Meet Caroline
Hello, I’m Caroline. I’m a coach and facilitator, helping people lead through change. For thirty years, I worked in corporate across different sectors and in different countries, participating in a wide array of organizational change.
I’m fascinated with driving meaningful change across a global ecosystem, passionate about owning our humanness through change, and committed to investing in developing change leadership capabilities which deliver change for the better.
Born in Zambia and raised in South Africa, one of my richest learning experiences was playing a role in the organizational transformation of a South African company, alongside the societal transformation following the end of apartheid in 1991. It was a time of feeling disheartened and inspired. Situations arose where differing expectations and assumptions collided into confusion. Circumstances which, at times, I felt ill-equipped to handle, and other instances, where understanding connected, a little bridge of trust formed, and steps towards a new future emerged. In 1998 I moved to Amsterdam and began a career in global financial services, again involved in organizational change, this time related to bank mergers, divestitures, growth and integration, initially in Amsterdam and subsequently New York. In 2014, I had the opportunity to work side by side with a team of globally respected financial crime compliance leaders in delivering a challenging organization transformation initiative. Important milestones were achieved amidst high pressures and competing demands. And at times, progress stalled.
What was it that sustained people to give their best and succeed against the odds? What fueled alignment? What was the social glue “I’ve got your back” which fortified accountability and collaboration? And what could stonewall all of this?
Four Insights I Learned from My Experience in
Organizational Change.
1. Change Happens through People.
To bring about a different future requires a willingness to start with oneself. To be willing to change and to get clarity on what to shift to match the desired future state.
3. Everyone has a Leadership Footprint.
Every interaction is an opportunity for influence and impact. Tuning in to our state of mind helps us to see the impact on our performance, and the impact we have on others. By paying attention, we can read situations and choose to adapt.
2. Safety, Belonging, and Dignity.
We all need to feel a sense of safety, belonging, and respect. People become more open to engaging in difficult aspects of change and are willing to collaborate where care is given to these fundamental human needs.
4. Mindsets Matter.
Change initiatives tend to focus on results with little attention to mindsets. Assumptions and beliefs can keep existing ways of doing things in place. Surfacing assumptions and discussing beliefs creates the possibility to see things differently.
Please visit me on LinkedIn to see more about my experience.
About Sea Change Coaches
Sea Change Coaches is committed to placing humanness at the center of change, and to investment in developing change leadership capabilities. We have a niche in the financial crime compliance industry, providing coaching and facilitation services to support professionals in the transformation of the ever-evolving world of compliance. Based in the NY metropolitan area, Sea Change Coaches serves clients globally.