Leadership development
for businesses committed to being better
Kia ora,
I’m Sel,
I know that for business to thrive, there is a responsibility to look after people alongside profitability.
It’s not an either/or situation; both are crucial for long-term business success.
Authentic connection requires feeling safe. Safe to express ourselves with honesty without fear of repercussion for saying the unpopular things in the wrong tone.
What I do
Every person, every business, every organisation I work with is vastly different.
But what I do is consistent.
It’s awakening the ability of business leaders to operate sustainable, profitable organisations that will last – without burning themselves out in the process.
It’s guiding people in creating inclusive workspaces that will allow for humanity and empower individuals to show up as themselves. It’s giving business leaders the tools to create processes for achieving social equity, simply.
I work with people in organisations trying to do too much with too little, and I give them the framework to turn their goals into measurable processes to achieve the impact they want to make. On repeat.
I support leadership development via consulting, coaching, strategy, and facilitation so YOU can keep focused on achieving your goals and creating your own version of professional success, your way.
If your leadership team are constantly juggling commitments and feeling overwhelmed or worried about breaking things in business, do you need support to break the cycle before the breakdown?
Effective Leadership Development through strategy, coaching and facilitation that is tailored to your needs
What kind of impact do you want to make – and do you want help to achieve that?
Values | Ngā pou
What we believe
Diversity, equity and inclusion are our building blocks
Human rights for all. Dignity, fairness and respect. I challenge inequity by pushing against the status quo and systemic marginalisation and support others to enable them to do the same.
Be a bloody good human. Simple.
Community led development is critical to change
Leigh Development is a tāngata Tiriti organisation that recognises te tino rangatiratanga of hapū as expressed in He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni and as affirmed in te Tiriti o Waitangi.
What this means is pulling out all the stops to be a good treaty partner. To do what is right by Māori as tāngata whenua of Aotearoa, and as was agreed to in He Whakaputanga and te Tiriti o Waitangi.
I do this because I firmly believe that this is how we can achieve social equity. Being a great tiriti partner involves understanding that equal access doesn’t achieve equitable outcomes and it is our responsibility to disrupt the narrative to the contrary.
I champion diversity and inclusivity practices, and actively promote and support working with other organisations that demonstrate positive engagement with whānau/hapū/iwi, and other culturally responsive practices.
Equity (the social kind) is about the risks you’re willing to take and sacrifices you’ll make for the good of others.
What this does not mean, is us representing ourselves as experts in culturally responsive practice.
In all cases, we will defer to the voice of lived experience and we will advise you to do the same. Co-design means to extend the invitation to plan the party, not consulting upon it after you’ve decided on the theme.
Lead with curiosity, couple it with humility.
About Sel
Ko Sel tōku ingoa. E ngākaunui ana au ki te manaakitanga.
When I was starting out in formal leadership, I enrolled in courses to help me “fix” the way I spoke. Without exception, the facilitators told me there was nothing to fix. The problems I had were all in my head.
My experience had taught me otherwise, so I continued to mask my natural communication style to be less direct, more “fluffy” and socially acceptable; to feel included.
A couple of decades later, I’ve got a better understanding of who I am and I’m slowly removing the corporate mask, but it’s almost harder to unwind intentional habits than it was to cement them in the first place.
But it isn’t just working at changing my communication style, or at holding firm to my boundaries.
It’s the realisation that I was never “too” much of anything.
It’s the understanding that leadership failed me in not accommodating my diversity, or adjusting for my needs.
I’m Sel and I guide business leaders in creating work cultures that honour their people. Because when workplace culture is prioritised, the entire business becomes stronger.