BECAUSE WHO WE ARE SHAPES HOW WE SHOW UP

About

WHERE EXPERIENCE MEETS PURPOSE

My Background

  • I am a dedicated Executive Coach, Enneagram teacher, facilitator and enabler of Leaders – both for those currently holding Leadership roles and those identified for future leadership positions.
  • I started my practice in 2006 after a few decades of holding Management and Executive roles in corporate environments in the field of Human Resources – both in South African organisations and a Global organisation.
  • Over this period, I have worked in a  number of industries in the private sector, including Tourism and Hospitality, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Advertising, Retail Technology, Mining, Research Services and a state owned enterprise.
  • My Corporate working experience  enables me to truly understand the key issues and challenges current and aspiring future leaders face within their world of work.
  • After a life changing turning point personal event, I felt deeply drawn to shift into the field of Organisational Development and Coaching as I increasingly recognised the need of leaders in business across all levels to be empowered with true leadership capability and deepening self-insight to truly show up as well rounded leaders within their environments.  I also recognised the need for leaders to have an experienced sounding board who understands the challenges and opportunities and works within the Corporate environment.
  • I certified as a Professional Coach in 2010 and studied through the Centre for Coaching in South Africa.
  • The Centre for Coaching is aligned with two great institutions that support and inspire its actives – the UCT Graduate School of Business, one of Africa’s premier business schools, and New Ventures West, the leading coaching school in the US. It also has alliances with Coaching Matters and the Associate Coach Network. I regularly mentor as part of the faculty for the Centre for Coaching on their Coaching for Development Programme.
  • I am  a registered Professional certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. In addition I have a post graduate degree in Counselling Psychology.
  • I became increasingly interested in the Enneagram as a personal transformation and personality typology methodology. This interest moved into the realm of a deep passion and I studied through the Enneagram Institute in New York for a number of years, to certify as a Riso-Hudson Enneagram teacher.  
  • I integrate the Enneagram into my coaching approach and also teach Introduction to the  Enneagram depth Programmes to a range of interested students. I facilitate leadership team development initiatives based on the Enneagram.
  • I currently work in the Corporate environment as an Organisational Development Executive, whilst at the same time having the opportunity to continue to run my practice.
  • Recently, as the impact of COVID became increasingly tough on people within my sphere, I certified as a Trauma Informed Coach through a Canadian Institution linked to the International Coaching Federation called, Moving the Human Spirit.
  • I offer Corporate and Executive Coaching and Leadership Development facilitation specialising in the Enneagram.
  •  As a licensed Insights Discovery practitioner I facilitate Personal Effectiveness and Team Dynamics, workshops amongst other offerings in the Insights Discovery portfolio. 
  • My life experience has enabled a depth of understanding and awareness of the challenges and opportunities that life offers.
  • I am committed to creating the mental, emotional and physical space for those I engage with to optimise both their personal and professional potential, enabling new perspectives to emerge and the opportunity to actualise their life goals and objectives. My way of being is supportive, authentic, candid and kind.
SUPPORT THAT MEETS YOU WHERE YOU ARE

My Approach

As an Integral Coach, my approach to coaching is holistic and integrated. I focus on coaching my clients in a holistic way, taking into account their stage of development, their way of thinking, their emotional awareness and their physical wellbeing. I coach the person versus focusing on the “problem” they bring to our sessions. My focus is to enable change that endures over time, beyond the term of our coaching engagement.

My approach is forward-looking, facilitating a shift for my coachee towards achieving their coaching outcomes, which are specifically defined at the start of our engagement.

Examples of coaching outcomes clients engage with me on:

  • Development of leadership skills and transitioning to a next-level position
  • Internalising 360 performance review feedback and taking the necessary forward steps
  • Leadership development of emerging leaders
  • Enhancing Self-awareness to improve team performance
  • Enhancing interpersonal relationships, listening skills and empathy
  • Leading during times of change
  • Navigating politics at work
  • Building effective teams
  • Effective conflict resolution and understanding one’s conflict-handling style
  • Stress Management
  • Building self-belief and self-confidence to be more effective in one’s role
  • Enhancing capacity to have radically candid conversations
  • Enhancing  awareness of strengths, weaknesses and blind spots based on the Enneagram
  • Depth Coaching based on Enneagram
  • Coaching after experiencing traumatic events
  • Transitioning out of the Corporate world
  • As a certified Enneagram Teacher and Practitioner, I incorporate the Enneagram in my coaching approach where this will be valuable for the coachee. This enables deep insights to arise and an increased awareness of strengths and development areas.
  • My life experience has enabled a depth of understanding and awareness of the challenges and opportunities that life offers.
  • I am committed to creating the capacity for those I engage with to optimise their full potential as a human being, enabling new perspectives to emerge and the opportunity to actualise their life goals and objectives. My way of being is supportive, authentic, candid and kind.
  • As an experienced facilitator, I facilitate Enneagram and Discovery Insights Personal and Team Effectiveness sessions and Group Coaching sessions. I have an inclusive and engaging facilitation style that enables all participants to be open, supported and respected throughout the process. I am trained in understanding the dynamics that take place within group structures and am able to engage with dynamics in a way that optimises the growth of all participants
THE IMPACT IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Testimonials

  • Kim Frost
    Marlain Polovin is an accomplished professional. From your interactions with her, you can expect attention to detail, thoughtfulness and a keen awareness of the latest research. Marlain has run client workshops for my company, where she provided highly insightful knowledge on the Enneagram with practical applications for everyday life. As a committed lifelong learner, Marlain has a wealth of expertise in many disciplines, so time spent with her will always leave you feeling enriched.
    Kim Frost
    Partner/Financial Advisor Bespoke Financial Services
  • Diane Cowan
    Understanding the enneagram was enlightening and I was able to immediately benefit from a deeper understanding of myself, friends and colleagues. Marlain is a very professional facilitator and I enjoyed every moment of her course.
    Diane Cowan
    Owner Builds & Beams
  • Fiona Hitchcock

    Marlain conducted Enneagram assessments for both myself and my partner. We live together and are business partners and both have very strong personalities. Through our assessments and understanding the way we respond to life situations, Marlain assisted us in having a better understanding of why we behave the way we do, and through this understanding, enabling us to have more mature, emotionally intelligent responses to each other. Marlain has also assisted us with the development of our business strategy and brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, intuition and acute perception to the meetings that we have had with her. 

    Fiona Hitchcock
    Managing Director/Owner at Hitchcock Michalski

  • Marlain is an incredibly talented, professional and passionate coach. Her values-centered individual coaching and guidance has challenged me to think outside of the box. Her style of coaching is intuitive, caring and responsive. Her follow-through is remarkable. She has offered perspectives and opened my mind to other possibilities, giving insight to my personality through the Enneagram and focused coaching. She has effectively supported me to identify my strengths and helped me to establish and enhance my personal brand. This has been instrumental throughout my career and personal growth over the past 11 years. Marlain's uplifting and fun personality makes her very easy to trust, open up to and wonderful to work with. Marlain has got vast experience in various industries and continuously up skills herself both locally and internationally. She has not only been an amazing coach but also a caring mentor, and the strategies and lessons she has provided have inspired and motivated me to live a life congruent with my values and passions. Marlain is an outstanding facilitator of various Enneagram coaching groups and leadership programs. 

    General Manager - Retail Services
  • Senior Executive

    Coaching was a concept that I initially approached with some apprehension and suspicion. Marlain was able to alleviate those feelings early within the first session. Her ability to understand and suitably “unlock” feelings enabled me to proceed with the coaching process with confidence and positivity.

    Marlain became my coach when our organisation and my position in particular were in the midst of organisational and structural change and she had an immediate insight into the corporate angst that I was experiencing. She was able to show a deep insight and understanding of the feelings that I was experiencing and she was also able to develop those feelings into energy that was used positively and contructively in my life – both from a corporate perspective and on a personal level.

    Her ability to empathise and constructively unpack feelings, emotions, perceptions and the actions pursuant to those made her an ideal confidant and an excellent coach. She has enabled me to be self-aware and to constructively assess myself, and this has assisted me in being empowered to make better decisions and to interact more positively with leadership, colleagues and team members.

    The process Marlain and I engaged in has stood me in good stead and played a role in my subsequent promotion. 

    Senior Executive
    Macneil Group
  • Leon Noussis

    I had the pleasure of working with Marlain Polovin for a period of seven years from 2010 through 2017. Throughout this period I participated as both presenter and student on various programs that were developed and facilitated by Marlain.

    A series of highly successful Leadership Development programs were implemented throughout our organization. These were utilized to prepare key performers for roles of greater responsibility. The sessions were extremely well received by participants. Apart from providing a number of new tools for accelerated development, the experience was repeatedly described as ‘life changing’.

    In addition, Marlain ran a number of workshops to our high performance Executive Team. The standout program was the implementation of the  Enneagram framework. This was extremely useful in understanding more about myself, my colleagues and the impact on our organization. We learnt how application of these concepts would culminate in becoming better leaders, a more effective team and ultimately a stronger business.

    My interactions with Marlain assisted me to step back from the daily challenges and to continue on a personal development journey. Her role as a sounding board in this field has, and continues, to be extremely valuable. 

    Leon Noussis
    Partner Athena Capital
  • Diane Cowan
    After attending Marlain’s Introduction the the Enneagram Depth Programme, my understanding of the Enneagram was deepened and I was able to immediately benefit from a deeper understanding of myself, friends and colleagues. Marlain is a very professional facilitator and I enjoyed every moment of her course.
    Diane Cowan
    Owner of Builds and Beams Renovations
  • I have worked closely with Marlain Polovin for over ten years. During this time I have personally benefited from Marlain's tireless work ethic, her incredible generosity with her time and expertise as an executive coach, leader, HR practitioner ,facilitator and mentor.
    Marlain is an expert on the enneagram and is dedicated to constantly improving and bettering her already extensive knowledge in this field. She has successfully used her expertise to improve communication, team building and relationships with Senior executives and management.
    I would highly recommend Marlain without any reservation.
    Human Resources Executive