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"When business challenges feel complicated, there's usually something simpler underneath."
Simone Olbert
The Psychology of How We Lead
I work with leaders who know their challenges aren't really about strategy or process - they're about how people relate to each other and the work.
Your Path
Two distinct challenges. Same psychological foundation.
SME Leaders
You're trapped in the details whilst strategic work waits. Delegation fails despite talented people. Something's preventing genuine ownership from emerging - but you can't quite see what.
Women in Transition
The senior role is more complex than expected. Technical expertise needs to become strategic leadership. And you're navigating contradictory expectations in environments that weren't designed with you in mind.
"When business challenges feel complicated, there's usually something simpler underneath. Often it's about how people relate to each other and the work."
Core Philosophy
My Approach
How I Work
I create space to step back from complexity and see what's really happening. Not diagnosing your problems - exploring patterns together.
- 1Start With What You're Noticing: You bring real situations you're facing. Not hypotheticals - actual moments where something feels off but you can't quite name what. We start there and work backwards to understand what's creating it.
- 2Examine Your Part First: Before asking others to change, we look at what you're doing that maintains the current pattern. Often you'll pause mid-conversation and say "wait, I think I'm creating this." That moment of recognition - that's where change becomes possible.
- 3Test Small Shifts: Between sessions, you try something different. Stop one behaviour, start another. Notice what happens. Sometimes it feels awkward. Sometimes you're surprised by the response. We discuss both. Small changes in how you relate to situations often create ripples through everything else.
- 4Team Coaching - Where Applicable: Sometimes working with your leadership team together makes more sense than individual work. Everyone sees and navigates the patterns together. Particularly effective for building ownership culture where the whole leadership team needs to shift how they relate to delegation and authority.
Background
Lived Experience Meets Psychology
Hi,
I'm Simone
Twenty years navigating corporate leadership. From HR consultant to Head of Executive Development at Fresenius (280K employees) to building teams at Lidl (200K employees).
INSEAD MBA. ICF Professional Certified Coach. Certified yoga teacher. Western organisational psychology meets eastern philosophy.
I've been the only woman in boardrooms. I've rebuilt careers after maternity leave. I don't just study the psychology of leadership - I've lived it.
