Leadership Coaching

I help leaders grow awareness, expand choice, and lead with greater clarity and impact.

Here’s what I’ve noticed about leaders

The higher you go, the less honest feedback you get. The busier you become, the less time you have to think. And somewhere in the middle of all the doing, the patterns that are shaping your leadership — the assumptions you make, the ways you react under pressure, the things you avoid — become harder and harder to see.

That’s not a personal failing. That’s the nature of leadership at its most demanding.

Coaching creates a protected space where you can finally step back and look clearly at how you are leading. Not to judge it. To understand it. And then deliberately create the change you desire.

What leadership coaching actually is

It’s a confidential, structured partnership that helps leaders grow their awareness of how they think, feel and behave within organisational systems. Through this process, leaders gain insight, make more intentional choices, and translate awareness into practical shifts in behaviour and leadership impact.

Not advice. Not training. Not a programme with a fixed curriculum.

It’s a rigorous process of inquiry, reflection and experimentation. I ask questions that take your thinking further. I notice things you might not yet see about yourself and, with your permission, reflect this back to you. And over time, that awareness translates into practical shifts in how you lead — shifts you can feel, and the people around you will see.

Why this kind of thinking space is so rare, and why it matters

When you carry serious leadership responsibility, the space to think clearly is genuinely rare. There’s always the next priority, the next person who needs something, the next problem that landed this morning.

Coaching protects that space. It makes it consistent, structured and genuinely useful. It’s where you examine the complexity you’re living in, deepen your ability to discern what matters most, and start acting with greater intention, in the systems you’re responsible for.

How leadership growth happens

Notice. Choose. Experiment.

Leadership growth is a journey, not a one-time event. The work moves through three interconnected phases.

Notice

Notice what is

Discover the repeating patterns, assumptions, reactions and behaviours that shape how you show up as a leader, especially when under pressure.

Choose

Choose what matters

Intentionally shape the mindset, values and principles from which you lead.

Experiment

Experiment to create what you desire

Try new ways of leading and put them into practice to create sustainable shifts in behaviour and impact.

Notice what is. Choose what matters. Experiment to create what you desire. Then begin again.

How we’d work together

A coaching engagement is a partnership, and like any good partnership, it works best when both of us are clear about what we’re each bringing to it.

What you bring

Bring the real, messy leadership challenges you are navigating
Engage openly, especially in the moments of tension or uncertainty
Apply what you're learning between sessions and bring those reflections back
Own the direction — you set the goals, you drive the outcomes
Tell me honestly if something isn't working

What I bring

Create a confidential space where you can think rigorously and without judgement
Ask the questions that take your thinking further
Notice and name the patterns and assumptions that may be limiting you
Encourage the kind of reflection that leads to real, practical change
Support you in getting clear on what you want and making progress toward it

How a coaching engagement unfolds

Connect

We have an initial conversation to explore fit, context and what you want to work on. No obligation — it’s a conversation.

Design

We agree on the objectives, structure and scope of the engagement. This is tailored to you — your context, your goals, your timeline.

Assess

Where it’s useful, we use tools like the Leadership Circle Profile to deepen your self-awareness and sharpen what we focus on.

Collaborate

This is the core of the work — regular structured sessions where we delve into your real leadership challenges.

Create

We generate practical insight and identify deliberate shifts — specific changes in thinking or behaviour for you to experiment with.

Change

We translate insight into action. Over time, new ways of leading become embedded — not just ideas, but how you actually show up.

Vandena's insightful guidance and tailored approach helped me overcome obstacles, gain clarity and make significant breakthroughs in a short space of time. She genuinely cares about the success and well-being of the people she coaches. Her engaging personality and exceptional listening skills both encourage and challenge you to find your own answers.

Nitasha Chaithram

Chief Internal Auditor: IT, Gold Fields