Sample Testimonials

Access deeper levels of motivation:
I found myself at a point where it was difficult to come up with new goals: Wherever I looked, I had been there, done that already. I felt like being right in the middle of a mid-life crisis. Annette helped me understand what I really needed at a deeper level for renewed motivation. As a result, I discovered a new dimension of development, and have managed to not only turn the company around in the process, but also almost prepared to hand over my job to someone else.   -- Managing partner, 49, consultancy

Find out what you really want your life to be like:
Other people thought I had it all – a successful company, wonderful family, great home – everything seemed just perfect. Except that I felt almost trapped in my role. It was very lonely being the only one who could see that I wasn’t getting closer to what I wanted my life to be like at all. I was so busy that I had no time for self-reflection, but this remained a constant menace in my work and home life. Annette helped me to step back, see the forest for the trees and actually realize I have more freedom than I ever did before. Today, I am taking advantage of all that.  -- Managing Partner, 43, architects

Get the lowdown on yourself from an unbiased source:
I had spent most of my adult life thinking I was a born procrastinator. I often put off unpleasant tasks until the absolute last minute. This resulted in a poor work ethic, and a questionable reputation in the industry. Annette and I looked into this pattern and discovered some surprising hidden meanings, which gave me a new understanding into the dynamics of my procrastination habit so I could change it when it stressed me. I am now more proactive, productive and relaxed. I wish I had started down this road sooner.   -- Partner, 40, accountancy

Make succession planning a priority: My partner and I still enjoy being out there with our clients, but don’t want to keep doing that for another ten years. In our first meeting with Annette, we voiced our expectations, dreams and fears around getting less involved, plus our hopes to include our children in the business. We assumed that they would want to take a role in the business, but had forgotten to ask what their plans were... When we had our options clear, we included our children in the sessions. This was an intense experience where we all learned a lot about life goals and motivations. I realized that I still looked at my son as the 18-year old IT-nerd, helping out in our IT department. But he was 29 today! Our solution today respects our plans and goals, and has several review points over the next 3 years of implementation. There is no way that we could have done this by ourselves. If I just think about all the misunderstandings, disappointments and the resulting conflicts that we would have run into, had we not managed to get them out of the way right in the beginning!  -- Owner, 62, training firm

I have great long-term goals again:
I was aware that my clients didn‘t want to pay for anyone but me. After ten years of 24/7, I needed to see the light at the end of the tunnel. -When you asked about my exit strategy in our first session, I realized that if I kept running my business that way, it wouldn't have much value without me. A powerful motivation: if I wasn’t able to trust my team, how could I expect a client to do that - they’d insist to work with me personally. In the old days, I wouldn’t even take a few days off without being constantly on the phone with the office. No wonder nobody understood that I wanted them to be accountable, if I was taking every decision for them! Over the next months, I changed the way we worked on assignments, established individual goals, got processes in place, and we are now well under way to becoming a professional team that uses what each person brings to the table. Our team meetings are quite something! Everybody is busy working on their goals while being partners to our clients. I can now switch the phone off for days when I am away. Better still, I can leave it on because there won’t be any silly double-checking calls from the office!  -- Owner, 52, advertising agency 

Bring the enthusiasm back into your work:
I had started creating many new challenges for myself and my company which I had assumed would put us on a faster path to increased profits, but as a result my management team was put in a situation where they became overwhelmed, confused and frustrated by lack of focus, direction and organisation. When this happens, it’s a slippery slope to lower morale, increased turnover and missed opportunities. By doing a few simple yet important things differently, I managed to bring the enthusiasm back. The most amazing thing is that it really affects the entire company – attrition is down to 0.   -- Owner, 40, IT

Strategy Time Out:
Our regular sessions allow me to take time out to refocus and steer myself and my team’s actions. I highly value this in times of rapid change, where in the past I often found myself just "stumbling along" according to other people’s agendas. This has made a huge difference to my entire company.  -- Owner, 46, consulting