the Organisational SystemWorkshop Five introduces a toolkit of skills that enables leaders to develop their network of stakeholder relationships and communication skills that can be used to foster innovation and change. It explores the importance of developing and maintaining strategic relationships across and outside the organizational system to be an effective leader.Workshop Outcomes:• Roadmap for developing stronger strategic network within and outside the organization.
• Empowered to establish stronger executive presence through how they engage with and influence others, including skills in managing upwards.
• Introduction to the dynamics of conflict and how to engage with them effectively.

Workshop Six
Personal Brand, Review and Next StepsWorkshop Six is about endings and new beginnings. Endings are often skipped over, yet they are an important stage in relationships. We reflect on all that has been learned and achieved over the programme. We introduce a Personal Branding model and set development goals for the year ahead.
Each participant presents their elevator pitch to the group. We also suggest that senior leaders from the organization attend this.Workshop Outcomes:• Understanding of importance of Personal Brand and how to develop it
• Reflection on achievements
• Development plan for year ahead and identify an accountability partner for the year ahead
• Reflect on group learnings and achievements

Performance Coaching Skills for ManagersThis programme is designed for people managers, project managers and professionals who want to develop coaching skills to engage employees more effectively and support them in developing their performance.Managers who develop their coaching skills have better quality conversations not just with employees but with all key stakeholders. Benefits include increased employee engagement, increased levels of motivation, improvements in employee well-being and happiness, development of skills and improved performance.Initial findings from research reported in Harvard Business Review shows that most managers were not equipped to coach employees due to a lack of understanding of what coaching actually is. However the study found that these skills can be learned.What you will learn on this programme
Definition and the role of coaching in business and organisational contexts
Differences between coaching and mentoring
Principles of coaching, coaching tools and methods
Coaching for employee engagement, performance and motivation
The psychology of change and how this applies to you and your employees in business
Manager as coach and flexing leadership styles
Using coaching skills to develop your teamTraining Approach
Our approach is a combination of theory and experiential learning, providing participants with the tools and frameworks required to understand when coaching is appropriate; to hold effective coaching conversations; and to use a coaching approach for talent development and management. As well as providing an overview of the latest coaching theory and practice models, participants identify their own development agenda and experience being coached in relation to personal career goals. Feedback is offered on progress throughout the programme alongside learning how to develop teams. Practice and reflection are key elements in the adult learning process. Our approach is to engage participants actively in coach practice – both on the programme and over the four month period of the training.Delegates complete 6 hours performance coaching and a 1000-word essay reflecting on their coach practice and use of coaching skills, tools and methods. This is to be submitted within four weeks of programme completion. Support will be available throughout the programme and a recommended reading list is provided.Programme Details
Duration: 4 months, accommodating up to 12 participants per programme. Format: Three workshops which can be delivered in-person or virtually.Workshop one is a 2-day programme, workshops two and three are 1-day each.Antoinette Moriarty, Programme Director, Law Society Skillnet said:“The Law Society Finuas Skillnet Coaching Skills Programme for Managers was well received by all participants. The lead trainers were exceptional and were considered skilful, relational and supportive by all participants. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with KOI for future coaching skills programmes.”

Women in Leadership Development ProgrammeBring your Authentic Self to your Leadership Style“Women lead best when operating from an authentic place, expressing their true self as experienced from within” (Judith Blanton, 2009).Our women in leadership programmes are specifically designed with the female leader in mind. We place an emphasis on the personal development side of leadership, inviting participants to gain increased awareness around their strengths, values and needs. We explore the underlying challenges and personal barriers that typically hold women back at work and support participants in developing their knowledge and skills to overcome these barriers in a way that is authentic to their personal strengths and values.In our experience, the consistent themes that emerge for women at all career stages include Imposter syndrome; Perfectionism; Stress Management; Self-promotion; Self-confidence; Managing Career and Family priorities. Our experience is supported by various research studies.Research also shows that social conditioning is a factor that influences differences in male and female leadership styles. The research suggests that men are more self-oriented, while women are more community-focused (Forbes 2000). With increased self-awareness and awareness of the organisational system and dynamics, a leader is better equipped to make intentional choices around their style, desired impact and appropriate approach.Workshop 1: Setting the Stage for Leadership Development and Group Formation. Workshop One is about setting the group up for success by getting to know each other better and putting the foundations in place that create psychological safety. We introduce a framework for effective leadership, recognising that leadership is everyone’s job in an organisation. We share models for Career Planning, Goal Setting and Resilience.Workshop 2: Developing Individual Leadership Presence and Impact. Workshop Two focuses on developing a deeper understanding of emotional needs, drivers and values. This is the foundation to understanding ourselves and from here we can understand what is authentic for us as female leaders. Each participant completes an Emotional Intelligence assessment and has an individual debrief meeting with their assigned coach in advance of workshop Three.Workshop 3: Developing Self and Others. Workshop Three explores the role of the leader in developing themselves and others and developing competence in performance management. We explore the role of on-going quality conversations as a key skill set for leaders to inspire and motivate others and foster a growth mindset culture. We introduce core coaching skills and a useful model to help participants understand how they can reduce interference to performance and resistance to change in themselves and others.Workshop 4: Building and Leading Effective Teams. Workshop Four is about building and leading effective teams. We will explore the dynamics that exist in teams and how managers can navigate these more effectively. Participants will develop an understanding of the dynamics at play in the organisational system and how they can manifest as so called ‘personality’ issues. Drawing on a research-based team development model, participants will learn the six conditions that account for 60-90% of team effectiveness.Workshop 5: Influencing and Relationships across the Organisational System. Workshop Five explores the importance of developing and maintaining strategic relationships across and outside the organisational system. We also focus on the role of strategic and critical thinking skills in leadership effectiveness.Workshop 6: Developing your Personal Brand. Reflection and next steps in your leadership journey. Workshop Six is also about endings and new beginnings. Endings are often skipped over, yet they are an important stage in relationships. Reflection in encouraged throughout the programme and is re-enforced in this final workshop.Participants explores the importance of actively managing their professional image and the role personal brand has in our career and leadership effectiveness.Certificates of attendance will be provided.Programme Details
Duration: 6 months. Format: 6 x 1-day workshops. Delivered every 4 weeks – in-person or virtually. 3 x 1-hour one-to-one coaching sessions plus an Emotional Intelligence debrief meeting for each participant. Participants: Up to 16 participants per programme.Linda Allen, Head of Talent, Irish Rail said:
“The ‘Emerge’ Women in Leadership programme has exceeded my expectations in supporting Irish Rail’s mission to develop the female talent pipeline in the organisation. The focus on developing the person first, then the leader is what sets this programme apart. Participants have described it as having a transformational impact on both their personal and professional lives. They have developed leadership skills across 16 areas including self-awareness, confidence, executive presence and impact, managing conflict and team leadership skills. The programme has also provided a platform to create an engaged support network of female leaders which we will develop across the organisation.”

Mentor TrainingWe offer Mentor and Peer Mentor training and supervision. We provide new mentors with the knowledge and skills to mentor others in their organisation or team. By further supporting mentors with supervision, we ensure that they are attending to the developmental, resourcing and qualitative aspects of mentoring.
This works equips managers with an overview of the stages of a mentoring relationship, and the core skills and knowledge they need to feel confident in entering a mentoring relationship.Workshop Outcomes:• Understand what mentoring is and is not.
• Understand the role of the mentor and mentee.
• Understand the boundaries of a mentoring relationship.
• Understand the stages of a mentoring (developmental) relationship.
• Understand the core skills of structuring a conversation, listening and questioning skills.
• Feel prepared for first meeting.

Managing Emotionally Charged ConversationsThe workshop approaches the situations from two viewpoints.
Firstly, acknowledging how complex the organisational system that they operate in can be, we step back and explore the relational dynamics and context at play with key stakeholder(s) and ultimately identify one relationship that often ends up feeling emotionally charged.
Then we introduce skills and frameworks that enable participants to think about how they would like to manage the situations. How they would like to be before, during and after these interactions. There is a focus on building personal resilience and understanding mindset so that they can manage their responses to the situation and the other person appropriately.
Finally, by utilising the new knowledge and frameworks, they have an opportunity to role-play a selected situation. They will be better equipped to navigate the conversations effectively towards a desired outcome while also ensuring that personal needs are attended to.

Team Building with EVERYTHING DiSC©Promote collaboration through increased awareness of team strengths and preferred working styles.Everything DiSC® is a personal development learning experience that measures preferences and tendencies based on the DiSC® model. This simple yet powerful model describes four basic styles: D (Dominance), I (Influence), S (Steadiness), and C (Conscientiousness).Participants receive personalized insights that deepen their understanding of self and others, making workplace interactions more enjoyable and effective.The result is a more engaged, collaborative workforce that can spark meaningful culture improvement in your organization, whether your workforce is remote, in the office, or somewhere in between.What you will learn on this programmeThe strengths of each of the four DiSC© profiles.Strategies for working effectively with different profiles.Explore the strengths of the team.Explore the challenges of the team.Agree ways of working that promote more effective team work.Details
1.5-hour interactive workshop. Participants complete and receive their DiSC© profile reports in advance of the workshop.

The purpose of this workshop is to equip participants with the tools and knowledge to:evaluate what constitutes a good use of their time i.e. what is the impact?
make informed and strategic choices about how they use their time.Key Topics
Being busy versus making an impact
Have you ever felt like you are getting nothing done, yet you are constantly busy? Do you tend to have multiple to-do lists? We explore frameworks that will help you evaluate your to-do list to ensure that you are focusing not just on what is urgent but what is value-adding.The organisation system – Key Stakeholder RelationshipsWhen we are focused on the busy demands of our role, it is easy to forget that our role is part of a larger organisational system. We depend on others and others depend on us to get things done. Ultimately, we are all working to achieve the goals of the organisation. However, in reality the operational priorities of different groups are different, and this causes challenges. Effective stakeholder relationships are fundamental to making an impact.Understanding the Bigger Picture and Setting GoalsGoals help us decide what to focus on. To prioritise effectively, it’s important to understand the strategic goals of the organisation, your department and your key stakeholders. How do the goals of your role fit into the bigger picture? We look at the purpose of setting career and personal goals in defining your ‘bigger picture’.Role of Self-careWhen it comes to being effective, there is a misconception that the key to getting ahead is by doing more. Our motivation, focus, memory, and decision-making are all affected by our mental, physical, and emotional health. Learning to get balance is key to our effectiveness. Developing a consistent self-care routine will not only help avoid burnout, it can also help you ramp up your productivity.

Wellbeing and Resilience in your WorkplaceUnderstand why wellbeing is so important for you personally, as a leader, and within teams and organisations. Explore the dimensions of wellbeing, workplace challenges that deplete it and strategies for building it.Flex your cognitive, emotional and behavioural response to adversity to both develop and maintain appropriate resilience levels to support you in the workplace.
This workshop is designed for people managers and their teams who want to develop resilience, both personally and collectively in a workplace context.This half or 1-day workshop is designed for people managers and their teams who want to develop resilience, both personally and collectively in a workplace context. It introduces the concept of resilience and uses a framework to build personal, team and organisational resilience. We focus on exploring individual or team response to adversity, workplace pressure and stress, drawing on situations identified by participants. Our attitudes and beliefs lie at the heart of resilience, so we focus on the thoughts and feelings that drive behaviours during difficult or challenging situations. We end by considering personal goals and supports that help ensure the most appropriate response to adversity.What you will learn on this programme• Understand Dimensions of Wellbeing
• Definition and the key building blocks of resilience
• How to build personal resilience including development of a personal resilience plan
• Use of mindfulness to build mindful practices that support you when you’re anxious or stressed
• Understand team resilience and how managers can support teams to build and stay resilience before, during and after challenging and uncertain times
• An organisational approach to resilience, identifying positive and negative work pressures and how they impact it
• Organisational supports that build workplace resilience through lens of individual, leader, team and wider organisation, especially during periods of volatility and changeDetails½ or 1 day workshop delivered virtually or in-personMichael Neenan and Wendy Dryden, 2009 said:“While many factors affect the development of resilience, the most important one is the attitude you adopt to deal with adversity. Therefore attitude (meaning) is the heart of resilience”

Inspirational Leadership and Executive Presence“Many of us are taught to do our best and then let the world decide how to judge us. I think it’s better to do your best and decide how you want to be judged. And act that way.” Seth Godin, American author and former dot com business executive.This half or one-day workshop is designed for people managers and leaders who want to develop an inspirational leadership style to motivate and engage their people and allow them to lead the organisation effectively. As well as developing a personal vision for leadership, we will consider a core component of effective leadership, how to exhibit executive presence in the workplace. Executive presence is considered to be a vital element needed to genuinely inspire others and findings from research published by the British Psychological Society (Amanda Potter) identified its specific qualities. We will introduce these and also challenge participants to consider how they can leverage their own executive presence to influence and inspire others.What you will learn on this programme• Introducing leadership as a skillset and a mindset, not a position. We identify what inspirational leaders do• Intrapersonal and interpersonal traits and qualities of inspirational leadership• Develop your personal vision for inspiring leadership• Developing your personal brand: introducing core career principles and how we present and manage perceptions and build connections• How to develop and exhibit the four key building blocks of executive presence• Leveraging your executive presence by developing and flexing you influencing and negotiating skillDetails½ or 1 day workshop delivered virtually or in-person

Testimonials

koi consulting

Transforming Work Cultures

Since 2009, Koi has partnered with a broad client base to inspire and empower leaders. They turn to us for support throughout every stage of their leadership development, whether personal, team-based, or organisational, to unlock potential and achieve lasting impact. Here are a few examples of some of the kind things clients have said about working with Koi Consulting.

Brian Kirwan, Director of Globalization & Development for Symantec, Ireland said:“The results have been transformative”.

Adam Smith, Global Program Manager for Microsoft Corporate (Commercial) Card Program said:“It was absolutely fantastic”.

Katrin Drescher, Director of Globalisation for Tenable said:“I feel empowered and energized through working with them”.

Ann-Marie O’Neill, Managing Partner, O’Donnell O’Neill Hospitality Design said:"This has had a huge impact on the culture of the company”.

See the full testimonials here.

Testimonials

"My team has worked with Isolde and KOI for 6 years and the experience has been transformative. We have always been a remote team and the dynamics are different than what you may be used to. Aligning goals, roles and teamwork are key to your success and Isolde and KOI will drive this alignment. One of the risks of a world in which everyone works more remotely is keeping teamwork and connections. Isolde can help you with that."Eric Bailey, Global Director of Travel, Venue Source and Payments, Microsoft"Isolde was an amazing part of the team who contributed to growing our culture and creating one of the best teams I have ever been a part of. She is thoughtful, focused and pushes to deliver excellence. It was absolutely fantastic working with Isolde and hope to do so again in the future."Adam Smith, Global Program Manager for Microsoft Corporate (Commercial) Card Program

Bord Iascaigh Mhara – the agency of the Irish state with responsibility for developing the Irish marine fishing and aquaculture industries.The Irish seafood sector operates in a dynamic global environment. Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s Horizon Programme is a management development programme which provides a platform to develop and support industry leaders, to give them the tools to create and maintain stable, sustainable and profitable businesses.Koi Business Coaching & Consulting provides Executive coaching, as an integral part of this programme, providing leaders with the support to create and work on their personalised Leadership Development Plans."Isolde guided us through the process of setting-up and running the coaching engagement using best practice, providing us with various options to best meet the needs of the programme.The majority of the participants had never worked with a coach before and didn’t know what to expect. Isolde delivered an interactive session on Leadership at a workshop in Dublin which introduced them to Emotional Intelligence. The workshop was followed by 4 individual coaching sessions over a period of 4 to 6 months.The feedback from the leaders was extremely positive. The coaching helped them look at themselves in a way they wouldn’t have before, develop different approaches and think differently about their roles as leaders in their businesses."– Pat O’Leary, Programme Director

O’Donnell O’Neill Hospitality Design, Dublin – a dynamic and creative Interior Architecture and Design Studio.Isolde worked with the Managing Partners of O’Donnell O’Neill Hospitality Design, a very successful creative Interior Architecture and Design Studio, at a time when they knew they needed to develop their organisation to support the growing demand for their services. They recognised that not doing so could result in them not being able to meet customer expectations which would damage their brand and ultimately their long-term viability."Isolde has shown me the effectiveness of empathy within our business. This has had a huge impact on the culture of the company and has helped us hugely with staff retention.We are now more confident in our management style and we have created clear structures for our staff in their roles in the company."– Ann-Marie O’Neill, Managing Partner, O’Donnell O’Neill Hospitality Design.

Symantec, Ireland – American multination that provides cybersecurity software and services.Isolde worked with the Globalization Director and his leadership team to support them in delivering a new organisation structure and develop a culture that was delivery focused and proactive. Due to broader organisational changes, the requirements of this department were redefined mid-way through. This added to the complexity. Despite this, the department continued to deliver on organisational goals and targets and the objectives of building a high performing leadership team were achieved."For any leader looking to create a truly high performing team environment and take their team to the next level in terms of empowerment, openness, trust and ultimately results, I’d highly recommend working with Isolde. I took on a new global leadership role a few years ago, one where I knew I would have to lead major change. I asked Isolde to work with me to leverage her expertise as a change expert and executive coach. In this time, Isolde has helped me as a leader and my leadership team lead and navigate major global changes successfully. Isolde’s executive coaching/team coaching expertise has had a hugely positive impact on the leadership team, working with us to identify priority areas where we wanted to improve and helping us get there. The results have been transformative – the team is high performing, we’re releasing more products in better quality than ever, and doing it more efficiently than ever before."– Brian Kirwan, Director Globalization & Development.

Good Shepherd, Cork – providing services for women, children and families who are homeless or vulnerable to homelessnessIsolde has worked with Good Shepherd Cork on a voluntary basis since late 2017 supporting the management team in developing a Strategic Plan for the organisation, in team development work with the Management Team and is guiding them through a review of the organisational structure."We really appreciate and value Isolde’s professionalism and her calm style and easy, thoughtful manner. I, and the other members of the Management Team, have great confidence in her facilitation skills, her judgement and her organisational development expertise.I would be very pleased to recommend any organisation to avail of Isolde’s valuable and highly professional support."– Allison Aldred, CEO, Good Shepherd, Cork.

Coaching Skills for Managers ProgrammeKoi business coaching and consulting delivered a four-day coaching skills programme for The Law Society Finuas Skillnet in 2019. There has been over-whelming positive feedback from all course delegates."The Law Society Finuas Skillnet Coaching Skills Programme for Managers was well received by all participants. The lead trainers were exceptional and were considered skilful, relational and supportive by all participants. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with KOI for future coaching skills programmes."– Antoinette Moriarty, Programme Director, Law Society Finuas Skillnet.

Women in Leadership ProgrammeIsolde has been running Women in Leadership programmes since 2015. This programme is for women who want to put time and energy into reflecting on achievements so far in their careers and answer the question “where to from here?”. Koi Consulting create a structured, supportive, experiential and fun environment that is the catalyst for participants to learn and grow."I truly enjoyed attending the Women in Leadership Program. This course helped me in a journey of self-discovery and empowerment as a professional woman. What I found extremely helpful is that this journey was shared with other women in an environment of openness and understanding. This was only possible because of Pamela and Isolde who are extremely experienced and knowledgeable coaches. Thank you both for a great memorable experience."– Paola Rossi, Sr. HR Business Partner, Webroot."If you’re looking to learn something new about Leadership, but more particularly about yourself and would enjoy an empowering environment then this is the course for you. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the content, space, support and challenge and would highly recommend it to others."– Sinead Doherty, Senior Director, Symantec Corporation"Their training and coaching style is warm, grounded, with a deep emphasis on emotional intelligence and personal awareness – exactly what’s needed to make relationships and therefore organizations work. I feel empowered and energized through working with them, both in my personal life and at work."– Katrin Drescher, Director Globalisation, Tenable"I was delighted to participate in the programme. It was empowering and liberating. It gave me the confidence to get to a place where I want to be."– Angela Smith, BlueStar Consulting"This course has enabled me to challenge my beliefs and fears to make positive changes in my life."– Ann O’Connell, Irish Manufacturing Research"For me the Women in Leadership programme provided a compelling space and context to learn, reflect and grow, both personally and professionally. Pam and Isolde bring the perfect blend of challenge, guidance and reflection to help programme participants to raise their awareness of themselves and the environments in which they operate. It is in this increased awareness that real movement can occur.'– Annalisa O’Carroll, Executive Coach

Creative value cards

Koi Creative Value Cards

Value cards are practical tools designed to help individuals or groups identify, reflect on, and discuss their core values. These cards are used to facilitate conversations about what matters most — personally, professionally, or organisationally. Exploration of our values gives a deeper insight into our expectations of ourselves and others that can be the source of harmony or disagreement.Koi Creative Value Cards can be used in a variety of ways to explore a situation or challenge more deeply. The use of images and metaphors helps unlock fresh insights.

Koi Creative Value Cards

An Idea for Use:As an icebreaker, ask each person to choose a card and introduce themselves by sharing what attracted them to that particular card.

Koi Creative Value Cards

An Idea for Use:In pairs, each person chooses a card to introduce themselves. The other person then shares how the image and explanation impacted on them.

Koi Creative Value Cards

An Idea for Use:In a group setting, each person selects 1 or 2 core values and shares the behaviours they expect of themselves or others based on these values.

Koi Creative Value Cards

Value cards encourage meaningful dialogue, strengthen relationships, and improve overall team dynamics by helping uncover the motivations driving our behaviour and choicesThere are fifty beautifully made postcard-sized cards in each pack. Each card has a stimulating image on one side, and a word denoting a core value on the other. This provides an endless combination of insightful prompts for a variety of interpersonal explorations.Each pack of cards is supplied in its own linen bag for the price of €30 including delivery to any address in Ireland.

koi consulting

Transforming Work Cultures

news

Koi Consulting are excited to announce upcoming news pages which will soon be appearing here via Blogger.com

Resources

Be a facilitator not a dictator! Know how to drive performance.
Coaching is a powerful tool. It must be yielded at the right time and for the right reasons...Learn more

Wellbeing is a skillIt’s about how we feel about ourselves, our lives and how we cope with setbacks. Employers might wonder why they should care...Learn more

Pay attention to the power of your mindJames Allen, a British philosophical writer, and pioneer of the self-help movement once said: “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you”Learn more

Koi's BlogNews, updates, tips and best practice advice.Learn more

Be a facilitator not a dictator! Know how to drive performance
Coaching is a powerful tool. It must be yielded at the right time and for the right reasons.
A recent client of mine was finding it tough because every conversation with her manager turned into a coaching session. It was exhausting and had the opposite effect on raising her motivation levels. Sometimes she just needed him to provide some direction!
A coaching skillset should be considered part of a manager’s toolbox. When used appropriately it’s empowering and it facilitates growth, development, and change which ultimately results in performance improvement.So, when is coaching appropriate?
The art of successful coaching is to allow the person being coached to take ownership of the problem and solve it themselves. It’s all about inspiring independence and resourcefulness.
A good coach will encourage others to reflect on the situation at hand and draw on their own resources to move forward. If a manager attempts to directly solve team a member’s problems, the results tends to be short-lived, often with no impact at all, or can create a sense of dependence on the manager. It makes sense when you think about it -when we solve our own problems we take more ownership for the situation, we get a sense of achievement, and ultimately our belief in our own ability increases.
As coaches, when we tell someone what to do we are depriving them of the opportunity it learn and grow, we are implying that they do not have the necessary resources to work it out for themselves...and when is coaching not so appropriate?
There are times when a more direct approach is best, for example, if an individual lacks the skills or knowledge required to address the problem. In these situations, as their manager or mentor, it’s more effective to provide clear direction on what is required and potentially what needs to be done. Equally, if something is time-critical, it may be more beneficial to give the solution so that it can be completed quickly. This can also be used for a menial task or not truly a developmental opportunity.
However, the key is not to make this the default approach. The aim should be to get the individual to the point where a coaching conversation is appropriate because it is at this point that they take ownership and can really start to tap into their own potential.Manager as coach
The key to effective coaching is to develop self-awareness of your impact on others, and their impact on you. Also understanding the situation at hand will help you gauge if a coaching conversation is appropriate in this case. For example, is this an opportunity for the individual’s development? Do they have sufficient skills and knowledge to drive that development forward for themselves?
Know when to enter into a coaching conversation – understand your own impact, weigh up the situation and the individual involved. This will lead to a more fruitful outcome for all involved.

Wellbeing is a skillIt’s about how we feel about ourselves, our lives and how we cope with setbacks. Employers might wonder why they should care about the wellbeing of employees, is that not the employees’ responsibility? Whilst it is true that we are all ultimately responsible for taking care of our wellbeing, it is also true that workplace environmental factors play a key role, and these are the factors that employers can pay attention to, to support employees in maintaining their wellbeing. The fact that workplace wellbeing programmes are now a billion-dollar industry worldwide shows that many employers recognise the link between employee wellbeing and the wellbeing of their businesses.
One of my observations from working as an Executive Coach is that the avoidance of quality conversations in organisations is a key contributor to unhealthy work cultures. This avoidance stems from the assumption that such conversations will lead to conflict. However, this is only true if people do not have skills to hold these conversations effectively. What is also true is that the need for difficult conversations will be reduced if better quality conversations are happening in the first place.
A quality conversation is one in which all parties feel heard, there is a shared understanding of areas of agreement and areas of disagreement (that’s right, it’s not necessarily about reaching consensus), there is a shared understanding of what needs to be done, when and how, who is responsible, and the risks to the business of not meeting quality standards. These conversation principles apply to all workplace activities, whether it is about how the phone is answered, how client records are maintained or how client cases are managed.
The core skills of quality conversations are coaching skills.
Developing a culture of quality coaching conversations teaches people to actively listen to each other. Imagine a work environment where people have conversations that are focused are listening rather than speaking, where conversations are about building shared understanding so that employees can learn and grow, problems are solved collaboratively, quality standards are achieved and a mind-set of continuous learning and improvement are the norm.
It is an environment that facilitates stronger working relationships founded in trust, respect and support and that fosters real engagement between people – listening, hearing, curiosity and exploration, learning, growth, high quality and performance.

Pay attention to the power of your mindJames Allen, a British philosophical writer, and pioneer of the self-help movement once said:
“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you”
Although he died in 1912, I believe his words are still relevant today. How we think has an enormous impact on how we live our lives.
A few years ago, I was in my car listening to a lady on a radio show. She was going on and on about how depressed all her customers were “you see it in their faces”. This was at a time when the world economy has collapsed and there was doom and gloom in abundance.
Around this time, I had voluntarily left my permanent, pensionable job to setup my own coaching business. Some said I was crazy, others said I was brave (euphemism for crazy).
I was really positive about my decision; I knew it was the right one for me.
However, as I listened to that woman, I noticed my throat constricting slightly, it was a “what I have done?” moment. I began feeling physically uncomfortable and quickly changed the radio station. Beyonce’s voice boomed out and I felt happy and relaxed again.
So what had happened there?
The facts of my situation had not changed in those 5 minutes yet I’d gone through this huge emotional rollercoaster. What had actually changed was how I was thinking and this in turn impacted how I felt.
We do it more than we realise.
Coffey & Murray in their book ‘Emotional Intelligence (EQ) A Leadership Imperative!’ tell us that psychologists estimate we have an average of 50 thousand thoughts per day. The majority of which are focused on the past, the future, and are negative – our very own groundhog doomsday!
The negative thoughts called Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTS) just pop into our minds and send us off in all sorts of directions. Any of the following sound familiar?
• I’m always forgetting things
• I know I won’t pass the exam
• He must think I’m useless
• I won’t get a job like that
• She’s much funnier than me
This then spirals into inaction on our part: ‘Ah there’s no point in trying…. complete waste of time.’
People may think this is the way our brain is programmed to work. Wrong! That’s another classic example of an ANT taking a supposed fact and leaping to a precarious conclusion.
So what can we do to counteract this?
For a start, pay attention to how you are thinking. Yes, it’s that simple. Ask yourself: what story am I telling myself? How is this affecting how I feel about myself? What excuses for inaction am I giving myself? And turn those ANTS into Confidence Affirming Thoughts (CATS).
I urge you to give this a go and have some fun with it, really pay attention to your thought processes. Notice how often you deal in facts as opposed to your own interpretations.
We need to audit and regulate our own inner voice and ensure we’re being kind and supportive to ourselves. After all, If you don’t own your thoughts, they are going to own you.

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