Meet Michele

Thanks for stopping by.

 

I want to let you in on a secret, there was a time when I had given hope that my work life would improve. I would start thinking about work on Sunday afternoon and spend my day dreading having to go to work the following morning. I would wake up uninspired and apathetic most mornings. 

​

In 2006, I re-ignited my nursing career in the field of aging as the General Manager at a care home. Initially, the job was great. Employees were friendly, the residents were happy. I began to feel a shift in the attitudes of the care team- less engaged and more critical despite my efforts to have inclusive meetings, employee appreciation events and work as a nurse when we were short staffed. The honeymoon period was over!

​

There were days when I had panic attacks driving to work knowing that I was ill prepared to lead a dysfunctional team – feeling like I had no idea what I was doing and that I had not been set up to succeed. More importantly, I was exhausted and I didn’t have the support or understanding of senior leaders. There was nobody taking care of me so that I could care for others. 

​

When I tell this story, it still evokes emotions that make me feel anxious, unsafe, ashamed and like a failure. I have experienced the psychological damage that can be inflicted on people by continuous workplace dysfunction, ineffective communication and the feeling that things will never get better.

​

It doesn’t have to be this way! 

​

Most organizations hire people like me who had the hard skills that produce the desired outcomes (low vacancies, low turnover, fantastic resident satisfaction surveys). When you hire people in this way, you end up with managers, not leaders. They understand their job, and the jobs of the people that report to them, but they may have no idea how to lead people. They are too busy focusing on bottom lines. It’s no wonder why many leaders feel overwhelmed, disempowered and disengaged. 

​

So, after years of feeling frustrated that I wasn’t leading in my most authentic way, I found myself waiting for the industry to come up with a solution to solve the issue of high employee turnover and the lack of new employees entering the workforce. It’s during this time when I had given up on existing leadership models because I felt that I was spending my day managing employees and I was in a perpetual cycle of fixing problems already in crisis mode and never coming up with solutions. I was exhausted!

​

In healthcare, we use a term called person-centred care. It’s a philosophy that ensures the unique needs of clients are met by knowing their preferences. I found myself asking the question: “Why do we apply this model to clients but not to employees?  Why aren’t we creating opportunities to get to know our employees better to ensure their individual needs are being fulfilled?" I have been applying these approaches for years, and became known as the "fixer" by previous employers who would task me with supporting teams that were struggling.

 

Throughout my career, I have researched countless leadership models and styles and created the P.E.R.S.O.N. Centred Leadership Approach™ after realizing there was a need for leaders to focus on themselves and on the individual needs of those we serve- our people. My approach allows you to explore yourself through reflection, visualization and take action steps to connect the mind and the body which will provide new opportunities to lead with purpose and from your core values.

​

I learned that by making small but powerful shifts in how I engage with people it has made a monumental impact on how I lead. The greatest impact however has been in the way I see people around me leading. When you know how to support and encourage individuals by creating trust and connection, it brings out the best in everyone.