You Don’t Need More Time. You Need More Choice In How You Lead
And that's where my expertise comes into play. Every now and then, it’s worth me pausing to answer a simple question: "What do you actually do, Maree?"
Because, to be honest, I've been blurring my roles lately, so I thought I'd remind you about me and my expertise. If you’re anything like the leaders I work with, you’re busy. Words I frequently hear are 'I'm flat out." "My calendar is chockers." "My brain is hurting as there is so much to think about." "I'm struggling with my 'team/boss/peers' and need help."
And with all that going on, it’s easy to forget there’s another way to be.
What I do (and why it matters)
First and foremost, I’m an executive coach, trainer, and facilitator. I've written three books on leadership and teams, and I mostly work with middle and senior leaders who are capable, committed and often overwhelmed, as well as their teams.
These leaders:
have often stepped up into bigger roles
are usually doing/carrying more than they should
are working hard… but not always at the right level
1:1 Executive Coaching
As an executive coach, my job is to listen and to ask the kind of questions that cut through the noise. In fact, some clients have called these my 'damn you Maree Burgess' questions - as they really cut through the messiness that is going on inside your head.
And those questions make you think and reflect, and you end up with more choices in what you do and how you lead. Because when you have more choice, you:
stop defaulting to overwork and overthinking
start leading with clarity and intention
actually feel like you’re in control again
Helping you move from:
overwhelmed to clarity
reactive to focused
doing everything to leading effectively
It's not about giving you more to do, though there may be some homeplay, it's more about helping you think differently about what matters.
Team days (where things click)
Then there are team days. And I'm sure you have gone to some over the years, or know people who have. This is where a leader brings their whole team together and says:
“Let's work together to build a more effective team" (or something like that 🙂)
Topics and outcomes vary, depending on the team challenge, but could be something like:
giving and receiving effective feedback
communicating effectively
understanding what makes other people tick
building a clear team purpose and vision
aligning around KPIs and outcomes
improving how the team actually works together
just hanging out and having fun while learning something new
and so much more
During team days, misalignment can be named, clarity gets built, and teams start operating like… well, a team.
Bespoke leadership programs
And finally, I design and run bespoke leadership programs. These are deeper, more immersive experiences. And the structure and content is co-designed with the client.
A recent program I co-designed, which has run for the past three years, is a:
2-day leadership retreat (offsite and residential)
followed by executive coaching for each participant
designed specifically for the leaders in a tertiary education membership-based organisation
This is where we go beyond surface-level skills and build real leadership capability that sticks. The biggest benefit of this type of program is the conversations the group has together and the depth of embedding of their learning through executive 1:1 coaching.
The Level Up Community
I convene the Level Up Community for female leaders. We meet twice a month, virtually.
This is a space where clever, capable women step out of the day-to-day busyness to build their leadership capabilities and actually talk about what’s really going on. And learning from everyone in the group. We use my Level Up Framework to upskill in a way that’s practical, not theoretical. We have real conversations that lead to real shifts.
Perspectives Podcast
And when you want something you can dip into anytime, there’s my Perspectives Podcast.
These are short, powerful episodes designed to help you reframe your thinking, one perspective at a time, because sometimes the shift you need isn’t more time or more effort; it’s seeing the same situation through a different lens.
Why I do this
Because too many leaders are:
working too hard
carrying too much
and wondering why it still feels messy
You don’t need to prove yourself, you don’t need to do more, you need to lead at the right level.
If this is you, and if you’re a leader who:
wants to build a capable, confident team
wants to stop feeling stretched in every direction
and wants to actually enjoy leading again
This is the work I do, and I’d love to support you.
Whether that’s 1:1 coaching, the Level Up Community, bringing your team together for a reset, or even starting with the podcast, there’s a way in.
Sometimes all it takes is one conversation, or one new perspective to shift everything and that's my specialty.
Let's talk. Book a call and let’s create more choice in how you lead.
Maree