Here are some of the comments made by our clients after working with us
Keri Fawcett – Programme Manager – Nedbank Wealth
08 March 2011
Stephen has been my life coach, trusted confident, chief cheerleader and understanding sympathiser for a year and half and has helped me in dealing with getting settled into my new life in Cape Town, (having moved down from Joburg in 2009) a new role at my company and many other changes in between.
Firstly, I think coaching, like any other relationship, is a two way street. YOU must want to change. You must be comfortable to share your thoughts and feelings. Otherwise coaching will inevitably seem to be a waste of your money and your coach’s time. Reaching out to a life coach is because YOU are prepared to do the work, the hard personal questioning arriving at brave admissions of your own life, how your world views have been crafted and how certain positive and negative behaviours have become entrenched in your psyche.
This enables you to reach a stage where you can honestly discuss and reflect on your troubles with Stephen without your ego standing in the way of admitting things that you know are true!
There is no one single “Ah-ha!” moment to expect, but a number of smaller acknowledgments you make, which have to be followed by action, in order to change the things that aren’t working in your life.
Amongst many other methods, references and discussions with Stephen and discussions with myself, his Tools for your Earth Walk were so powerful in helping me to assess which of my behaviours, mindsets and pre-conceived opinions no longer serve me. Some had to be reassessed and some had to be put aside altogether. It seemed so hard at first, without knowing what life will be like without these “crutches” that I’d always known. With Stephen’s wisdom, guidance and support, I decided to walk.
Now, what I’m absolutely sure of, is that my destination will be a better one because I’m walking through life with true beliefs about myself, and not what others want me/expect me to believe…and it’s the most liberating experience in the world!!!
Wimpie Beeken – Project Manager – GPO Metropolitan Life
20.01.2009
Tracy Engelbrecht – ProBlue programme and project management
19.01.2009
Stephen is a great communicator who enables teams to unpack conflict constructively and unblock ‘tricky’ situations. He is able to work within all levels of the organisation with confidence . He shares valuable insights during his sessions and is able to drive out realistic and appropriate plans. Stephen’s knowledge and experience allow him to deliver real results quickly and effectively. I highly recommend his skills to any organisation.
Tracy Engelbrecht – ProBlue programme and project management
Jannie Venter – Head of Marketing and Business Development Metropolitan Retail
17.10.2008
Thanks from my side for all the work you have done on our investigation, and the initiative you continue to show to add more than what is purely required from you. It is always good to work with you.
Albert van Niekerk – ABPlan
15.10.2008
You are an excellent read “great” coach.
Tim Biggs – Three Rivers of the Amazon
15.10.2008
I have always been impressed by Steve’s natural gifting and ability to facilitate, and find a path of logic and clarity through almost any difficult and confused situation.
Shane Johansen iD3
14.09.2008
I have gained a depth of self understanding perpetuating many other significant breakthroughs in my personal, professional and business life.
Andre Michau – Metropolitan Life
29.07.2008
I can confidently recommend SQ Facilitation to other companies requiring strategic planning and workshop facilitation services.
Stephen Quirke of SQ Facilitation (now StrategyWorks) has been associated with the delivery ofworkshop facilitation services to Metropolitan since 1999. During this 8-year relationship, Stephen has presented and facilitated over 200 workshops ranging from high-level business strategy sessions through to operationsproblem resolution sessions. SQ Facilitation is the first choice external facilitator for the Project Support Office’s project concept and initiation workshops requiring an external facilitator. Because of Stephen’s thorough planning approach, skills withvarious approaches and toolsets for workshop methodologies and quick turn-around times with regard to workshop output documentation, he is often requested by name by the various business units within Metropolitan.
I can confidently recommend SQ Facilitation to other companies requiring strategic planning and workshop facilitation services.
Yours sincerely,Andre Michau
Head: Project Support Office
Brent Combrink – Chairman: Western Cape – Comensa
05.09.2007
Despite the ambitious agenda and our not covering everything we intended, we have a solid start to our current financial year as this workshop and notes position us well for the tasks ahead.
Hi Stephen
Thank you for sending this through. It looks excellent, comprehensive and should be very useful in assuring the intended actions being taken!
Thank you very much for your competence and great effort in the facilitation of our chapter committee’s critically important strategy planning day on August 24th. I personally enjoyed the VISA assessment and how that was woven into the process of building the committee as a team, preparing us for our individual roles within the committee as well as highlighting how we fulfil our mandate for COMENSA.
A specific learning point for me in developing my own facilitation is how your note-taking (and the document you’ve sent now) allowed us to participate fully in the conversation, trusting that the detail was being recorded.
Despite the ambitious agenda and our not covering everything we intended, we have a solid start to our current financial year as this workshop and notes position us well for the tasks ahead.
All the best
Brent
Shane Bradley Johansen – ID3
05.09.2007
Your turn around times are wonderfully excellent.
Dick Badenhorst – Franchise Director: Discovery Consulting Services Peninsula Franchise
31.05.2005
Stephen’s impact through training helped us achieve and exceed all our set targets and led to DCS Peninsula being a highly profitable business.
Steve Quirke has been facilitating workshops with our team since 01/12/2003. He has had a tremendous positive impact on our group dynamics, operations efficiency and cutting down to the essentials and non-negotiables of administration and marketing. His continuous involvement created trust and direction for me and the team.
Steve’s impact through training helped us achieve and exceed all our set targets and led to DCS Peninsula being a highly profitable business.
I strongly recommend SQ Facilitation (now StrategyWorks) to all business leaders.
Yours sincerely
Dick Badenhorst
Christine Colvin – CSIR
31.05.2005
Your responsive and flexible approach was really appreciated by the group, and we felt we gained tremendously by experiencing rather than just listening.
Dear Steve
Thank you for an excellent course!
We all thoroughly enjoyed the course and learnt a lot about facilitation skills, organisational behaviour, people and ourselves at many levels. Your responsive and flexible approach was reallyappreciated by the group, and we felt we gained tremendously by experiencing rather than just listening. The comprehensive course notes will give us a vital reference and we thank you for the focused effortyou put into preparation for the course. I hope that other project leaders within CSIR will be able to benefitfrom this course in the future.
Best wishes, Christine.
15.01.2005
In many instances, I have insisted that Stephen is the facilitator on my projects and I look forward to our continued mutually beneficial working relationship.
As Senior Project Manager and consulting to various Corporates over the last 6-7 years, I was first introduced to Stephen Quirke as facilitator at Metropolitan on a number of large and technical projects.
During this time, I have found Stephen to be confident in his abilities and dedicated to the project achieving the end result by focusing on structured planning upfront.
Stephen understands his customer, expresses his ideas, adapts quickly to varying environments and shows commitment to making fair judgements based on logical assumptions and factual information when solving problems. Stephen pays special attention to listening and is not averse to playing devils-advocate.
He has a phenomenal character and manner and is easily able to manage sensitive and tense environments. Stephen is accustomed to hostile facilitations and has the power not to make people feel the victims in conflict situations.
He is able to make the participants relax and respond in a trusted environment and puts in a lot of effort with a high-energy drive, while maintaining a stable performance under pressure.In many instances, I have insisted that Stephen is the facilitator on my projects and I look forward to our continued mutually beneficial working relationship.
Michael C.T. Schultz – Co-Chairperson: LAMAF Medical Scheme
01.04.2004
We would applaud the manner in which you were able to promote and develop meaningful participation through the medium of frank and open discussion at all times and which enabled our group to move from a somewhat negative perspective at the outset to an extremely positive outcome at the end of the day.
Dear Stephen
On behalf of the LAMAF Board of Trustees and the Management Team I would place on record our sincere and grateful appreciation for the extremely professional and effective manner in which you facilitated the LAMAF Strategy Bosberaad at Monkey Valley over the period 25th to 27th March 2004.
Your contribution to the success of the icebreaker session on Thursday evening was indeed and eye opener and set the tone for the healthy spirit of camaraderie that prevailed over the next day and a half.
We are satisfied that you succeeded in taking the participants through the process of determining vital strategic issues which needed to be addressed in both the immediate and medium time-frames. We would applaud the manner in which you were able to promote and develop meaningful participation through the medium of frank and open discussion at all times and which enabled our group to move from a somewhat negative perspective at the outset to an extremely positive outcome at the end of the day.
We would also acknowledge the contribution of your assistants who manned the overhead projectors and recording of the proceedings in such an efficient and unassuming manner.
Every best wish for the way forward.
Yours sincerely
Michael C.T. Schultz