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"If you want to set up and implement a new organizational structure in your company
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if you want to unveil potential hidden obstacles within your teams
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if you want to create sustainable results which not only reflect the needs of your company but also consistently focus on your customers
Then I would always recommend Zarmina, her methodology, and her professional attitude and behavior. She supported me twice very successfully, and I will carry on working with her.”
Head of Department, Transportation Industry*
*We don't publish names to protect the identity and privacy of our clients.
In case of interest, references can be named.
"We are a medium-sized, relatively young industrial business that has experienced quite rapid business growth. Internal structures, however, were lagging. Despite having a highly motivated and hard-working team, we were facing a row of problems – particularly in terms of communication, team spirit, and consequently in terms of effectiveness.
Zarmina was recommended to us. We found out also that she is so much more than a business coach. She has profound knowledge of human nature combined with honest empathy towards people. After a short analysis and in-depth personal discussions with our key staff, she was able to see the big picture. She showed us that internal misalignment, as well as a lack of communication and clear responsibilities, were the problem. Zarmina’s analysis was an eye-opening moment for all of us. We started off our work by going through a series of coaching interventions.
Today we have defined clear mandates and responsibilities, and we have our mission and vision firmly in focus. Moreover, we have established a productive meeting culture and clear guidelines in terms of decision-making and deadlines. All of this is happening in a climate of respect and appreciation towards each other. We would not be where we are now without Zarmina.
We are still developing our organization as profound change needs time, patience, and a genuine will for change. We thank Zarmina for her support so far and will stay in close touch to make sure that we stay on our new track towards becoming a “Super Team” (Zarmina’s highest level of an aligned business). We can highly recommend her to both individuals or companies that strive for sustainable development and alignment."
Business Owner & Senior Manager, Heavy Industrial Devices
"I had just taken over the leadership of a functional team. We had little cohesion, no common vision and no clear set of priorities for our function. We didn’t know how we could work together to achieve our goals in the best interest of our company. There were also sensitive people-related situations that we needed guidance on. It was a complex situation.
I was not sure if bringing help onboard would be well-received by my team and if they would open up to external guidance. Naturally, cost was also a factor.
Zarmina‘s advice and support for me as the team leader was spot on and also extremely valuable in the forming-storming-norming-performing phases of team building. Zarmina has an exceptional talent to understand how people think, act and feel and to connect these insights to their behavior. In other words, she helps managers and executives understand the drivers (both conscious and unconscious ones) of team members’ behavior and also their own!
I have learnt to be more confident in my management style, use my natural leadership talents and trust my intuition. I also really understood the value of good listening. We as team came together with a clear identity, jointly standing behind our mission for our stakeholders. This was the unique key for unravelling our situation.
Zarmina‘s insights are extremely valuable and she will be able to help you to not only become a more effective leader but also a more natural one. I definitely got much more out of the experience than what I had expected. Still now, although I live on the other side of the planet, Zarmina is still a very important and trusted advisor for me."
VP, Transportation
“Zarmina impressed with high quality support and professional mentoring in difficult team situations. She has a very good reading of human behaviors and emotional settings. Besides her professionalism I very much appreciate her warm and open-minded personality, which enables quick connections and a reliable cooperation. Thanks Zarmina."
Business Unit Manager, Pharmaceuticals
"An excellent reader of organizations and people, Zarmina was extremely valuable in systematically assessing the health status of my organization and aligning it towards a strong vision, strategy and way of working.Without Zarmina’s ability to follow through and connect people with process, the positive change
would never have been as broad, deep and lasting.”
VP, Global Biopharmaceuticals
"Zarmina impressed with high quality support and professional mentoring in difficult team situations. She has a very good reading of human behaviors and emotional settings. Besides her professionalism I very much appreciate her warm and open-minded personality, which enables quick connections and a reliable cooperation. Thanks Zarmina."
Business Unit Manager, Pharmaceuticals
"Working together with Zarmina was an eye-opening event in my business career as she not only understands to analyze the team but also each individual in a given setting which in turn fostered a great mutual understanding among all members of the team after our workshop. It was furthermore a pleasure to work with her as a person as Zarmina shows a high level professionalism and competency in her work. Without her help we couldn’t have transformed the team to what it is today.”
Manager, Pharmaceuticals
"I had just joined a new organisation and had the task of leading a multidisciplinary team, without having disciplinary leadership. The culture of the company was new to me, the team was not working as a team, conflicts arose and the work results were from my point of view under par. I was stuck, not clear enough about my role, position, destination since so many aspects of our work were unclear at the same time: structure, approach and mandate, roles and responsibilities. By the time I started searching for support, some organizational politics behind the scene were already working. I was skeptical if any external person could know enough about the internal structures of the company to help us out.
When Zarmina came on board my team and I went through a row of clarifying activities: Recognizing, understanding, reflecting and strengthening my personal beliefs, values, role and tasks. I started to value the organization and my team more and also see the value in the challenges I was facing. This was the turning point. When the work was done, we had a clear mandate and strategy and were aligned as a team. This added to my confidence as a leader.
I can recommend Zarmina to anyone in business. She has shown me understanding, openness and offered consulting on a personal level. If you have any similar concerns or unclear matters, just do it. The experience was totally worth it for me. I would not be where I am today. A big thank you."
Senior Manager, Pharmaceuticals
"Our company had been substantially expanding its activities in particular in Europe (we are a US based company) during the preceding 18-24 months and it had become clear that we were facing a leadership challenge to effectively and efficiently manage this change. We decided we needed external help and reached out to Zarmina Penner to work with the incumbent leader and the leadership team in Europe to help addressing this challenge. Zarmina clearly is a highly skilled and accomplished professional with excellent analytical skills.
The way she came onboard and worked with both the LT and the leader was impressive- she had a good understanding of the business and was able to quickly establish trust with the staff involved and then do a careful and diligent analysis of the situation to then guide the leader and the LT towards common ground and a shared understanding of where they were and what needed to be done. Zarmina had a tangible impact on the team and the business and we would not be where we are today without her competent work."
Head, Global Development, Pharmaceuticals
"I had a team of highly talented and dedicated designers working independently and somewhat isolated inside a large organisation on a product range. In our bubble, we as a team were way ahead, thinking big and for the whole company, but not managing to connect with the senior level enough. Instead, we walked our talk, did what felt right by applying grassroots tactics towards change. We ourselves were however not aligned in our activities and had no clear shared understanding as a team, who we were and what we stood for. We were skeptical that anyone coming from the outside could possibly help us. Also, I did not know if my team was willing to re-define themselves.
Zarmina helped me as a leader and the team put things in context. It made things clear and built the foundation for meaningful decisions from then on. We committed as a team to work within our mandate, while trying to find effective in-ways towards senior management to channel in our bigger ideas. I am impressed by the efficiency and effectiveness of Zarmina's work. She has the skills for making me as a leader see things more clearly, with very little information, that I actively and regularly provide. And it never feels standard. It is very much tailored to me and my immediate concerns. If you are concerned about your team in any way, I can wholly recommend working with Zarmina, but be prepared look at yourself deeply, face potentially uncomfortable truths and be open to learn about yourself."
Senior Manager, Medical Devices
I have been working with Zarmina on my own personal development and with my team on
redefining our mandate and strategy.
Zarmina has a very unique blend: on one hand she has a very special sense to know and understand people - why someone is behaving in a certain way - , on the other hand she has a very practical approach and efficiently manages the joint project.
I went through couple of coaching experiences in the past but Zarmina helped me to understand some of my behaviors better and change those. It was just like switching light in a dark room. During this process she combines her special sensing skills with scientific background (psychology etc). Before the team exercise she invested a lot in understanding the situation and knowing the individuals in the team. She facilitated our workshop which required us the move out of our comfort zone and by that she demonstrated that there is a more efficient and faster way to reach consensus, define the strategy and engage team members.
Working with Zarmina was for me the most inspiring experience in the last year."
Regional VP, Biopharmaceuticals
"Zarmina has the extraordinary ability to read other people's thoughts, feelings and inner states in a very short time. She captures all connections and sees the "big picture". From this she draws her conclusions and has for almost any challenge and hurdle a solution in store, which participants of the process can further develop and implement for themselves.
It's all about recognising oneself and gaining strength and energy to be able to engage with your team members in a personal and profound way. This was a maximum enrichment for all members of my team. The resulting strong spirit that can then be released for boosting business and team productivity. The results and content of our workshop were an absolute plus for our business as well as for our private lives."
Sales Team Manager, Pharmaceuticals
"Our team was really fortunate to have Zarmina as a coach and as a mentor.
Diving into ourselves as individuals and exploring the power of the team was an incredible experience that made us all better and more in sync with each other.
Thank you for the journey!"
Senior Design Manager, Pharmaceuticals
"Before we worked with Zarmina, we had a hard-working team that sometimes hit targets and sometimes not. Now we hit our targets with confidence 97% of the time."
Head of Finance, Pharmaceuticals
"Meeting and working with Zarmina was one of the most impactful experiences in my life.
I felt a sense of void and felt conflicted about my professional path, which negatively impacted my well-being.
For the outside viewers seemed I had everything to enjoy my life – I had a successful career, doing quite well financially, and had great opportunities, but something big was missing.
At some point, I found myself locked between depression and anxiety, addiction, disappointment, and blaming other people for my bad experiences. And thankfully, then I met Zarmina, who helped me change my perspective by just focusing on…me. And this shifted everything around my life, giving me the right mindset and tools I needed to start re-wiring my mind. And all the rest followed through quickly. Don’t get me wrong – today, I’m not even close to what I want to achieve, but I already know what it looks like and how to get there, and any moment I’m back with my old thoughts and habits, I know I can reach out to Zarmina, not only as a great coach and mentor but as a lifetime sparring partner and a friend who can help me get back on the path that I deserve to be on."
Head of Finance, Pharmaceuticals
I was introduced to Zarmina by a trusted colleague, which led me to explore Zarmina's coaching approach.
Over a few weeks, I went through an extremely comprehensive series of information sharing, discussion, and building a thorough picture of my ethos, habits, style, and nature.
Having worked in senior leadership positions with responsibility for large teams and P & L's for most of my career, I can safely say that this has been the most comprehensive and rewarding coaching experience I have had to date.
It was only made possible through a combination of Zarmina's ability to gain trust and the various techniques she has skillfully designed. This powerful combination is made possible because of Zarmina's unique experience, expertise, and a personal passion for bringing insights designed to empower others.
I have emerged from this experience stronger, more self-aware, and able to navigate the ebbs and flow of my professional life and my personal relationships.
If it were possible, I would recommend everyone has the benefit of this experience and working with Zarmina to discover how to approach achieving fulfillment in life."
Founder & Business Owner