Where Are You At?
Some leaders come to me knowing they want to build the thinking, skills, and systems that help them, their teams, and their organization thrive.
Others just know something needs to change. They want more clarity, competence, and confidence, but aren’t sure where to begin.
I Help People Think, Work, and Lead Differently
Melanie understood our operations and naturally connected leadership concepts to the realities of our business. Her insights were never generic, they were tailored to who we are and how we work, which made it easy to apply what we learned right away.
We’ve seen major improvements in our ability to lead and implement change effectively.
Kevin Hucker
Hucker Floor Coverings
learn moreMelanie has helped us to gain clarity about what we want for and from our business.
Our regular conversations help us think through challenges, hold ourselves accountable, and grow ourselves, our team, and our company in a direction we feel really positive about.
Carollyn and Matt Currie
Bath Fitter London, Sarnia & Windsor
learn moreThe work we did together challenged me to think differently about leadership and gave me tools that I was able to implement immediately within my organization. More importantly, it gave me dedicated time to work on the organization rather than constantly working in it.
That shift has had a lasting impact on how I lead my team and approach organizational growth.
Melanie Chouinard
Bluewater Respite Inc.
learn moreI Invite You to Look Differently at How You Solve Problems
As an engineering-trained systems thinker and change leadership expert, I bring an approach and solutions that surprise most people. I guide owners and executive teams to understand and address root causes so they can break patterns and cycles, and focus on developing people rather than just teaching, telling, or training.
We move beyond “people skills” and “strategic planning” to explore topics like effective problem-solving, removing barriers to change, and how our beliefs sabotage our best efforts.
I Help You Understand Your Systems and Yourself
As your Fractional Chief Effectiveness Officer, I’m a thinking partner, teacher, facilitator, and coach, supporting the development of mindsets, skills, and solutions that overcome the most difficult people and business challenges.
I bring experience as a business owner, family business leader, parent, and board chair; a skill for listening to understand and creating a safe space to share; and a passion for helping people understand their systems and themselves.
Curious about what might be possible?
LET’S TALKWhat to Expect
DISCOVERY DISCUSSIONS
It all begins with a series of conversations that help us build a clear, shared understanding of where you’re at, what you’re looking to achieve, and if and how I might be able to assist.
If we both see a good fit, and a way I can provide value, we move forward on creating a clear plan for our work together.
If I’m not able to assist now or at all, I’ll aim to refer you to someone I know, like, and trust.
Discovery conversations are free. Ready to talk? Reach out book a call.
INITIAL DEVELOPMENT INTENSIVE
The first phase of our work together is THRIVE: A Leadership Journey, a development program I created to support leaders in trading the beliefs, behaviours, and solutions that keep them stuck and stressed for ones that bring more ease, effectiveness, and enjoyment.
We start with the most senior leaders, whether that’s the owners, the CEO, or the entire Executive or Extended Leadership Team. Our discovery discussions help us figure out who should be in the initial group to create the strongest foundation for success.
THRIVE takes a minimum of six months to complete and can be taken privately as an individual or team, or in a THRIVE Experience, where leaders from different organizations learn alongside and support one another.
ONGOING SUPPORT
THRIVE builds the understanding, skills, trust, and clarity we need to decide, together, what comes next.
Coming out of THRIVE, you may want to gather data to better understand your opportunities, build a strategic plan, develop your next level of leaders, or lead a change initiative. Some clients want a regular check-in to keep their goals and development moving.
Depending on the work, I provide direct support or suggest specialists who are great at what they do.
Feedback About the THRIVE: A Leadership Journey Program
“THRIVE” has seamlessly become part of our vocabulary and culture.
A few months after completing the THRIVE program, it’s evident that our shared learning and discussions about organizational effectiveness have made a lasting impact.
Jeff Hansen, CEO
Canduct Group of Companies
THRIVE: A Leadership Journey has been life-changing, positively impacting both my work and home life.
I gained new awareness, and I began seeing blind spots, problems arising because of system breakdowns, people struggling, etc. It has led to some great conversations with my team and an eagerness for people to contribute to making improvements.
Andrew Kaikkonen
atWork Office Furniture
Participating in the THRIVE: A Leadership Journey program helped me become more thoughtful and deliberate in how I interact with my colleagues, family, and friends. I find myself trying to listen more and understand people’s positions before jumping to conclusions or reacting on instinct.
I highly recommend the THRIVE program to any experienced executive interested in continuous improvement and evolving their leadership style to create more impact within their organization.
Rob Poultney
CFO / CEO
Are you a business owner who wants more ease, effectiveness, and enjoyment?
Our THRIVE: Business Owner Experience may be a good fit for you
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it leadership training?
Not in the typical sense.
THRIVE: A Leadership Journey, the program every engagement starts with, introduces leaders to concepts like coaching, communication, and addressing performance issues, but also includes essential concepts in human behaviour, systems thinking, and change that typical leadership training leaves out. And unlike most training, it doesn’t stop at awareness. It provides an immersive experience that develops leaders into capable, confident problem solvers who can untangle complex challenges and prevent them from happening in the first place. THRIVE isn’t the whole solution; it’s the foundation for what we build next.
I have one problematic middle manager – can you work with them?
Not in the typical sense.
Sorry, no. I don’t fix problematic leaders – I help organizations support their leaders to succeed. An underperforming leader is usually a symptom of something going on in the organizational system. My work addresses the roots of organizational challenges and always starts with the organization’s most senior leaders. Once we build a solid foundation that supports middle managers to succeed, we can move on to developing them.
We’re short on time. Can we do this as a webinar, workshop, or weekend retreat?
No. In fact, the belief that we can solve today’s challenges in a workshop is exactly the kind of thinking I help change. Breaking persistent cycles and patterns means changing long-held beliefs and behaviour, and that takes time, trust, and support.
THRIVE gets results because it’s sustained (a minimum of six months), intensive (three hours of discussion every two weeks), and immersive (you develop yourself so you can support others to develop).
No webinars, no workshops, no “jam it all in so you feel overwhelmed and remember nothing” retreats. Six months invested in making everything else easier, more effective, and more enjoyable.
Is it coaching?
It’s more “inquisitive consulting” than pure coaching. Like a coach, I stay curious, ask questions, and seek to understand, so we get clear on the situation, what you want to achieve, and what’s standing in the way. Unlike a pure coach, I also bring insight and suggestions from my experience and the THRIVE content, while supporting you to develop your own solutions, goals, and plans and achieve the outcomes you’re after.
Is it like therapy?
I’d say it’s “therapy adjacent.” Our thoughts and feelings drive our behaviour, and they’re often our biggest barriers to change. So once we’ve built a safe space to talk, we explore things like “the story you’re telling yourself” that’s keeping you stuck, or the feelings that come up when you try to make a change.
Owners and executives rarely have a place to share what they’re really thinking and feeling, and they find that having one is among the biggest benefits of our work together.
That said, I’m not a therapist, and we won’t wade too far into unpacking your history or healing. When I think additional support could help, I’ll say so.
What’s a Fractional Chief Effectiveness Officer? Is that like a COO?
Not quite. My work complements operations. A COO and operational leaders focus on creating and executing strategy and goals. I focus on helping the leadership team develop the thinking, skills, and habits that make achieving those goals easier, more effective, and more enjoyable: systems thinking, root-cause problem solving, using coaching and goals to make progress, delegating, and leading people through change.
Their biggest challenge in operations is often the senior team’s beliefs and behaviour. It can feel like trying to open a door with a rusted hinge. I help oil the hinge.
“Fractional” means you get executive-level support without adding a full-time role.
Do you do / replace HR?
No, but my work makes HR’s job easier.
HR often ends up carrying people problems that leaders should own. I help leaders build the thinking, skills, and confidence to coach, give feedback, address performance issues, and lead change themselves. That turns them into real partners for HR. Instead of convincing, pushing, and firefighting, HR can support development and do the strategic work they’re there to do.
When HR leaders take part in THRIVE, they gain something too. Systems thinking and root-cause problem solving are new concepts for most HR professionals, even though many already use them intuitively. THRIVE helps them name those skills, strengthen them, and use them deliberately.