Bringing a “different voice” to the coaching community

Sheldon Daniel, a proud product of the Caribbean, explores leaving his corporate life in 2010 to adding executive coaching to his core business offer.

What were you doing before the Mastered Programme?

Having left corporate life in 2010, I embarked on bespoke consulting and advisory services focused on Strategic Communication, external affairs and managing external business risks. I guide companies and individuals to think differently about thorny issues in their leadership and communications – particularly on cross-culture relations and external stakeholder engagement. I also co-created and delivered a suite of corporate training interventions to develop strategic communications capabilities needed in and by businesses and enhance leadership presence and influence.

What direction/(s) have you gone in since finishing the Mastered Programme? And what are you doing now?

I have added a growing Executive Coaching business to my core business offer. My previous consulting clients also access coaching to help them in their leadership presence and performance. My core market remains the Caribbean, where coaching is gradually accepted as a critical leadership resource. But I have also developed a coaching presence in the UK market because of the powerful Meyler Campbell reputation and deeply connected alums and Faculty network. I bring my Caribbean flair, warmth, calmness, lightness and humour to my coaching. I aim to bring a ” different voice” to the coaching community.

More recently, I have begun as a Faculty member of Meyler Campbell. I have a lifelong love of supporting the learning process of others, and my role as a Faculty member allows me to do that for those motivated to add a coaching mindset and toolkit to their professional repertoire.

What impact did the Mastered programme have for you?

I learned to be a coach – but one that is authentic, being deeply rooted in my understanding of myself, my culture, and my experience, trusting of my instincts– but within a set of coaching principles and framework.

I found a new “tribe” in the Meyler Campbell community. It is a work in progress, but engaging, debating, learning, “limin” (a Trinidadian phrase – look it up!) have all featured in my Meyler Campbell experience. I found new mentors and new friends. That has been a gift I could not have imagined.

What are some examples of things you have done differently since the Mastered programme?

I changed personally primarily by becoming more aware. I learnt to listen differently, especially how much judgment can “leak” into my perspective. I became more confident in myself – to proudly show the power that resides in the difference that I bring (that was a big reveal).

I also adopt a different stance in my consulting and communication training business. While clients want a download of expertise, I have now begun unabashedly incorporating an openness of thinking, deep listening, creative reflection, and thoughtful challenge to co-creating unique solutions.

What was the most valuable thing/(s) you got from Mastered that you are using now?

The power of a well-constructed question – and conversely – the power of thought-inducing silence. Both are essential to unlocking thinking and driving ownership for actions and decisions. I have, at best, the answers for my own life – but the best I can do for others is to help them unearth their solutions. I also found it so easy to say and very difficult to do!

Where do you see yourself going in the future?

I love seeing the impact coaching can have on the lives of leaders. I believe that the modern workplace will benefit tremendously from contemporary business leaders who are visionary, technically solid, keenly reflective, highly adaptive, excellent communicators, and responsive to external dynamics. I want to be part of developing that cadre of leaders and those who will coach them.

I also look forward to sharing my expertise in different ways – providing insight and advisory on strategic communications and reputation management at a Board level, helping sectors that might not be able to access coaching presently and promoting the need for more voices of difference within the coaching fraternity.

Anything else you would like to say?

The variety of experiences that the Meyler Campbell community offers amazes me. My guidance to all community members is to mine this reservoir of knowledge and experience – reach out and connect. It is rare to have such a network of like-minded individuals with a mindset to improve the world – one coaching conversation at a time.

Sheldon Daniel

A proud product of the Caribbean, my quest is to build extraordinary leaders who craft enduring relationships and inspire others by embracing the power of the diverse, by being intellectually curious and by sustaining deep empathy.