Testimonials

Working with Kris helped me to see situations more clearly. Two years later, I still recall our conversations and apply the learnings to current situations. I appreciated that Kris helped me to develop strategies and approaches that fit for who I was as a person and worked with my strengths. I enjoyed our time together and reflect often on our discussions.

- Director, Government of Alberta

November 2016

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I’ve found the coaching to be very helpful... I’s kind of like Thought Judo, where the opponent is yourself and your coach is, well your coach. As my coach explained to me, she finds that most of the time the executives she coaches know the answers to their questions, they just need help getting there. Our minds are so cluttered with immediate issues, old crusty thoughts and new data getting crammed in we’ve forgotten half the stuff we’ve known.

Coaching helps you sort through the mess in your head, and provides an intentional time and space for you to clean it up. We’re our own worst enemy in so many ways. At the same time you get what you put into it; the coaching hour is really only the beginning of it. We set goals in the beginning, and though I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere at first glance, I realized I had moved significantly towards them. The reality is that even though I wrestled some bad habits into line and remembered a lot of things I’d previously learned about leadership, organization and all that jazz, today there are even more emergent issues, fresh ideas turned crusty memories and way more data getting crammed into my noggin.

So coaching has put me onto a process whereby I can be more thoughtful, deliberate and reflective. I can understand why people would continue doing it over a longer term, or find a coach/mentor to help them out. It applies to superstar executive as well as up and coming staff.

- Director, Government of Alberta

October 2016

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Kris has been a tremendous support in assisting me as I transitioned into my first senior role in Government.   In this first year, I have found myself at many times battling my own confidence and casting self-doubt in my own performance.  After having a session with Kris and having her be my sounding board and asking me the tough exploratory questions to find the root of the issues, I find myself feeling eager and ready with an action plan to carry out to address these moments.  I enjoy each conversation with Kris and how she is willing to go through my narrative and help me realize I have the answer and that it is embedded within my own narrative.  I have come out more confident and ready to embrace the next challenges with the tips provided by my excellent coach!

- Director, Government of Alberta

September 2016

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Denise provides a great balance of thought provoking and engaging discussion with a light hearted touch making the sessions both constructive and enjoyable.

- Executive Manager

October 2015

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It’s been over four years since I had the opportunity to work with Denise as my coach. However, I still regularly think through the areas that we worked on together, and regularly use them in my daily work and life. From the setting of my goals for our time together, to our regular meetings, to the open, honest and encouraging discussions, Denise created an atmosphere where I felt she truly had my best interests in mind. I feel I have a much better understanding and confidence in my strengths, while also being better equipped with strategies to address areas of lesser strength. I also appreciated the way Denise understood me as a whole person, as our conversations covered both the work environment as well as out-of-work areas. I am grateful to Denise for her commitment to helping me grow as a leader, and for all I learned (and continue to put into practice) during our time.

- Manager

October 2015

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Having Denise as a coach was invaluable. She offered practical tools for helping define my short and long-term career goals. I gained confidence through the process and came out with clear understanding of my strengths, weaknesses and a solid plan to achieve my personal career goals.

- Maura Sutherland, Barrister and Solicitor, Alberta Justice and Solicitor General

October 2015

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I always look forward to my conversations with Denise.  She is able to strike a balance between listening, sharing her experience/ ideas, and asking the right questions.  She leaves with me helpful insights and/or questions to ponder.  Denise has helped me in many aspects of my career, from developing staff to career planning.  She has been a vital resource to me, both personally and professionally.

- Director

October 2015

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Denise has the ability and insight to help uncover the fundamental of an individual's goals and aspirations and utilise this to facilitate the creation of wholistic and integrated career/life pathways.
 
My time spent with Denise, and completing agreed to tasks, has help me succeed in mapping, understanding and improving the path forward for me, my family and my staff.
 
- Manager, Alberta Municipal Affairs
October 2015

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I began my coaching experience with Denise in January 2011, and it continued for approximately one year.  At the time, I was in a senior manager position, and since then I competed for, and was successful in moving into an Executive Director position.  I believe Denise’s coaching was instrumental for my continued growth in the public service.  I appreciated that Denise used open ended questions to explore topics that I raised during our sessions, to help me further understand what was the real ‘challenge’ I was trying to address.  She was able to assist me in my own internal analysis about ways I could further improve my engagement with my peers.  With the team of professionals that I worked with, she helped me explore my own leadership style.  I found particularly helpful an instrument she provided to me regarding conflict management (Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument).  I answered a series of questions in between our coaching sessions and we then explored my results and how to use my particular conflict style effectively.
 
I found that Denise was able to provide me with a number of practical techniques that I continue to use today, such as when I am chairing meetings, I will end the meeting with a brief summary of the actions agreed upon, and inviting participants to confirm their support for the direction.  This helps me articulate the path forward, and also provides an opportunity for anyone to present a different perspective.  
 
Through her advice and coaching, I do feel I am more articulate with my expectations, that I have enabled a more open and collaborative environment where differing perspectives are welcome and considered when making strategic decisions, and I feel overall I am contributing effectively to the success of my organization.  I would highly recommend Denise as a coach – I was fortunate to have this opportunity to work with her.
 
- Executive Director
October 2015

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Choosing Denise Burrell as a Coach proved to be an absolute ‘game changer’ in enabling and nurturing both the Science and Art of personal and professional leadership! 
 
Denise fostered a warm and inviting atmosphere – creating a safe environment that allowed for frank and robust exploration of what made me ‘tick’ as a leader. This was profound for me in that with several graduate degrees and many years of experience in progressive leadership positons, I did not require further development of the ‘technical’ aspects of leading teams and complex work. Instead, I discovered that what I really needed, and received, was an ‘inward exploration of me’.
 
Although at first, this required some courage, my coaching experience has proven to be so valuable and necessary in my progression as a strategic leader, that several of the Senior Managers whom I lead have since begun seeing Denise – building the capacity of ‘tomorrow’s leaders today’.
 
- Dr. Ross Danyluk, Executive Director, Alberta Transportation
October 2015

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As a new director in the Government of Alberta, Denise helped me get through the difficult transition of being an individual performer to learning how to get things done through other people. At our first meeting, Denise worked with me to identify those areas where I needed improvement. Over the next few months, Denise kept me focussed on addressing those areas even when it meant leaving my comfort zone. Whenever I stumbled, Denise was there to provide me with advice and support. The lessons I learned as a result of Denise’s coaching have made me a stronger leader and will serve me well as I continue to progress in my career in the Government of Alberta.

- Ryan Reichl, Director, Alberta Transportation

October 2015

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“How can we make best use of our time today?” This is how Denise opened most of our coaching conversations together. We’d go on to discuss the ‘workplace dilemma of the day’ or more general topics like team-building, managing fears, and strengths-based leadership. Every time, Denise listened more than she talked. Her open questions combined with great subject-matter expertise left me feeling positive about my abilities and looking forward to taking action. By deftly getting me to answer my own questions she helped me to focus on building strengths rather than fixing weaknesses, and figure out how to get out of a rut. Since working with Denise I have looked for and taken on leadership responsibilities, and enrolled in the GoA Leadership Program. My work with Denise showed me that I could succeed at both.

- Barrister and Solicitor

October 2015

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Working with Denise was a great pleasure. She created a safe environment for me to explore challenging situations, provided inspirational resources when I needed them, yet encouraged me to create my own tool to use to navigate the path forward. Once I created the tool, she played a strong role in encouraging my progress and ensuring I was accountable to myself and the goals I had set. This coaching experience exceeded my expectations.

- Executive Director

October 2015

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My coaching experience with Denise has been so valuable!  With Denise’s guidance, I was able to work through some complex challenges and have learned tools and techniques that will serve me well into the future.  Denise is knowledgeable and professional, and I have benefitted greatly from her insights.  I would highly recommend Denise as a coach!

- Executive Manager

October 2015

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When I started working with an executive coach I came into this experience with doubts about how this interaction could benefit me. Denise created an atmosphere of trust. Her gentle manner in challenging me to grow brought me closer to the answers I’ve been struggling to find. Denise met my expectations about addressing my specific questions and concerns and has been effective in helping me analyze and assess the situations I have brought forward in our discussions. What worked well for me was the set time every second week and face to face interaction. I will probably use the GROW model for goal setting and problem solving for the rest of my life. I am so grateful for Denise’s contribution to my journey in leading and I would recommend her to anyone.

- Manager

September 2015

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