Introducing Karen McGibbon:

Karen McGibbon is the CEO and Founder of Live

Free Coaching & Counseling Services, Teaching
Assistant at Regent University, Adjunct Lecturer at
The Mico University College and Board Director
of Meto Corporation Limited - a family owned
business. Over the last 25 years, she has worked
both in the public and private sector gaining a
wealth of knowledge in several industries
including Shipping, Standards & Compliance,
Food, Education, and Counseling.
Karen holds a BSc in Marine Biology (University
of the West Indies), a Masters Degree in Pastoral
Psychology and Counseling (St. Stephens College
- Canada) and is a Certified Life Coach
(International Institute of Coaching Studies)
specializing in Relationship, Health & Wellness, Parent and Teen Coaching. She is currently
pursuing a PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision at Regent University (Virginia Beach,
Va).
In addition to being a successful Entrepreneur, Karen served as a teacher in various prominent
high schools in Jamaica for over 12 years, as well as a Guidance Counselor for 5 of those years
at St. Andrew High School for Girls, where she was soon appointed Head of Department. She
has also been actively involved in Christian Ministry for over fifteen years, primarily working
with youth, couples and parents. Recently an author, her workbooks - "Life Lessons, A Personal
Development Workbook for Secondary School Students" - are now being used in prominent High
Schools in Jamaica. She is a powerful and transformative motivational speaker who has
impacted many lives through forums, workshops and seminars.
Karen is happily married to Frank and has two lovely children; Dane 18 years and Mercedes
14 years. She enjoys cooking, reading, sewing, playing the piano, going to the beach and playing
squash.

I was invited to write and submit this article on a website targeting young professionals:
Brenda is a young professional with about three years of working experience since
graduating from university. Her boss is telling her that she needs to take up some new
leadership opportunities. Brenda wants to take up the challenge but she's introverted by
nature and wonders whether she can really lead her peers.
If Brenda was your client, how would you coach her so that she can develop her
leadership muscle?
_____________________________________________________________________________

The expectation of leadership can be intimidating at first, especially if you have

never thought of yourself as a leader! Three years out of university is not a long
time to have been in the workforce but, in a sense, it could be considered an
honour to be offered a leadership position by your boss after a relatively short time
of proving yourself.
Leadership is essentially the ability to lead and guide others toward meaningful
goals. Currently, persons with strong leadership abilities are highly sought after,
and particularly in the business environment, persons who display strong
leadership qualities can significantly contribute to improving an organization,
motivate employees to achieve their full potential, and lead dynamic and
innovative new processes within an organization.
Functioning as a leader will involve cultivating several traits such as personal
charisma, intelligence, a well-developed set of values, a strong vision, and the
ability to communicate with others effectively.
Leadership also requires a vision and the ability and courage to develop a plan to
achieve success. As a leader, some of your responsibilities will include creation
and communication of a vision, the establishment of goals, delegation of
responsibilities, and the ability to inspire, encourage and, when necessary, correct.
You may not immediately recognize your leadership qualities. Some consider
leadership to be an innate quality that many are born with; however, many experts
agree that all individuals can develop leadership abilities through life coaching.
You can benefit from sessions with a professional coach who will be able to help
you develop the characteristics and leadership skills that are necessary to achieve
your personal goals. Your coach will ask you a series of probing questions which,

if answered honestly, will help you to overcome indecisiveness and personal

doubts. Your life coaching sessions will be designed to help shed whatever doubts
you have in your own abilities, overcome your fears, and embrace positive
thinking.
In preparation for your new leadership responsibilities, some important tasks that
you will need to accomplish with your coach are to:
- Identify areas for growth and development
- Identify roadblocks to your success
- Establish a plan to meet your goals
- Provide accountability
- Develop a leadership identity
- Improve relationships with your colleagues
With your coach you will create a Leadership Development Plan which will help
you to identify your strengths & weaknesses, develop an action plan, and
ultimately achieve your goal of taking up whatever new leadership responsibilities
you are offered. With a little study, humility and hard work, you can learn how to
lead effectively. So, how can you bring your leadership skills to tip-top condition?
You can start by analyzing your performance in specific areas of leadership. You
will need to complete a Leadership Skills Assessment designed to help you identify
where you already lead effectively, and where your skills need further
development. After analyzing your results and identifying where you already lead
effectively, your coach will be able to work closely with you on your leadership
skills that need further development.
As you journey towards your career goals, any opportunities to learn more about
yourself and embrace new challenges is ultimately a step in the right direction!
"The very essence of leadership is its purpose. And the purpose of leadership is to
accomplish a task. That is what leadership does and what it does is more
important than what it is or how it works." - Colonel Dandridge M. Malone
(572 words)