Our approach
Through our collective experience coaching and working with people at all levels across a wide range of business environments, we have identified a number of Non-negotiable Proficiencies that are prerequisites for success. Equally important, we have identified a number of common Inhibitor Behaviors that often sabotage otherwise capable people and thwart their success.
The Non-negotiable Proficiencies form the heart of the three master categories on which we focus: Power, Pulse & Perspective. When these proficiencies are nurtured and developed, the effect is exponential rather than arithmetic.
About Barry
As an internationally recognized drummer with over 30 year in the creative sector, I have performed with musical greats such as Johnny Clegg, Annie Lennox, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Peter Gabriel and Die Antwoord.
Since completing an MBA with Henley Business School I started working with the Henley group on building business and designing/delivering executive education workshops in areas such as creativity, innovation, awareness and collaboration, based on my work described in a White Paper titled Resonance.
I have delivered executive coaching and team workshops for companies (TBWA, IHS Towers, Multichoice, YouTube Africa, etc.), schools (Henley Business School, Wroclaw University, University of Cape Town GSB, AFDA, etc.), associations, festivals and groups in South Africa and abroad. Despite a busy schedule, my most important job is being a role model to a teenage daughter.
About Rob
As an inspirational speaker and trainer, I have led workshops for companies, schools, trade associations and other groups in the U.S. and abroad.
My passion for training and coaching developed from lessons learned in a variety of diverse interests including advertising, options trading, sales training, on-camera acting and the three and a half-years I spent studying improvisation at Second City and Players Workshop in Chicago. This is lead to a wide range of professional development workshops including: listening, presence/energy, storytelling (related to sales and business development), sales training, developmental coaching, and presentation skills. The listening workshop is the newest addition and one that can easily be customized for any industry.
In addition to training, which I love, I spend a lot of time doing ride-along coaching with salespeople and sales managers. With managers, I provide feedback based on meetings and team coaching observations. My other passions include adventure travel, scuba diving, and photography.
About Josseline
My background is as colourful as my interests are diverse: Growing up in Namibia, Mexico, Germany, and Switzerland has led me to become a multi-lingual and multi-cultural woman with the mentality and skillset of a Swiss multitool set.
It’s been said that if you truly want to understand a culture and how people think, you need to start by learning the language. Having gained fluency in four languages—German, English, Spanish and French—I’ve seen first-hand how important this is. At the same time, there is a direct connection between one’s confidence and presence and the degree to which that person feels comfortable and can relate to people from different backgrounds, whether those differences are personal, professional or cultural.
My academic background ranges from Political Science, Anthropology, over International Management, and Change & Innovation Management. I focused my academic career on sustainability and Business and Human Rights topics within global value chains of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). In addition, I am passionate about and have built my career on a variety of entrepreneurial tools such as Design Thinking, agile methodologies, organizational behaviour management, and negotiation courses. This has enabled me to coach international student groups in Design Thinking methodologies, co-facilitate professional development training workshops at SulliVanZyl, and found my own company with a focus on sustainability and socio-political commitment.
How we can work together
The following examples of training workshops draw from our POWER, PULSE, PERSPECTIVE themes and can be customised according to needs:
Creativity and Innovation
Pulse, Perspective
The SVZ approach is about unlearning, and unlocking the ability to innovate, using group exercises and interactions. Understanding that innovation is not about repeatedly reinventing the wheel, and that through certain key understandings individuals and teams can rapidly increase high value creative output.
The Superposition
Perspective
The ability to deeply understand multiple points of view is a leadership superpower resulting in empathy, less reactive behaviour and better decision making. SVZ have developed a powerful approach to build the habit of open-mindedness, drawing on a mix of physics, cognitive psychology and neuroscience.
Listening
Power & Perspective
Although many people say they would like to be better listeners, relatively few have taken the concrete steps necessary to improve in this important area.
Thats what makes listening one of the SVZ core proficiencies. Listening is the power to connect with people in a meaningful way and see the world from their point-of-view
The Power of Storytelling
Power & Perspective
Stories have power because they provide a reason to believe that what we say is true. It’s all about evidence. The SVZ approach suggests that storytelling is more than structure and detail. There are three almost magical ingredients that can be strategically added to a story to yield predictable, positive results.
Energy & Professional Presence
Power
Energy is real, and we impact others without realizing it.
Through years of study, coaching and observation, the SVZ team created a workshop demonstrating the many ways people respond consciously and unconsciously to different aspects of presence including verbal and non-verbal language, word choice, body language, energy and intention.
“Rob Sullivan has been a repeat guest on NBC 5 Chicago because he has the ability to transform a 3-minute segment into an inspiring experience for viewers. Any producer looking to motivate, inform, and entertain the audience should have Rob Sullivan as a guest. He’s charismatic, passionate, and he genuinely cares about helping people.”
“Rob Sullivan has been a repeat guest on NBC 5 Chicago because he has the ability to transform a 3-minute segment into an inspiring experience for viewers. Any producer looking to motivate, inform, and entertain the audience should have Rob Sullivan as a guest. He’s charismatic, passionate, and he genuinely cares about helping people.”
“Rob Sullivan has been a repeat guest on NBC 5 Chicago because he has the ability to transform a 3-minute segment into an inspiring experience for viewers. Any producer looking to motivate, inform, and entertain the audience should have Rob Sullivan as a guest. He’s charismatic, passionate, and he genuinely cares about helping people.”
