Ep39: Building Better Teams and Business with a Coaching Approach with Helen Dann
Unlock the secrets to thriving in today’s high-pressure workplaces by mastering the art of being authentically human at work. In this inspiring episode of the Human Wise Podcast, Helen welcomes Helen Dann, Samsung Electronics’ Head of Talent Development for Europe, whose powerhouse career in learning, development, and coaching spans more than two decades. Together, they unpack why self-awareness is the key ingredient for personal growth, effective leadership, and sustainable business success—especially in the fast-paced, target-driven environments we all navigate.
Helen Dann shares her transformative journey from “fixer” to empowering coach, diving into common workplace pressures, the perils of burnout, and how to foster trust, empathy, and true connection—both within teams and with clients. You’ll learn practical strategies to shift your mindset, lead with confidence, and have richer, more commercially savvy conversations, even in the toughest corporate climates.
Whether you’re a leader, team player, or on your own path to professional growth, this episode will give you actionable insights to show up with purpose and impact. Don’t miss out—discover how putting humanity at the heart of work can radically elevate your performance, relationships, and results!
Topics Discussed:
Self awareness in professional development
Coaching skills for business leaders
Building authentic workplace relationships
Impact of coaching on team performance
Human approach in commercial conversations
Timestamps:
00:00 Helen Dan: Samsung Talent Development Expert
03:10 "Embracing Authenticity at Work"
09:12 Seeking Validation and Worthiness
11:58 Mindful Team Communication Practices
13:57 Assessing Control and Self-Reflection
19:20 Integrating Coaching for Success
20:20 Adopting a Coach Approach
26:05 "Navigating Business Ownership Challenges"
28:10 "Leadership Growth Through Coaching"
33:03 "Leadership Training: Know and Motivate Team"
33:51 Building on Strong Foundations
About Helen Dann
Follow @helen-dann on LinkedIn
Helen Dann is the Head of Talent Development at Samsung Electronics Europe. With extensive experience in leadership and learning development, she is passionate about supporting individuals and teams to achieve growth and performance improvement. A certified coach with the International Coaching Federation (ACC), Helen specialises in designing and delivering impactful programmes, building strong relationships across cultures, and driving change to foster development at all organisational levels.
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Ep39: Building Better Teams and Business Through Self Awareness and Coaching with Helen Dann Human Wise Podcast
Introduction and Guest Welcome
[00:00:00]
Helen Wada: Hello and welcome to another episode of Human Wise. I'm absolutely delighted to have Helen Dann with me from Samsung Electronics. Helen, welcome to the show. I think it's a first I was reflecting, I had Nick er,
Your sales team
At the start of this show. It's the first time we've had somebody from a, the same organization, but actually the paths crossed somewhat differently.
Alison Jones, who I'm writing my book with, rather,
Helen Dann: Yeah,
Helen Wada: supporting me to write my book. You know, very well. And
content of what I'm focused on and human wise and everything, she said, you've gotta meet Helen, Dann. And so it's been a real pleasure to with you, speak with you, understand a little bit more about who you are and what you're about. and great to have you on the show.
Helen Dann: Thank you. Yeah. Alison brought us together. She's been a good friend of mine since our boys, our eldest boys. Were babies. So, so when she connected us, I'm like, oh my goodness. And then the knit connection and it's like small [00:01:00] worlds. So yeah, it's amazing to, to have this connection and we get on so, so well with our conversation.
So it's a perfect match. So
Helen Wada: are in a treat, Helen and we want?
Helen Dann: A force to be reckoned with.
Helen Wada: absolutely. Tell us a little bit more you. Who is Helen Dann?
Helen Dann: Who is Len Dann? I am someone that's worked in learning and development for over 20 years. Range of different industries currently working in electronics have been for the past six years. I've done a range of different things within that career. You know, starting from simple telephone training all the way through to standing up, facilitating writing, training, now into coaching as well. I have been coaching for probably about 10, 10, 11 years. Currently head of talent development across the European region here at Samsung Electronics leading a small team. I've led lots of different teams over my career both in the UK and across a number of different countries.
So, the experience has [00:02:00] been wide and varied, but really interesting. I've been on an amazing journey throughout my career so far. I've been married for, ooh, nearly 25 years.
Helen Wada: to
Helen Dann: Yeah,
Helen Wada: isn't it? When you can't ask him
Helen Dann: nearly 25 years.
Helen Wada: A lot
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: I haven't been married.
Helen Dann: Yeah, pretty much. I got married at 20, so that gives you an idea.
Helen Wada: Wow.
Helen Dann: and I've got two boys one's in college, one's in primary school, so a big gap between them and teaching us lots of new things along the way.
So, yeah, life is busy. I have a sleeping dog next to me here, sunning herself. So, she's listening in.
Helen Wada: Well, let's hope she stays listening in and, and, and
Helen Dann: hope so.
Helen Wada: let's get cracking. So you've listened to a number of the podcasts that I've done. I always start with a. A question
Defining 'Being Human at Work'
Helen Wada: off, what does being human at work mean to you? It's funny, I kind of wonder sometimes why we are needing to ask this question, but actually, reading something again this morning about bullying in the workplace and, the situations that people find themselves in and I, you know, [00:03:00] we need to keep banging the drum.
So what does being
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: at work mean to you?
Helen Dann: I think and this takes me down the lens of the journey I've been on in recent years and a lot of the work that I'm doing at the moment, and for me, human at work is about having the self-awareness. So knowing oneself better to be able to come into the workplace and show up to be who you really are.
But with that trust and that safety and continued reflection on oneself, because I think sometimes it can be all about, but this, but that and stuff around us. But actually, you know, you can point a finger, but you've actually got three pointing back at you. So it's like, who are you as a human and how do you show up first and foremost?
And so if there is that lack of self-awareness or not enough work on that, I don't think you can bring your whole self in into work or the right kind of self into work.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: So [00:04:00] that's where I lean into it and it's that knowing that purpose, knowing your why, knowing who I am and how do I show up for my team, for myself, for the organization.
Helen Wada: And you know, I hear you. I get you. You know, when I, you heard me talk about the human framework that, that I've created for the Human Advantage, and, you know, fundamentally we are looking at sales. We're looking at growing businesses, we're looking at commercial conversations, ultimately, the h. about how you show up
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: was one of my learnings as a coach like you in
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: 12 years, that until we truly understand who we are, can't true.
And at that core to the, and be able to have conversations with our clients, our stakeholders, our teams, a
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: confidence. But it's almost easier to say than it is to do, right? You and I
We both. Senior coaches, we've been practicing for a number of years. Appreciate it's personal, but are you happy to share a little bit of the journey that you've been on and some of the learnings along the [00:05:00] way to give the listeners a feel for
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: actually mean? How do I show up? Who am I
Helen Dann: Yeah. Let me start by saying I'm a work in progress. You know, I'm a massive believer of,
Helen Wada: hope.
Helen Dann: The phrase I use, which I've learned through a different way, is about progress, not perfection. And I think the thing for me is that I've been making a lot of progress on myself over probably nearly 10 years, but more so.
Probably since I started my coaching training when I got my a CC and
Helen Wada: a c? Just for those
Helen Dann: so the associate certified coach with the International Coaching Federation, so I went on a course with a company it was part of, also something within Samsung that we needed to get our A CC. So it was an amazing opportunity.
And there was something that they shared within one of the modules, which was about who are you as a person, how do you show up as a coach? What's your purpose?
And there was something that [00:06:00] was shared and the quote is from Alison Harding and from, I think 2004. And it was around helping.
So it was, I want to help. I need to help. I'm available to help and I was really firmly sat in there. I want to help. I need to help because, and I've since gone into this as part of my essays for my postgraduates on personal business coaching is my motives for working in l and d and doing the things that I did and then coaching weren't.
I was thinking of things in a different way
And so I was showing up with this sense of, I need to fix, I need to help, I need to get everyone performing. So, so my early days of training was training customer service people, training salespeople. And then I moved into leadership.
And so everything was all about serving the customer. You know, customer first is always at my [00:07:00] heart. And then with the sales training, it was about selling and helping the business perform and helping people perform, but always, never to the detriment of the customer. That was absolutely critical, and it became even a bigger critical.
Mindset when I worked in financial services just before Samsung, 'cause we were in a non advice set up. And I was like, oh my God, this is me. I need to fix, I get value, I get satisfaction. I get a sense of I'm good at my job. When I'm sending people away, having trained or coached 'em, they're going, thank you.
I feel better now. I can go do my job. I can perform again. I am performing again, or whatever it was that they got. And I was like, I've done my job. I feel satisfied. I.
Helen Wada: Tick. Tick.
Helen Dann: Tick. Exactly. And then when people weren't performing, the line managers go to see Helen. She'll fix you, she'll sort you out. And I'm like, come in, let's have a chat.
You know, it would almost be like this revolving door council's not the right [00:08:00] word, but it was like a fixing
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: And I felt like I'm of value, but what I was doing was. Having this overwhelming sense of responsibility for fixing
Sending people away to do their job. And so what I was missing was this available to help piece that they spoke about in this quote from Alison Ingham.
And I was then sitting there going, why? Why do I need to fix people? Why? What's my purpose? What's my why to you? Simon Sinek? Why am I here? And so it encouraged me to reflect on that. And as I dug deeper into my qualification and the essays, I came across a number of different resources, which I can share to you.
And I found out about something called the rescuer syndrome, the White Knight Syndrome.
And as I read deeper into this, there was stuff that was coming up from a childhood [00:09:00] perspective that I really resonated with in terms of having this overwhelming need to get validation and the need to please, and sometimes the feeling of not always being enough, not doing enough.
There was always, and then some.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: And so what I've learned is that this has followed me into life. Both in relationships, personal relationships, and then work relationships, and then the work that I do. So I'm always working hard, feeling like I need to show that I'm working hard,
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: it's not to get the pat on the back.
It's to have validation that I'm worthy
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: and that I'm successful, or that I can be successful and that I'm safe. And so when I was coaching. I was asking questions and curious, but there was a degree of [00:10:00] fixing associated with it. And what I would also do is I'd say, give me your rocks and let's put them in my backpack.
Helen Wada: Right.
Helen Dann: So I would then take on people's challenges and problems, and I'd do it in personal life. You know, I'd be like come have a coffee, or let's talk. I'm sorry. You know, why don't you do this? Why don't you do? And then I was heavy with people's stuff.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: And I wasn't dealing with my own stuff either, so
Helen Wada: so
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Challenges and Shifts in Coaching
Helen Wada: shifted, so what shifted? So where are you at now? So when we're talking about that self-awareness, when we're talking about how you show up, knowing who you
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: are confident, right? What's the shift? Because
I know a number of people that, that, that story will resonate with, you know, there's the whole, you know, there's a lot around at the moment with Mel Robbins.
I dunno if you've read
Helen Dann: yeah.
Helen Wada: written, you
Helen Dann: I.
Helen Wada: a lot of
Helen Dann: Yeah,
Helen Wada: and themes there.
Helen Dann: huge.
Helen Wada: but has, how have you shifted? So what, how do you show up now?
Helen Dann: So as I said, this is about progress [00:11:00] and I try to reflect regularly and how I show up now is in a more resourceful state, as in I try to stay quiet more. I try to sit back and I try to listen more rather than trying to jump in and fix or thinking that I know what the answer might be.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: there's been a lot of self-discipline around just sitting and being with
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: the coachee or in the meeting rather than like, can I speak kind of,
Helen Wada: I
Helen Dann: kind of thing.
I know what you know, so there's a lot of self-discipline around that, but because I've got better awareness, the discipline is better.
Helen Wada: Yes.
Helen Dann: Whereas before, I didn't know what I didn't know.
Helen Wada: No.
Helen Dann: So, so that's one example of how I'm showing up. I'm also a lot more aware of, my team can probably, if they listen to this, can probably say, actually no, Helen, you've gotta work on it.
But I am a lot more aware of how I'm communicating. So even if it's through an instant chat or pinging lots of emails, or sometimes if I'm [00:12:00] working late at night. I'm trying to almost control myself in terms of is this the right time to send this or have I given enough information around this? Or am I pinging too many things across to them?
Will they know what they, what I'm asking of them, or are they gonna feel overwhelmed? Whereas before I was like, we've gotta get job done.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: and we work in an organization where there is a sense of urgency which has happened. Yeah,
Helen Wada: it's any different to any organization that I've come across in the 30 years of working.
Helen Dann: Absolutely. But I think when you've got that sense of urgency and then you've got a lot of stakeholders and a lot of moving plates spinning plates and tasks, I think it ramps things up even more.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Managing Stress and Burnout
Helen Dann: And I, what I've noticed through my own self-awareness is that when I'm feeling stressed or pressure, whether that be just work stuff or a mixture of personal work stuff, I behave differently and. Whether people notice it or not, I [00:13:00] notice,
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: which is the beauty of that mirror. Yeah.
Helen Wada: You feel it inside. Because this comes back to the pressure that we put ourselves under. You know,
Helen Dann: Right.
Helen Wada: we talk about, I said the opening, you know. The amount of burnout right now,
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: because there's just more and more laden on top. You know, the world and the economic situation
Helping.
Let's be clear, we are recording this at a
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: the markets have crashed for the, what, fifth,
Helen Dann: Right.
Helen Wada: in a row.
Helen Dann: Yeah,
Helen Wada: which gives everybody the, you know, what do we do? The uncertainty, the pressure to continue to deliver
Where certain things are just not within our control.
Helen Dann: yeah, exactly that. Exactly that. And you know, there is that piece around control. Just to touch on that. So one thing that I have learned over the years is. What is within my control and what is not? And the question of the self-reflection question of how important is it?
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: So when I feel overwhelmed, [00:14:00] when I'm getting tied up in things that maybe I shouldn't be, there is that question of how important is it and does it need to be dealt with right now?
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: And what do I really want out of this? What, you know, if I
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: on this, if I do this, if I say this. What am I getting out of it? What are the possible scenarios? And actually, do I even want any of those? Wouldn't have been able to do that if I didn't know more about myself and why I am who I am and processing the challenges and the life experiences I've had both in life and work to be able to be more aware of that, to then deal with it if I feel it.
Helen Dann: I know to the point of burnout right now, I know I'm getting to the point right now where I'm feeling extremely tired. You know, I'm, as
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: snoozing the alarm clock for up to an hour, which is not me. I'm a nor. I'm a morning person.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: And sometimes I have some of my best thinking when I'm out walking the dog at five in the morning, or if I'm driving to work early in the morning, [00:15:00] but I'm snoozing too much and I'm just so tired, and I've got some time off coming up.
But before I would've just gone, no, I need to be strong. No, I need to push through. No, I can't take time off. We're just too busy. But now I recognize that I cannot be the best version of myself if I'm exhausted, because if I'm tired and I'm feeling overwhelmed, I go more into that tell mode and I find myself keeping work rather than.
Thinking this can be delegated,
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: Which then overwhelms my workload, which means then I feel like, oh my God, I've gotta do all these things. And my task list is huge. So, so it's almost like, a waterfall. Everything just begins to just go. But I know that and so I can remedy it, but I didn't know it 10 years ago.
Helen Wada:
Helen Wada: And you come to, you know, and I hear you. I can relate so much. To, to what you've just said not least because my, you know, I said to film who came on the show, [00:16:00] the first draft of my book is due week. and I'm feeling the pressure, there's a lot of self pressure, but I know I'm not at my best when I'm under pressure.
And so I have to work really hard to
Say, how do I say that? What, how is that coming across, pausing and entering? And that's the coach I do wholeheartedly believe is the training that you and I have both had as a coach.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: And if you and I find it hard after coaching for 10 years, you know, there's something for me to reassure the listeners that this is not easy,
Helen Dann: Right.
Helen Wada: Thi this is the hard stuff, this is the sticky stuff.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: you might be absolutely brilliant at what you do,
Actually to be effective. To really know your value, to, to have the best conversations that you can both for yourself and the business that you are working in. We have to start with taking a step back and understanding who [00:17:00] we are.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: It reminds me of, you know, quite frankly, where this whole journey started and was probably about five years ago, and I probably shared this on another podcast, but a senior mentor and sponsor of mine when I was back at KPMG actually said to me, he said, if we could sprinkle everybody with a bit of what you do. be in a different place, which is wonderful compliment, right?
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: But I didn't know what I did.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: know why I was great with customers, why I could build the relationships across a global firm.
The Power of Coaching Skills
Helen Wada: Why we could, you know, create opportunities for nothing and win new mandates. And I unpicked it. And I said, the reason that I can do this with confidence, with authority, with curiosity because I've been trained as a coach.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: Those skills that we learn as coaches and as you said right at the answer, you train to become a coach and let me just be clear, when you professionally trained to become a coach, because I am very aware and I didn't move into the profession, you know, exclusively for many a [00:18:00] year because actually there's a lot of coach training out there, I saying quotation marks that, you know, it is a couple of days and then you off
Helen Dann: Right.
Helen Wada: and I'm really sorry, but actually. is a profession. It is a deep skillset,
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: but we start with who we are because when you're coaching, when you're in the moment, you never know what's gonna come up in front of you. You have to trust the process.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: to know that you can navigate that conversation through that deep listening, through the questioning, through challenge, through holding the mirror up, playing all the skills that you and I know
Actually, and you've touched on it, it's not just for coaching, it's actually for leading
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Integrating Coaching in Business
Helen Wada: going beyond that, I'm really passionate is about commercial conversations
Because you take the pressure of the business that we are in at the moment, that the world is upside down. Everybody wants to grow. Everybody wants to grow the top [00:19:00] line, grow the bottom line. For me, there's a conversation at board level that says unless we can integrate these coaching skills with that commercial focus, it's always gonna be second figure and we're never gonna get
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: But
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: wholeheartedly believe, and I, you know, love to dive into your experience with sales teams and things in a bit more detail, that if we can shine a light how the skills that we have as coaches. Can actually help us, not just as individuals, but they can help us lead our teams and they can have us, let us have better commercial conversations. are starting to move the dial towards a place where we can lead with humanity and we can create sustainable success. And that's like
Helen Dann: Yeah, absolutely.
Helen Wada: that's my big long-term vision, right?
That's what gives me goosebumps
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: because I can see it.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: But there's a quite a [00:20:00] path to get there.
Helen Dann: There, there is. And we've, well, I've been on a bit of journey with that in, in a number of organizations. But in the organization I'm in now we are also going through that through a couple of different ways. So I run some ad hoc leaders, coach workshops, for example, that was born out of a task force that I was part of back when I first joined the organization in 2019.
So now I'm out delivering one to two day workshops for leaders. And to your point, and I say it right at the outset of the workshops, is we are not gonna make you a coach at the end of this workshop. What we are going to do is raise your awareness about what coaching is, a little bit about how it works, and give you some basic skills to begin to adopt a coach approach in your business conversations.
And so it's about I do this a lot with 'em. It's just that little tweak of the, does that little shift because people don't always know what coaching is, what it does. They're in fast-paced environments when the pressure's [00:21:00] on, we do automatically, in many ways go straight to telling. And sometimes telling's important, you know, and I share that with him.
I'm like, absolutely. Sometimes we do need to give direction,
Helen Wada: And actually
Helen Dann: but there's a balance.
Helen Wada: be directive, right? You
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Balancing Directive and Coaching Approaches
Helen Wada: what, when I first started coaching back in 2015, that first layer of coaching is always about curiosity, asking
The more you, experience and develop, actually there is a time and a place for being more directive,
Helen Dann: Right.
Helen Wada: keep the choice with the client.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: is where it comes into accountability, isn't it? Because that's something else you touched on.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: isn't about telling them this is about giving information, giving them
To make choices for themselves. And I
Helen Dann: Right?
Helen Wada: know, there is a subtle but a really important difference there.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: difference between training,
Helen Dann: Yep.
Helen Wada: And coaching.
Helen Dann: Absolutely. And what we do within that workshop is I do it through rounds. I do it through [00:22:00] several different lenses. You know, we start off by just having a conversation about business stuff. So we ask 'em to bring real life scenarios into, make it as realistic as possible. And we know, we find the conversations very much kind of full of advice.
And yeah, I've had that too. And 50 50. And then we work on a bit more ask versus tell. So we just try a little shift and then we start to see the shift and we reflect on that. And they're like, oh, it's really hard to ask questions. Oh, I really had to try and listen because I just wanted to jump in. And then we do a bit more work around skills.
Building Trust and Empathy
Helen Dann: And one of those skills that we start off with is self-awareness. You know, biases, values, how we show up holding up the mirror.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: as a leader, if you are not holding up the mirror and you are not thinking about how you show up or whether you act in different ways with different members of your teams.
You are not gonna recognize where you need to dial things up or dial things down, especially using a coach approach.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: So we look at a range of different skills, and that includes trust and empathy, questions and listening as well as the self-awareness. And then [00:23:00] I send 'em to try and have a coach conversation.
So while we say we are not gonna make you a coach at the beginning, we send them away thinking that it's possible. To adopt a coach approach to conversations and the feedback we're getting and the messages that I get back from people where they say, oh my God, this was a game changer. I suddenly learned more about my team member than I ever thought possible.
I'm like, perfect. It's that little bit of magic. It's that sprinkle of magic that I felt when I got coached for the first time when I did my CIPD back in 20 11, 20 12, where I was like, I wanna be a coach. And because I felt what they're now feeling. So then if we go back to this Alison Ingham, I want to help.
I need to help. I'm available to help. I see myself now as giving the my time, my availability to help them understand what coaching is and what it means
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: how to apply it. It wasn't I want and I need to go and [00:24:00] train people how to coach. So it said that my motive, my shift. And so I feel, I'm almost like a cheerleader with my pom-poms.
I feel like that when they come back say, wow, this made a difference. And suddenly I'm like, I'm comfortable with staying silent for the first time ever in my life.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: You know, thi things like that. And I think, you know, you touched on the sales element. If I think back to the sales training that we did, we had like steps in sale in organizations, we had processes that we would follow.
But ultimately and this is where my customer service lens came in from my early days, is, and it links to coaching, is that you can have a sales process to follow, but that doesn't work if you are not focused on the person that you are talking to and hearing what their need is and understanding what your team's need are.
If we think about the team element. And understanding what the business needs because if you are not hearing it, if you are blind to [00:25:00] it or you are just going right KPIK, PI, then you're possibly gonna overstep. You're possibly gonna go too fast, you're possibly gonna miss something. You are not gonna bring all your team with you.
Yeah. All of that stuff plays out and. What we're also doing with some of the leadership programs that we run now is we focus on the things that you're just saying. So we have it in section. So we focus on leading self, we focus on leading teams, then we focus on leading business. So it starts with you, right?
Starts with you. So then it's like, who am I? How do I show up? What do I need? How do I coach? Then how do I do those things for my team? And then how do we
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: it? For the organization because that then builds sustainable success
Helen Wada: and it's about, it's that accountability.
Helen Dann: right?
Understanding Teams and Leadership
Helen Wada: it's, then you get the ownership and accountability, because what I see, and you know. Background with professional services is experts at
But actually build a business, it's the same as independent coaches, to be honest. And I get a lot [00:26:00] of reach outs for other, from other independent coaches saying, where do I start to, to go to build my business? It's like, well, okay, this is a different skillset
Helen Dann: Right.
Helen Wada: and. is outta my comfort zone. And actually 10, 15 years, first 10, 15 years of my career, I've been promoted because of what I know. And
About education, and the education system is very linear
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: you know, pat on your back, do the next thing, pat on your back, do the
It's all very structured, but
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: when you get in front of customers, when you get in front of partners, who we increasingly need to do in this complex world, because not everybody can solve. Things on our own. We need to be tuning into what's important to them.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: need to be taking a step back.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: We need listen,
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: you can be told to do that.
You can be told to go out and get, go and win more work, right? Go and win more work. Go and get your numbers up, right? We want [00:27:00] 20 million this year instead of 17 last. You can be told to do that. Actually, if you haven't got the confidence to go and open up a conversation, then it will sit as a tell never go
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: we don't own it. so
Helen Dann: Yeah.
The Human Element in Business
Helen Wada: it has to start, you know, the m in the human framework that we talk about is your mindset.
It's about
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: a commercial focus,
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: but a coaching approach to your coach approach. With that growth mindset, knitting them together because we have to step out that we don't know what we don't know.
Helen Dann: Right. Yeah. And that's where,
Helen Wada: it's linking all the coaching stuff together. Right?
Helen Dann: well,
Helen Wada: far more far more that I than I think it's given credit for, if I'm perfectly honest.
Helen Dann: I, I would agree with you and one of the things that we do within the leader as coach is we go right back to Sir John Whitmore with the golf video, and [00:28:00] we talk about raising awareness and generating responsibility, such simple concept and the ask versus tell. And I believe these concepts can be used in so many walks of life.
So if we think about developing leaders through the development that we're giving them, for example, we're raising their awareness and we're coaching them around that the generating, we're generating responsibility of the things that they're gonna go do and apply, thinking about the obstacles.
But you can apply that into business as well. You know, if I think about the sales structure. Buying decision that people go through when they just make a decision to buy. Part of this is that needs analysis, that need find that reality. So where are we now as a team? Where am I now as an individual?
Where are we now as a business and where do we want to go? So it links into the grow model as well.
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: Where are we now? Where do we want to go and what is the need? And so if we don't. Excuse me for being rude, but if we don't shut up and listen, [00:29:00] if we don't explore that properly, then whatever we have in our back pocket to offer is not gonna resonate.
If it does, you're lucky
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: people will say, but why should I? And especially in the commercial world that we're in now, people are watching the pennies even more than ever. They're having budget cuts. They're really having to decide what are we keeping, what are we investing in, what are we doing?
And so if people don't see, what does this mean for me, the wiffen right? What's in it for me?
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: And do I like you as a person that's trying to sell me this or partner with me, then you're not gonna succeed. You know, because part of that buying journey, I think we've talked about this before on some of our meetings.
People buy from you, pe people engage with you before they engage with your product. The product or the offering may have sparked a little bit of interest. But they're gonna think about [00:30:00] you and your organization before they actually make a decision to buy. And if you are not saying, tell me about you, help me understand you so I can fit what we have to you and your needs.
They're gonna just say, you're just a salesperson. You're just trying to get business. You're just trying to and potentially their barriers are going up and your job is to. Shift the balance and bring those barriers down. And if you are not human, to bring it back to our discussion, if you are not being human about that, if you just seem like you're just trying to get a sale, you're just trying to win the business, you're just trying to do this, that, or the other, you just need someone to complete a task that's not human, that's almost robotic.
Tick the box. Thank you very much. And I think we lose that and we lose that through pressure. Different environments different cultures. I think if there's a culture of fear avoiDannce a culture of not being you, not being able to show up who you really are not being allowed to show your emotion or saying, I'm finding [00:31:00] things difficult.
Then we are not gonna win. But if we are creating a culture of love, of care, of respect by being more human,
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: then I genuinely believe we see better success. Because we are not robots. We are not at that stage yet. We are getting closer with the eye.
Helen Wada: Oh God
Helen Dann: We're getting closer.
Helen Wada: we do, you can shoot me, you can take me to the top of a mountain and put a lovely rose drip in me and I'll toddle off when you can replace us with but it, but in all seriousness, that comes back to, and I think about the successful sales teams that I've been in where. You've got a leader, and actually this is again, where there's another challenge in that, you know, some of those best way makers, if you wanna call 'em that are very self-focused, what they do, but actually they don't have a coach approach to bring other people on and bring, because sales is tough, sales
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: hard, it's relentless. And so actually what you need is you need [00:32:00] somebody that's got a coaching mindset at the center support. Those people that are out on the market every day having the conversations
Helen Dann: yeah.
Helen Wada: questions, how can we help what's going on? You know, the you in the framework is about understanding others.
It's not just about understanding your customers, it's
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: your teams. Have we got the right people the team?
Helen Dann: Yeah,
Helen Wada: Is the chemistry working? You know, in coaching conversations, we have a chemistry conversation because. frankly, some people connect with some better than others and that's
Helen Dann: they do.
Helen Wada: because there's anything wrong with who you are, it's just because there's that connection.
And it's the
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: in business relationships. Are you flogging a dead horse or would it
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: better if we, you know, switch this Helen out for that Helen.
Helen Dann: Well, yeah and we link into this quite a bit within some of our leadership trainings and also leader as coach in that. You know, I ask the leaders that are in the room, how well a, do you know yourself and how you show up, what makes you tick, your values, your biases, things like that. [00:33:00] Then how well do you know your team?
It's all very well. Maybe having regular one-to-ones and things like that. I'm not saying you have to know their dogs and cats' names or inside leg management and things like that, but you have to know what motivates your team and what they value, how they like to be managed. What do they know about you?
You know, it's a two, two-way street
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: that's the human element. Because if you have those foundations and I talk about, people have had me speak about this for years, but I see it as doing the basics brilliantly
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Helen Dann: Is a bit of a mantra and it's about these foundations. And if you've got the right foundations in place, then you can build.
But when the foundations are rocky and you haven't built them properly, and it's like all these houses going up everywhere, you know, people have loads of snagging to be done 'cause they've just done it too quickly. If. Things haven't been laid down right? Then things will begin to crack or get rocky.
Or if it does, you go back to the basics [00:34:00] again. And so talking to our leaders about who are you and then who are your team and how do you work with them, what makes them tick? What makes you tick is a real massive starting point because if you are not aligned, then how are you gonna be aligned for your customers?
And a couple of jobs ago we'd had like a certain sales process and if any of my old colleagues are listening to this, you'll probably recognize this. But there were some people, 'cause we used to go out and, you know, are they following the sales process, things like that. And there were some people that wouldn't even follow the process at all.
So from a, like an accreditation perspective, we'd be like, oh my God. Cross, cross cross, cross. But they were some of the top sales people.
Helen Wada: yeah,
Helen Dann: Why were they the top salespeople? Because they created relationships with their customers.
Helen Wada: yeah.
Helen Dann: They didn't need a process. They were human. They have relationships.
They succeeded. Yeah.
Concluding Thoughts and Reflections
Helen Wada: [00:35:00] And that is, I'm looking at the clock, but a great place to, to pause on because I think you know it comes back to human wise, right? Why be human at work because it's better for us as individuals. It's better for our teams. it helps us to grow solid customer relationships that ultimately helps our business.
And I think for me, if we can connect all those dots together then move on to something. Helen, it's been an absolute pleasure. I could keep this conversation going all morning
Helen Dann: Me too.
Helen Wada: You've got things to do and I have as well, not least finishing this book of the references. But before I let you go, I always like to ask what would be your top tip? For listeners and they reflecting on this conversation.
Helen Dann: Yeah, I would, I think it links to, to what we're talking about, you know, as a coach, as a leader. As leader, as coach,
What role? Think about what role you play. Are you a helper? Are you a rescuer? Are you a fixer? Are you a [00:36:00] teller? Are you a controller? What are your motives? So there's almost a, it's a tips, stroke, reflection question in there in terms of just have a little moment and think about how you show up.
I don't think we do enough.
Helen Wada: Thank you. I normally go to a question next, but given that you're such a wonderful experience, coach, you've given us a question already, so I'm gonna leave it at that.
Helen Dann: Yeah.
Helen Wada: It's been absolutely wonderful. Think about how you show up the first h in the human framework that we work with at the Human Advantage.
And I think, you know. Are gonna cross again, I'm sure Helen, and look forward to seeing you
Helen Dann: Absolutely. Thank you, Helen. Appreciate it. You too. Thank you.
Helen Wada: Bye.