ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF...
I’m a management coach and an Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC) programme lecturer at the Estonian Business School (EBS).
If you want to become a more effective manager, I’m here to help and encourage you. I’ll keep you focussed and give you clarity where there might otherwise be confusion. I’m motivated by the delight my clients take in the results of what I do – striking a balance between supporting and challenging them.
Find out moreWHAT IS COACHING?
An executive coach can help you become a better manager, steer you towards your goals and support the growth of your organisation.
Coaching is a creative partnership that’s designed to get you thinking. It helps you uncover and make the most of your personal and professional potential. As a coach, I support you in establishing and maintaining a focus for yourself, I help you achieve clarity and I guide you to discover new viewpoints and possibilities. Coaching is without question the most personalised way of learning about yourself.
By its nature, management coaching always serves indirectly as coaching for the entire organisation.
THE SEVEN MOST COMMON CHALLENGES A MANAGEMENT COACH DEALS WITH:
- Boosting self-confidence
- Setting and maintaining focus
- Managing time and energy
- Making it easier to take decisions and assume responsibility
- Fostering self-awareness
- Improving complicated relationships
- Addressing stress and burnout
WHAT DOESN’T A COACH DO?
- Coaches aren’t teachers or advisers
- Coaches aren’t counsellors or therapists
- Coaches don’t correct mistakes
- Coaches don’t oversee the implementation of things
- Coaches aren’t mentors
- Coaches don’t tell you which path to take or guide you on your journey
- Coaches do help you keep a firm hand on the tiller to make your journey smoother and to ensure you get where you want to go
FIVE TIPS ON GETTING THE MOST OUT OF COACHING
- Make sure you come to a precise agreement with the coach on how you’ll work together and what you expect of each other.
- Be open to feedback.
- Be prepared to think outside your comfort zone.
- Choose (with the help of the coach) clear, personal and measurable goals that are linked to what you do.
- Implement your goals!
WONDERING WHETHER MANAGEMENT COACHING IS FOR YOU?
Every management role demands motivation, emotional intelligence, a degree of fearlessness and a whole lot of grit. Management coaching is designed to reinforce all of these qualities in you.
Sometimes we only come to realise in hindsight that a decision we made could have been taken much sooner. Thankfully, every day’s a new opportunity. The best time to start something is always right now.
MY CLIENTS AND PARTNERS
I work with people from a broad range of fields who have very different levels of management experience. What they all have in common is a desire to better themselves and to grow.
My door’s open to everyone.
Merle has supported the development of our teams both one-on-one and as a team coach. Our collaboration over the years has been very successful and productive. Thanks to our sessions, the team has endured through long-term challenging periods, and trust within the team has grown tremendously. The entire team has always looked forward to our meetings. In addition to increased satisfaction, key metrics have also improved. I would definitely highlight the coach’s flexibility, which we needed several times, as well as her tremendous adaptability to every situation. Similarly, I would praise her creativity, which has made our sessions even more exciting.
The management of TV3 Group Estonia participated in the Team Coaching program led by Merle, which turned out to be a very exciting journey during which we got to know each other even better and discovered new perspectives to collectively pursue. I particularly liked that the team coaching was clearly focused on improving performance in a measurable way. Merle’s work method and style are open and inspiring, which engages team members and leads to new constructive discussions. Thanks to her extensive experience as both a top manager and a coach, she creates an atmosphere where all team members feel unified and valued. Through practical workshops, we reached solutions that we wouldn’t have been able to focus on as much in our daily work. Regardless of how strong and successful the team is, it’s important to regularly take time for awareness and discovering new perspectives, and for realising even greater potential.
Merle’s a top-flight player as a coach because she’s chaired the management boards of two companies – Õhtuleht Kirjastus and Ajakirjade Kirjastus, both of which form part of the Express Group. She’s seen close-up the challenges that managers face and the ways you go about solving them. She’s a risk-taker. I’ve seen her lead companies with voracious passion. Now she’s putting just as much of herself into my development. Sometimes you need models and patterns to work from to sort out problems, and Merle often has books and video lectures to offer as extra inspiration if you need ideas on how to solve issues that have come up in conversation.