Strengths Coaching Certification Course Day 3
Being an Activator
It’s been 2 weeks since the completion of the 3 days strengths coaching certification course. I have had time to debrief myself and to reflect on the experience.
When the idea was first mooted, my Activator came alive. I saw all the possibilities. I could imagine what Yeang Cherng and I could bring to the table with our combined experiences, knowledge and skills.
I imagined that the course will have a very different experience from the typical strengths workshop. I imagined that the opportunity will give us greater autonomy and space to integrate the ontological and strengths lens into the program design.
Using Systems thinking as the backdrop, and wearing the ontological lens as coaches, we adopted a different approach and structure in the 3 days course.
For me, it was 3 full days filled with personal stories and coaching conversations - battle scars of leadership, fears and frustrations of team management, student management, parenting. The authenticity from different individuals created a safe space to learn.
Could the course be improved? Definitely!
Was it a success? Definitely!
How much did starting this coaching program energize the Activator? 100/10
Looking forward to continue this in 2026 and creating version 2.0
Strengths Coaching Certification Course Day 2
Day 2 ended on a high as we practised 2 key strengths coaching tools - Strengths-based strategies for success as well as the ICU feedback framework of catching people doing right. The two tools are fundamental building blocks for strengths-based coaching and we were glad that the participants were able to experience the usefulness of the tools.
Strengths Coaching Certification Course Day 1
Day 1/3 completed.
Day 1 was delightful. We ease into the fundamentals of strengths based coaching and there was great energy in the room.
What stood out most for me was how impactful coaching can be when we choose to suspend our judgment and sustain a little more curiosity.
“What makes you choose this and not that?”
“What other strengths might also be present?”
“What separates your dominant and supporting talents?”
Looking forward to more learning!
CliftonStrengths Team Building Workshop - CPF Singapore
Had a wonderful time co-facilitating with fellow CliftonStrengths Coach Wen Wei.
We did a Team Building workshop for one of the teams in CPF and had a lovely time. It was a very tightly knitted group and had a lovely session with them.
The most enjoyable part was doing the team coaching when we split up by department and I had a more indepth conversation exploring the complementary partnerships and the team strengths.
CliftonStrengths Leadership Workshop for Senior Management - Pico Art
I was given a precise brief by the CEO.
Design and execute a 3 hours session for the senior leadership team. They are all very good at what they do, very experienced and come from three different regions. Each senior leader must walk away from the session knowing how their unique talents have contributed to their successes. Have the leaders validate and appreciate the varied talents among the team.
For me, that was certainly a big ask.
It took weeks of preparation - analyzing the strengths data, understanding the business context and designing the session.
Session went smoothly and thankful for the support of Kia Meng, Shayln Wong and Angela Chiang.
Feedback was fantastic and validated the energy I observed during the session.
What I took away:
- Small details matter when facilitating learning for senior leaders.
- Strengths data must marry with business and leadership context
- Show not tell. Demonstrate through evidence and insights from the data.
And I am personally most delighted in receiving a personal testimonial from the CEO.
“𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮. 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.”
Emerging Leadership Program - Coaching and Talent Development
Last Dance 🥳🥹
1 Global leadershipdevelopment program - US, EMEA, APAC
APAC - 16 cohorts in 2 years, 500+ leaders
Our team was responsible for the last day of the 4 days leadership program.
The key deliverable on Day 4?
➡️WHAT - Embody the learnings!
➡️WHY - Live out the Expectationsof Leaders defined by the organization.
➡️HOW - Leadership labs, Coaching practices and Difficult conversations.
Finished the last cohort this week and there was both huge gratitude and a lot of sadness.
My Highlights 🙏
1. Being part of a global team from SmartfulWorks LLC and delivering the program outcomes consistently across US, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Thank you Jenn Giordano, M.A., Ed. M., ACC and Ryan Soares, ACC for your kindness and belief in the AP team.
2. An amazing all 🌟 AP team with Damien O’Malley, Eya Pagdanganan, and Alice Chia. Our strengths complement each other.
3. Observing, listening and being in action is my key mode of learning. I have gained so much from the cross-cultural interactions, practicing my listening skills while interacting with participants from China, India, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Singapore.
My takeaways 💡after 16 runs:
1. Intellectual understanding appeals to those who prioritise cognitive intelligence. Body and emotional intelligence (learning through our body and emotions) are separate. The leadership labs clearly show the gap between conceptual self-awareness and embodied self-awareness.
2. Showing up as leaders has little correlation to where we are on the organizational chart or our leadership roles. It has more correlation with how we show up as humans.
3. Working across cultures amplify a core leadership skill - the ability to listen deeply beyond words. So much miscommunication happens when we listen to respond rather than listen to understand.
4. To navigate tensions or polarities is to first practice seeing the dynamics. That is increasingly a core leadership skill.
5. A Small door knob open a Big door. Transformation can happen when we consistently apply little tweaks to our habits.
Definitely a huge personal milestone and very thankful to God for this experience.
Looking forward to sharing these insights in the future.