Electra Eleftheriadou, PhD - Coaching for greater Inclusion and Equity

She coaches organizations, both public and private, that want to improve their success and resilience by transforming their culture to be more equitable and inclusive. This allows them to tap into the strength that lies in the diversity of their people and into their individual qualities.

Electra’s focus on equity and inclusion grew out of her own experiences navigating systems that were unsupportive of her identity, such as being a woman in science or an immigrant learner. She envisioned organizations where all facets of one’s identity are appreciated and celebrated, and she wanted to work with people who share similar values.

This led her to coaching and in creating her own business. Coaching is a practice that enables clients to come up with ideas and solutions they wouldn't have thought of by themselves. A coach achieves this without giving direct advice, but rather by being a thinking partner who asks powerful questions that prompt reflection and meta-cognition. As a result, the client does not only tackle their pressing challenge, but they learn how to deal with similar challenges in the future or in other contexts.

Specializations and ideal clients

Electra provides Leadership Coaching to equity and inclusion leaders, such as:

• Leaders who want to nurture thriving teams and understand that the strength of the team lies in its diversity. These might be leaders who hold institutional power and can affect policies towards greater equity.

• Grassroots leaders who are driven by a motivation to create inclusive communities. These people might not have the title “leader” in their role, but they are nevertheless change agents in their organizations. They might need support on navigating burnout and on building their resilience to keep doing work that aligns with their values.

•Educational Developers, Trainers and Facilitators. These are the people that deliver services to organizations for greater inclusion and equity, and they require their own safe space to reflect on their work and reground themselves in their purpose.

•Educators who want to adopt equitable and inclusive teaching practices and may require guidance and accountability.

She also provides consulting services to those requiring more instructive approaches and collection of evidence to guide their decisions, and she offers professional development workshops for organizations that would like personalized, focused training on specific topics.

The importance of the role of a coach in today’s businesses

Businesses who partner with a coach find that the coach acts as a catalyst in making things happen. Coaches support the integration of the client’s insights into practice and provide accountability for achieving one’s goals.

Throughout the sessions clients develop meta-cognitive skills, thus increasing their self-awareness which is an essential element for professional success and fulfillment.

Working with a coach provides an opportunity to take a breath and gain clarity on one’s vision and purpose, and expand one’s perspective on their challenges and possible solutions. At a time when businesses move at a fast pace, it’s really a gift to be able to pause, take stock, and use that learning to inform the next and future decisions.

A piece of advice for businesses:

Too often people have strengths that may not be leveraged in their current roles. Consider creating regular opportunities to get to know and relate to your employees. In this way, you will understand better how to tap into the collective knowledge that people in your business already hold.

Then, consider reflecting (individually and collectively) on the following questions:

• Who is missing from the table? How does this absence reflect inequities?

• How does this impact our business?

• What actions can we take to change the current situation?

ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΑ ΕΠΙΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑΣ

Website: www.electraeleftheriadou.com