Executive Coaching is a better alternative to training for senior managers. You can focus on your challenges, and target your learning to meet these challenges. This beats spending a day in a training room or combing a book to find the one piece of liberating information!

And you can schedule coaching for a time that suits you.

Buy a team ten to cover yourself and your team for occasional sessions as challenges arrive, or a concentrated blitz for a specific event or anniversary.

Cindy Tonkin gives you practical tools to make doing business with people simple. Combining a “soft” skills background in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) with a “hard” business performance improvement history, she specialises in making the complex simple.

You can find out more about Cindy, or read on for stories about previous clients and what they say.

Discover why executives want to work with Cindy

Cindy approaches each coaching client differently based on their personality style, their outcomes and briefing from their own manager.

Stories from successful executive coaching

Executives use coaching to lead and motivate, and to improve personal effectiveness.

To protect client confidentiality names and roles have been changed.

Contact Cindy for satisfied referees.

Coaching to lead and motivate

Di had been in jobs before where she’d worked herself almost to burnout. Her coaching sessions served to blow off steam before she got to that point. Over a period of several months, we worked on time management, organisational priorities, the best ways of approaching an impending conference, delegating, creating management systems, and her own career ambitions.

Whenever Stu gave Ellen direct feedback about errors or inconsistencies in her reporting, she would zone out. She consistently made the same errors, because she didn’t seem to even hear the feedback from him. A single coaching session on motivational style meant Stu could talk with her about the issues in a way she could hear it, and Ellen knew what to change.

Cath and Anna had recruited team members before. Sometimes they worked well. Sometimes it was a disaster. Coaching sessions based on the personality styles and filters of the successful staff allowed them to create a set of questions to ask potential candidates, so they could filter in the thinking styles they required for the job. And it made them more clearly define what they needed in a staff member.

Coaching to improve personal effectiveness:

Amber’s colleagues kept asking her “Are you OK?”. She hated her job, found her boss difficult and was thinking about resigning. A coaching session focusing on what energised her at work, what made her life difficult, and how she could add to her repertoire for managing up meant that two weeks after her coaching session she was energised, understood her boss’ limitations and character, and became enthusiastic about the life her job allowed her to live outside work. In addition, she was getting through more work than she ever had.

David’s boss thought he was the right person in the wrong job. While he was engaging and clever, and he got many commendations from customers, his paperwork was always behind. He requested more “waivers” on customer fees for lateness than anyone else (because he often lost their forms and sent them out late), and he needed propping up emotionally more often than anyone else. After 3 sessions, where he was coached on “remembering to remember” David had begun to pick up his memory, and had gained enough confidence to apply for another job internally which better matched his skill set .

Alicia’s concern was that Brian, her gun salesman, was a little too aggressive. He had more technical knowledge of their complicated financial product than anyone else. He could structure excellent deals which met customer needs as well as making a decent profit for the company. But Brian’s clients found him arrogant. After a few coaching sessions, Alicia received 3 customer calls asking what she’d done to make him so much more easy to work with!

Reliable Track Record

Cindy Tonkin’s corporate coaching clients include:

• Leadership program for the Cancer Council of Victoria
• Management and Leadership coaching Commonwealth Bank Research and Analytics
• Performance improvement and morale boosting small group and individual coaching, Toyota Financial Services
• Individual high-potential staff performance issues at Deutsche Bank and at Toyota Financial Services, Pfizer Australia
• Presentation feedback for senior managers in a high-profile multi-national utility as they geared up to present to the management team of the company taking them over
• Eliminating life-long presentation nerves for senior managers in several banks and a few other blue-chips.

Testimonials for Cindy’s Coaching

I just wanted to thank you so much… I learnt an enormous amount and was extremely impressed by both your knowledge and ‘bedside manner’! I know that the work that we covered will be of great use to me in both business AND life. In fact, I used an ‘excellent question today’, and it totally opened up a conversation which had become stuck. Nicola, General Manager of a Training Company.

I’ve taken the job with [employer] and have been there for 4 weeks now… it has been a whirlwind since starting. I am enjoying the role – many challenges and opportunities. I have to tell you that every time that I am in a meeting with senior management I focus on what is being said… I feel incredibly in control! I even had to deal with some tough customers tonight and I had great success. Once again thank you for your support. You’re a champ. Gail, Manager in a Major Australian Transport and Distribution company.

Hi Wonder Woman, Thanks for a fantastic session – you left us feeling incredibly motivated excited and happy – you are worth your weight in gold – can’t wait for the next session! Jeremy, Director of a Travel Consultancy.

Your passion for people is very evident… and I would like to thank you for an inspiring and informative [session]. Jacqui, Trainer and Facilitator

Thank you! Would you believe I have had 3 people tell me today that I look – ‘light & happy’!!! How cool is that? (it describes the feeling beautifully). Look forward to next time. Michelle, Manager in a Multinational Utility.

Just a quick email to say many thanks for your time earlier today ! Plenty of sensible, down to earth “food for thought !”, thanks for helping put it all into perspective ! Helen, Personnel Consultant

J is doin’ fine – a happy chappy. He has been excellent on the phones over Christmas as we have had people on leave and have been pretty flat out… seems to cope with things better. He has had three written customer compliments [in the past month]… has been awarded a “Customer First” Award and is about to get his second – now how fantastic is that!!!! If I could just organise times for you to see the rest of my team then we will be set!! Keith, Call Centre Manager about one of his staff working with Cindy

Cindy Tonkin is not your typical executive coach

She has a background in productivity improvement and business systems, so she can help you set up, grow, promote and reduce waste in your business.

She has a Masters degree in Linguistics, and International Training qualifications. This means you get ideas easily in several different ways. You get what she means and see how it applies to you, and can sound out ways to make it work.

She is a Master Trainer of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), so she can help you get over the mental barriers standing in the way of your ultimate success, help you work more effectively with your staff and colleagues, clarify what is important when you’re overwhelmed, or just give you a chance to sort through your issues and solve them yourself.

As an experienced corporate trainer and consultant she has run her own consultancy business since 1992, and has worked with more than 130 clients on more than 60 assignments in that time. She has worked with both large and smaller businesses, so she can adapt to your needs and ambitions.

She has written a number of books, including an AIM best-seller and another seven titles. She is a keen self-educator, and is always adding new knowledge to her mental database. You don’t have to attend every seminar, read every book. She does, and then can plug you in to what’s relevant.

Terms and Conditions

Payment is 100% up front , and includes GST. Cindy books session times directly with the coachee.

The total fee is due when you book the series. We will schedule dates for the first session when you confirm. If for some reason you need to reschedule or cancel sessions, 24 hours notice is required (or full fee is charged). There is no expiry date on the sessions.

If for some reason we need to postpone a session with less than 24 hours notice, we will provide you with an additional session free of charge.

All rates include Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Sessions are up to 90 minutes, and usually take place in business hours, although we can organise for out of hours sessions if this suits your requirements.

Sessions by zoom.