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Leadership is a lifelong journey that starts with self-awareness

Yvonne Clancy was motivated to do the Smurfit Executive Development MSc pathway to set up her own business helping with the continuing professional leadership development of clients in Ireland

I went into the programme recognising that I was a successful leader with more to learn about new ways of working. I knew that what got me to where I was wasn’t going to get me further,” says Yvonne Clancy, Executive Leadership and Strategic HR Consultant and recent MSc in Business (LMP) graduate

Fri Apr 21 2023 - 09:46

Yvonne Clancy had enjoyed a stellar career in human resources management in Ireland and the US before returning home in 2019 to embark on the UCD Smurfit Executive Development MSc in Business, Leadership & Management Practice pathway and founding her own highly successful executive leadership and HR consultancy business.

That career had seen her take on HR leadership roles in Rabo Bank and Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, formerly Anglo Irish Bank, during periods of quite tumultuous change for both organisations. She took on the role of Ibec Director of Talent in 2013 before moving on to become Head of Human Resources, Global Operations with Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

That last role saw her look after both the Irish and US operations for the company. “It became clear that the role would be based in the US for the long term,” she recalls. “I made the choice not to relocate to America. That was a pivot point for my career. I decided that I wanted to set up my own business helping with the continuing professional leadership development of clients in Ireland.”

Executive leadership coaching is a key area of focus for her. “I have huge passion around leadership,” she explains. “I am the eldest in my family and that gave me my first leadership experience. When we think about leadership, we need to understand that we are all leaders to one extent or another. We don’t need the job title of leader or manager. We can lead ourselves, or be leaders within families, small groups, and organisations. I have spent a lot of time during my career helping business leaders and CEOs to make changes in organisations and I have a lot of experience across the whole business lifecycle. I wanted to build on all that experience to help other leaders become better and more effective leaders and in doing so to create a better work experience for many.”

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She began her MSc in Business Leadership & Management Practice pathway with the Diploma in Business and Executive Coaching in 2019. “I was pretty clear on what I wanted to do coming into the programme but I hadn’t fully signed off on it,” she says. “By the second module on the psychological dimension of coaching I had the concept for my own business offering finalised I knew what I wanted to do, and my self-awareness levels had grown significantly during the module. It was quite a seminal moment when a classmate said that I didn’t need to do any more work on my business idea. That gave me the confidence to move forward with it and I haven’t looked back since.”

She followed that with the Diploma in Advanced Business & Executive Coaching and describes the increase in her level of self-awareness during the two programmes as “exponential”. “I also learned some enhanced skills around listening,” she adds. “It sounds quite basic but it’s about learning to really listen and understand where people are coming from and understanding how you are configured yourself in terms of your values and behaviours. The programmes provided an explanation of that in a psychological context and allowed me to understand myself and others better.”

She completed the pathway with the Professional Diploma in Leadership Development. “I was delighted I chose that programme as the final element in my pathway to the MSc,” she says. “I came into it with much greater self-awareness. I was very open to new learnings. I was already a successful leader but had a mindset that I had more to learn. The world had changed so much during the pandemic and post-pandemic, and I came in ready to learn about what I needed to change in own leadership style.”

The programme helped her to explore the shifting nature of leadership. “It is a very deep, fast paced programme and helped me grow a further layer of self-awareness of myself as a leader. One particular module, Aligning for Organisational Impact, was particularly impactful. I went into the programme recognising that I was successful leader with more to learn about new ways of working. I knew that what got me to where I was wasn’t going to get me further. That module really was an a-ha moment.”

Another big learning for her related to the understanding of resilience. “It’s not endurance,” she points out. “Energy, not time is the currency of high performance. That’s what American author Tony Schwartz said. I am now more focused on managing my energy, not on time. The learning is not to get overly entangled in the role. For example, I had a propensity to take responsibility for everything and get overwhelmed by the job from time to time. I always thought I was a focused leader, but I learned to focus on the things I am responsible and accountable for and not responsible for everything. No single leader can be the solution for everything. That was a big learning for me.”

And she is putting those learnings into action. “I used to be quite inclined to jump in and try and fix things myself as opposed to standing back and encouraging the person to come up with their own solution. As a coach, it’s about going on the journey with them to discover the solution. It’s about peeling back the layers of awareness. It’s non-directive, it’s not telling people what to do. You are supporting them to find their own way and to explore the options before arriving at a solution. I am clear that my purpose is to empower people to see and believe in the possibility of becoming more then ever they thought they could be.”

She has no hesitation in recommending the programmes and MSc pathway to others. “The Smurfit Business School is a great environment for learning. The college itself is a beautiful setting to learn in. I always felt privileged to be in that space. All the faculty and practitioners I encountered have great mastery of their subjects. You are not lectured at; you are brought on a journey. The calibre of the other participants was equally great as well. They added another layer to the learning process.

“I have gained huge personal and professional benefits having completed four years of development there,” she continues. “I’m really glad I did the two coaching diplomas first and then finished off with the Diploma in Leadership Development. I had no plan or pre-conceived notions going in and was open to the development process. Leadership in my view is a lifelong journey that starts with self-awareness. I went on a voyage of assessing my leadership impact and recalibrating that. I have already recommended it to a few people, and they have experienced the same level of delight as I did.”

For more information, visit www.smurfitschool.ie/executivedevelopment

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