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Working with people and organisationsto improve the quality of their interactions,relationships and action.More infoContact meSharon Wakeford
Accreditations and Associations
Different Being... New Possibilities
Being masterful about what matters to us and creating the life experience we desire is not ‘simply’ about what we do or how well we do it. Fundamentally it is about our ‘way of being’ in the world, because it is our deeper inner world of thoughts, feelings, histories and interpretations that shape our ‘way of doing’ – how we are in our conversations, relationships and action.
Being a little different within ourselves therefore opens new possibilities for how we observe and engage with the world and for what we see as possible for ourselves.
Services Offered
MEDIATION
I work with people in conflict and dispute to explore and more fully understand their own and the other parties’ deeper needs, concerns and motivations that sit unseen, at the heart of the conflict. Through the mediation process, parties are empowered to engage differently with each other and to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
FACILITATION & PEACE CIRCLES
I support and enable individuals, teams and groups to have more resourceful conversations – ‘real’ conversations that move beyond an articulation of positions and give voice to what ‘really matters’ and why, and which create a basis for taking different and more effective action, while building and sustaining more constructive relationships.
EXECUTIVE COACHING
I partner with clients to become more effective observers of what is happening in their thoughts, emotions and body and how this impacts on their success and happiness. It is through observation and self-awareness that we begin to see possibilities for making different choices in how we engage and take action to achieve what matters.
TRAINING
I am extensively involved, both locally and internationally, in capacity building through skills and content-based training, in a broad range of areas including conflict resolution, (negotiation, conciliation and mediation) labour/employee relations, leadership and personal mastery.
What People Say
“I don’t know how you did it, Sharon. I came into this process, saying that I was not going to
speak, and I ended up speaking a lot and expressing my concerns and frustrations. We had
so many problems to deal with. It seems that you came as a type of ‘self-help’ book and we
are now more empowered to overcome our challenges.”
Participant in a team alignment facilitation
“The group session was unavoidably painful, but it did achieve something and gave people
the opportunity to express themselves. I certainly felt comfortable with you at the helm and
felt that you were prepared to listen to everyone. And you are genuine. Thank you, you
have made progress possible.”
Head of Department and participant in a facilitation/Circle process
“Coaching came at exactly the right time, had it not come then, I might well have resigned. It
provided me with the space to talk about things that I am not usually able to talk about and to find new ways of dealing with challenges. I realised that in spite of the environment that I work in, I can consciously see things and decide how I want to tackle situations, and many times this now means tackling things in a different way and using different language. Coaching has built my emotional intelligence.”
Chief Director Legal Services and Dispute Management SA government
"Sharon and I forged a strong relationship from the start and I had an immediate sense of trust which allowed me to be very open, something that I not normally am. She was not afraid to ask the hard questions and I always knew they were coming from the right place. I experienced her as a trusted partner who was as invested in my development as I was."
Executive, Corporate Investment Banking Standard Bank
“Sharon acted as a pillar and gave continuity to my leadership learning. The coaching process made me think and see things from a different angle and it provided an environment of ‘no escape confrontation’, yet with no recrimination or judgment. Sharon is an acute listener and extremely quick and accurate in understanding and interpreting what I was trying to bring across. Coming out of coaching, I feel very much more present, grounded and fearless.”
Director, Pharmaceutical industry, Switzerland
“I know you are home now and thousands of miles away from us, but still so fresh in our mind. You came and stayed only for 5 days, but engraved your name into our hearts and this is so real and deep...this is going last for a long time. I am not intended to make you sad but can't hold myself expressing what I have been feeling. Don't dare to forget us.”
Conciliator, Bangladesh Department of Labour and Concilliation Skills course participant