Margaret E O'Grady
Maggie served for 10 years as a Chief Executive herself, so she has first-hand experience of the complexity of senior leadership roles today.
Context
In the context of modern life, with handheld computers within arm's reach at all times, leaders are working increased hours. Burnouts are on the rise, costing the global economy billions every year and leaders must learn to work differently. In 2013, Maggie started up ‘Space for Insight’ to empower leaders to be the selves they were always meant to be by finding more meaning in their work and lives. Coaching goals are set, which help leaders navigate their way through their daily work and lives; ensuring that they manage their energy well and become even more effective.
Niche
Maggie's niche is coaching high performers who want to perform even better with less effort. She comes from that place of being so passionate about her work and her life that her own default position is to overwork and/or over-do life. Therefore, she deeply understands leaders who have a zest for life, which can lead them to feel out of balance. She works with them to manage their energy differently. The coaching process helps them develop more self-awareness about when they are most effective and get really honest about when they are not and what must change.
Experience
Maggie qualified as an Executive Coach with the Academy of Executive Coaching, earning distinction and is accredited by the International Coach Federation. She has over 20 years of experience in a variety of roles in the US, UK and Africa. Her style is entrepreneurial and she has worked most effectively in the space at the interface between sectors, as she loves people from all walks of life. In her past role as Chief Executive of an international children's rights organisation, she initiated many cross-sector ventures including international fundraising challenges that enabled participants to detach from their electronic devices and engage with their bodies and the larger world in developing countries. Leaders from finance, insurance, legal and property industries, in particular, experienced how their efforts made a difference to the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable children.
Vision
We often ask what makes organisations sustainable, but rarely ask: what makes individuals sustainable? Maggie believes that the entire workaholic system will change when enough leaders have the courage to move away from losing themselves in overwork and activity. Organisations on the cutting edge of this systems change will invest in the care of their leaders and their teams, and this kind of investment is what makes organisations sustainable.