We’re delighted to announce the appointment of our new Senior Associate, Alis Anagnostakis.
Alis joins our team with almost 15 years of leadership development experience, and a wealth of expertise in coaching, transformation, culture change and positive psychology. She’s passionate about helping people grow in wisdom, understanding that deeper levels of consciousness can be a catalyst for whole system change. She’s looking forward to meeting you all soon. Until then, check out the interview below to get to know her a little better.
What do you find most inspiring?
What I find most fascinating in my life is people’s incredible capacity for transformation. I am always in awe when I am able, as a coach, to witness somebody’s process of waking up. Sometimes people seem to literally change their whole lives overnight, yet behind that change there is a long “incubation” period where they have slowly challenged themselves, taken themselves out of their comfort zones, discovered insight, and bit by bit and broken down old patterns, until suddenly they’re able to do things they never thought possible. I am deeply inspired by this seemingly magical process of growth, which continues throughout our lives, if we let it, and if we are willing to do the hard, often uncomfortable work that goes with it.
Also, still in the realm of human development, I am inspired by children’s extraordinary courage to jump right into the unknown — their relentless curiosity and innate wisdom. I believe us, adults, can learn so much from our kids when it comes to how to properly do the work of “growing-up”.
Thinking back over your career, what has been a standout moment for you?
A few years back I set out on a mission to make myself, as a consultant, redundant. That may sound funny, but I deeply believe that transformation has to come from inside organisations, and that Facilitators are there to create space for the agents of change inside companies so that they themselves can do the work of change. This often means getting out of the way and letting change come to fruition as something owned by the people experiencing and creating it.
A few years ago, I began wondering how to empower leaders from within companies to initiate and run deep change processes. I ended up creating a transformational coaching school devoted exclusively to leaders who wanted to make a positive difference in the world and felt they needed to go through a deep personal development process themselves and also acquire the tools of facilitating change in their teams and organisations.
Over 12 cohorts of leaders have undertaken this half-year long program and I’ve been amazed to see how these “seeds of change” have taken root and flourished. For example, one middle manager in a 5,000 people technology company managed to create and deploy a company-wide learning program where her peers developed coaching skills they could use in their teams. An NGO in the field of education completely transformed their mentoring process to support their network of teachers. Another manager in a telco company had such outstanding business results with her team that she was invited to design a development program for 20 other teams that transformed a whole business division.
Most unexpectedly for me, this coach training program resulted in collaborations across sectors and organisations, as a community of like-minded leaders was slowly built around it. Leaders from public and private sectors started joint mentoring programs across organisations. Cross-company, world benefiting business projects were born that would not otherwise have existed.
About four years into the program we had an all alumni meeting where we shared case-studies of change entirely created and led internally. Over 100 graduates attended and most brought friends who wanted to better understand the idea of inside-out organisational transformation. I was deeply inspired to imagine a world where more leaders are awake, confident, wise and highly conscious of their capacity to instil positive change within whole systems.
Who are some of your heroes and why?
My heroes are people who are able to own their imperfections — their shadow side. Those who are courageously authentic and show up, even when it’s hard. I have been lucky to meet such people and be inspired by their wisdom – not because they were amazingly intelligent and talented (although they were), but because they allowed the world to see they were human and flawed too.
Also, my heroes are people who can be “un-dissappointable”. I know this is not a word, but I wish it was. When I was mentored by someone who, I felt, trusted me unconditionally and whom, whatever mistakes I might have made, I felt I could never disappoint, it gave me courage to transcend my limitations; to completely get out of my comfort zone and try things I had never tried before.
I actively look for such people all around me and I make it a point to surround myself with heroes that I can learn from every day.
Want to know more? You can read Alis’s bio here. You can also catch her at the upcoming Atlassian Summit 2020, where she’ll be presenting a keynote into how Vertical Development supports leaders in today’s disruptive environment
Creative provocateur and Global Changemaker, Dr Hayley Linthwaite, is a program designer, facilitator and coach with Performance Frontiers. She empowers individuals, organisations and communities through creative collaboration, social innovation and practical exploration to envision and enable a better future. Hayley has extensive experience in theories, forms, and conventions of applied performance, behavioural and systemic change, strategic conflict analysis, and experiential learning honed within extensive roles as an arts educator, researcher, director and performer.
A dynamo designer and problem-solving prodigy, Kate applies her design expertise and passion for visual learning to our graphic, instructional and product design department.
As a principal, lead facilitator, process designer, writer and executive coach at Performance Frontiers, Dr Martin Challis is dedicated to utilising his creativity and insight as powerful catalysts for facilitating learning and transformational change in organisations, teams and individuals.
Backed by over a decade of national and international experience in education, corporate management and consultancy, Taya’s work as an impassioned facilitator designer, educator and coach at Performance Frontiers expertly balances content and process to elicit powerful learning outcomes and cultivate meaningful change.
Dr Georgia Seffrin is supported by over 15 years’ experience in transformational change and leadership in organisations. She has built a productive career in learning design and facilitation across a diversity of professional sectors including education, health, government, corporate and arts organisations.
As Performance Frontier’s lead graphic and instructional designer, Jason breathes life into complex theory and unlocks new ways of thinking through the production of captivating tools and designs.
Jocelyn utilises her expertise in relationship management, knowledge of integrated marketing communications and skills in word wizardry to establish, maintain and enrichen PF’s professional relationships.
Ed recognises the partnering role finance has in realising an organisation’s strategy. Over six years, Ed has responded to manifold challenges of our rapidly evolving business and has helped Performance Frontiers thrive. His skillful management and refinement of our financial processes and systems help to ensure that we remain agile, responsive and successful. His financial expertise has been built through decades of financial consultation, dedicated bookkeeping, financial reporting and accounting both locally and nationally.
Lowanna uses her 20 years’ experience as a program designer, facilitator, arts educator and academic to help our clients make meaningful change in a way than inspires transformational growth.
Kylie uses her high-level relationship skills, expertise in coaching psychology and facilitation prowess to co-create transformative learning experiences and build human potential.
Dr Jane Austin brings over 20 years’ experience as a registered clinical psychologist to guide organisational and individual development in her work as a designer, coach and facilitator with Performance Frontiers team.
Olga is our office all-rounder and administration superstar. She applies her design acumen and super organisational skills to the task of designing efficient systems processes behind the scenes at Performance Frontiers.