Business coach reflects on lessons she learned at sixth Public Sector Strategy Round Table and how to apply to her career
Wanja Michuki’s main interest lies in coaching leaders. It’s an interest not too dissimilar to the mission of Salzburg Global Seminar: to challenge current and future leaders to solve issues of global concern. It made her attendance at the sixth meeting of the Public Sector Strategy Round Table - In the Spotlight: How Can the Public Sector Excel Under Changing Dynamics? - even more appropriate. For two days, the managing director of Be Bold Consulting and Advisory Ltd was one of 28 participants exploring public sector leadership and innovation for national governments.
Michuki, based in Kenya, came to be at Salzburg after a chance meeting with apolitical at the Women in Public Service Project. She said, “This is how I came to be here because apolitical partnered with Salzburg Global Seminar this year in public service. When [Salzburg Global] reached out to me, I said, ‘This is fantastic.’ What a relevant conversation to what I had now also extended into my business, which is coaching.”
Be Bold Consulting and Advisory Ltd is an independent financial consulting and executive coaching firm based in Nairobi. Fulfillment has a strong influence on the advice she provides. Michuki said, “I strongly believe that if you live life on purpose, if you are clear about your values, and you make decisions that are congruent with your values, and this defines your purpose, what it is that you do and also brings purpose, then you are fulfilled in what you do, which is your experience in the time that you are here.”
In Michuki’s opinion, a lot of executive leaders are not thinking about their values. She said, “There are a lot of things then that can take place where people are just so focused on the outcome that it’s not like, ‘What’s my value in this process? What are my values?’” Michuki indicated at a time where complex environments are prevalent - both at a local and global level - it is even more important for people to be clear about their values so they are able to navigate through the challenges that come their way.
“Something that’s been emphasized here is the importance of collaboration across sectors that may not seem to be related – that the learning [which] can be acquired through just bringing together different sets of actors is huge,” said Michuki. Other participants, who highlighted their experiences and provided anecdotes for people to learn from, had a “very profound impact” on Michuki. She said, “For me, it was a mind shift about the level of complexity that we’re dealing with. It’s globally but it’s everywhere because we’re so interconnected.”
During the session, Michuki and others were challenged about the future we might be stepping into. It’s something she’ll have to consider when dealing with her clients and the advice she provides. She said, “What I’m taking away - and something that I’m going to reflect on a little bit more - is how to present these issues in front of decision-makers and manage the anxiety that these issues [bring].
“This will be part of my coaching journey with the people that I work with. It raises a lot of internal fear. How do you deal with these issues? Presenting these issues - also presenting the fact that there are these types of forums for people to work through these issues - I think that’s what I’m going to be taking back.”
Michuki has had a varied career. She is a former trade, investment, and multilateral diplomat, having served in the government of Kenya for six years. Before this, she was an entrepreneur in New York City, where she founded and ran The Highland Tea Company. Her career began in finance and led her to work for Barclays and Merrill Lynch. During this time, she became a chartered financial analyst. When asked whether this was the career path she expected to follow when at school, she replied, “Definitely not,” before laughing to herself. She added, “It’s interesting. I sort of look at where I am now in my journey and everything that I’ve done before makes sense.”
While Michuki’s main interest is to coach leaders, she’s inspired by the belief to make a positive difference. She said, “It’s knowing that I’m using the best of my skills in what I do. I’m using the best of my skills. What I’ve also learned is that it’s important for me to enjoy what I’m doing. Where I am now, I’ve gone through so many experiences - both positive and negative - to sort of have clarity around that to know what my values are. Just coming back to, again, that, ‘Why is coaching also important to me?’ I know what my values are. I have a sense of purpose. It gives my life fantastic meaning. I’m fulfilled.”
Wanja Michuki attended the sixth meeting of the Public Sector Strategy Round Table – “In the Spotlight: How Can the Public Sector Excel Under Changing Dynamics?”. This meeting was convened by Salzburg Global Seminar in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court and apolitical, and with the support of Chatham House. More information on the session can be found here.