DR VICKI VAARTJES

Building leadership capability that creates results

Doctor of Management, BSc Honours (Chemistry), BSc (Chemistry), BSc (Psychology), Cert IV Training & Assessment

There are three key ways in which I add value in my work with clients.

Clarity: I provide insights, tools and processes which support clients to become clearly focussed on outcomes, whether at an individual, team or organisational level. This is in part about thinking strategically, connecting actions to the needs of the organisation, and can involve supporting clients to understand and even challenge their assumptions about what is possible or what is preferable.

Capability: I support clients to build their capacity to be more effective leaders and professionals through introducing ideas, concepts and models to build awareness, and also back this up with supportive processes such as coaching and mentoring, that encourage clients to purposefully apply what they are learning. This is critical to building the client's capability and skill, and is key to ensuring that knowledge is transferred into practice. In this way the client is able to continue to create effective results and learn from their actions into the future.

Confidence: I build values-based, effective professional relationships with clients so that as they engage in their exploration, and experience tensions and challenge, they feel supported and grow in their sense of self-confidence and self-efficacy.

Professional Memberships 

Companion International Management Centres
Action Learning and Action Research Association (ALARA) - On management committee in 2008 for Membership and Marketing
International Coach Federation
International Association of Coaches  

As a Senior Consultant, Vicki brings to her client work an extensive professional career, including over 10 years in middle and senior management within the Australian steel industry, and over four years working as an independent consultant and executive coach within a range of public and private sector organisations. Vicki adds to the team’s considerable capabilities in the areas of business improvement, performance management, and organisational and human resource development. In particular she brings strengths in:

  • Leadership coaching and development for individuals and teams
  • Service operations strategy and performance management
  • Organisational development, emphasising systemic approaches that align focus, values, culture and work systems.

Vicki’s core area of specialisation and academic research includes the design and delivery of strategic organisational change and development processes that enhance the organisation's capacity to deliver results, whilst developing internal change management and leadership capability. In this way the work has a systemic impact and supports the achievement of sustainable change results. She is particularly concerned with the critical role of leadership in the conduct of effective change, particularly in terms of the role that leaders play in establishing and sustaining business focus and cultural expectations. Her processes are designed on the basis of a solid theoretical and practical foundation and she incorporates action-based learning practices to support managers to integrate their learning into their everyday managerial practice. Some of Vicki’s work has been published in the peer reviewed International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring: Volume 3 Number 1 (available early March 2005). http://www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/education/ijebcm/home.html

Vicki is a natural coach, who builds focussed and supportive relationships with clients and quickly develops a grounded understanding of the organisation's needs. Her extensive coach training and her background in various management roles, as well as her work with management clients has ensured that her approach is well informed, challenging and effective. Her professional activities also include casual lecturing in the MBA program at the University of Wollongong Graduate School of Business and Professional Development, and business mentoring in the DSRD Women in Business Mentoring Program (2001, 2004).
Vicki is accredited to introduce clients to a range of development tools to add depth and focus to the work, including the Myers Briggs Type Indicator; the Motives, Values and Preferences Inventory (Hogan Assessment Systems); the Organisational Cultural Inventory (Human Synergistics); and multi-rater feedback tools including the Life Styles Indicator (Human Synergistics) and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ Pty Ltd).

Recent projects include:

  • Workshop and action learning based executive team development program for Housing NSW spaning a 12 month period
  • Executive and senior manager development using a multi-rater feedback tool and coaching for the Department of Defence, DSTO
  • Delivery of the 8 day Frontline leader program for the Australian Customs Service in Sydney and Canberra
  • Extensive executive coaching of individuals and teams in Centrelink, Defence, BlueScope Steel, BHP Billiton