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BIO
Bio
Karen Rule, Principal Consultant and Co-Founder of WILDA, is a Coaching Psychologist and Leadership Development Facilitator, specialising in Leadership Programs for women. Karen’s programs are unique in design by including male sponsors and line managers in building an inclusive culture to create higher performing organisations.
Through her programs, Karen addresses the specific leadership development needs of high potential women leaders, whilst delivering benefits for the organisation that include reduced turnover costs, higher retention, improved decision making, better innovation, and maximised productivity.
With over 20 years of experience working with over 2000 executives to develop leadership skills, build transformational action plans and reach higher performance levels, Karen is regarded as an expert in her field. Her work has included extensive individual coaching, as well as coaching in tandem with executive leadership and development programs.
In 2016, Karen co-designed and delivered a suite of training programs that were awarded “Australia’s Best Leadership Development Program” at the Australian National HR Awards in Sydney. Karen has worked on Women’s Development Programs in the Telecoms sector, Government and the Entertainment industries. She is experienced across a diverse range of clients including Banking, Mining, Health and FMCG/food manufacturing industries.
Karen offers a unique system of coaching to facilitate insights, articulate purpose, leverage strengths, understand the brain, and enable leaders to step up to the challenge of delivering on their goals. Karen is an engaging and authentic facilitator who is passionate about advancing the careers of women and inspiring women to lead. Through a combination of consulting, facilitation, and coaching, Karen moves the dial forward for her clients around positive cultural change.
Prior to co-founding WILDA, Karen led her own consultancy, Mu Consulting, for 8 years and spent the prior 12 years with Shell in London in Organisational Development Consulting, and two years at Citibank New York on the accelerated HR EVP program. As a registered Psychologist since 1996, accredited Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership alumni, accredited Brain-Based Neuro Coach and facilitator, Member of Marshall Goldsmith’s LEAD60 Coaching Cohort, and London MBA graduate, she has access to a world-wide community of coaching and transformation experts.
Karen is continually seeking ways to help her clients optimise their performance, to flourish in in times of disruption, and to enrich their lives and careers at work.
Clients
Karen has worked with
these companies
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Testimonials
Testimonials
Karen is simply one of the best coaches I have come across. Her ability to quickly merge organisational and individual needs is impressive. Karen has a mantra “coaching is not a lifestyle choice”- when time is short and development budgets tight, Karen’s action-oriented and time-bound approach is both refreshing, results-focused and most certainly impactful!
Working with Karen has been an incredibly enriching experience for me and I am just so fortunate that I have crossed paths with her as a professional attending one of her development and leadership programs. Her engagement, facilitation style and brilliance have left such a lasting impression on me that I knew at the end of the program that she would be someone I would want to work with. Karen has since been working alongside me as my mentor and coach. The positive experience that I continue to have with her to this day have been unparalleled. Karen’s strong background in Psychology along with her broad organisational experience of working with diversity and people at all levels have been pivotal to my growth and my advancement in my career journey. Her in-depth insight and understanding into the complexity of human behaviour, personality traits and personality types have enabled me to develop not only a greater level of perspective into things, but also have grown in my level of empathy towards others. This has helped me enormously in being able to navigate my way out of many challenging and difficult workplace situations without compromising my values or authenticity. Karen is someone that I consistently speak very highly of. She is without a doubt an outstanding individual who is also exceptional at what she does. Above all, she is authentic and is a mentor and a coach I can always count on to have my back."
Since meeting Karen more than ten years ago, I have engaged Karen to work with me at Newcrest Mining, Simplot and Saputo Dairy Australia on a range of organisational development initiatives. I’ve done this, quite simply, because she’s great at what she does. A trusted partner who has a broad range of deep skills; a fantastic facilitator, coach, advocate and promoter of women in leadership and a genuinely good person to work with. I’ve learned a lot from Karen over the last decade and always value her insights, creative thought and the solutions she delivers.
I had the privilege of working with Karen through leadership development & maternity leave programs. She steered me through a really tough challenge of navigating a first time leadership role, then transition to maternity leave and then back into a new management position and without her coaching I would have really questioned my decision making and done what so many women do and devalue my strengths. The leadership program that she delivered upon my return to the work force was invaluable in breaking down 'barriers' and created a safe place for me to develop into the leader I have wanted to be. I couldn’t recommend Karen enough.
I have no hesitation in expressing my appreciation for Karen’s coaching capabilities. She is always authentic and constructive. Her style was refreshing and provided me with insightful leadership skills and I am confident will benefit my ongoing professional and personal development. It already has. I valued our discussions on peoples’ diverse style and how she could connect my observations to psych theory and therefore enhance my understanding and knowledge. Above all, I wish to thank Karen for enabling me to successfully re-set myself from a professional dilemma. Together with the support of others, I am no longer “on the ropes” – Karen’s coaching made a significant difference.
Across my 12-month coaching program, Karen has provided me with great insight and ways to manage my role and sound strategy in managing up and down and working through the issues I was struggling with. Karen came with extensive knowledge, skills and experience to assist me in my development not only at work but on a broader personal level of wellness and work-life balance. During the sessions I changed what I needed due to organisation review and Karen was able to adapt and offer advice and support through her extensive knowledge and experience. I would recommend Karen as a great coach as she is a great listener and her ability to unpack your mind and complexity of the role you are undertaking has helped my significantly in not only my role but to ensure balanced wellbeing of myself”.
Intellectual, deep thinker, wise, dynamic, learned, agile ... these are all words that come to mind when considering Karen's strengths. I recall one particular instance about 12 months ago when Karen was deep in conversation with the Managing Director, ED Supply Chain and the CFO of Simplot at one of our 2-day coaching programs. All three were engrossed with Karen's thinking and ability to coach, not only to them as executive leaders, but indeed any leader at any level. In fact, Karen is very much a sort after mentor and coach for a lot of our leaders. Being an Org Psych, Karen is able to communicate and disseminate information fit for the learner and with impact. I've been so impressed with Karen's facilitation style - challenging, questioning, investigating and holding all to account - and content development techniques. Karen was a major part of the team that recently took out the National HR Award for the Best Leadership Program in Australia. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Karen to any business in Australia, if you're looking for an outstanding leader, coach, facilitator, program developer or mentor. Thanks so much Karen for everything you've done for us at Simplot - long may the relationship last!
Simplot Australia has partnered with Karen over many years in the design, development and facilitation of our key leadership programs. We’re extremely proud of our programs, notably winning ‘The Best Leadership Program’ at the Australian HR Awards in 2016. Karen has been instrumental in this program of work and continues to seek opportunities to enhance our offering. Karen is intelligent, engaging, wise and just wonderful to work with. I trust Karen’s input and insight, knowing she always has the organisation’s interests at heart. We are so fortunate to have established a partnership with Karen and I couldn’t recommend her more highly.
I have worked with Karen as her client for six years, and I would wholeheartedly recommend her as someone who adds immediate and considerable value to any organisation. She is one of our most requested coaches, and also highly sought after as a skilled facilitator and mediator. We have just completed a 6 month Women’s Leadership Program and thanks to Karen and WILDA, it was a complete success, resulting in significantly more females this year identified as future talent, with the capabilities and confidence now to step into next level roles. The program was so successful that one Board member commented that in all her experience she had never endorsed female leadership programs, but based on our transformed gender statistics as a result of this program, is now a convert. I highly recommend Karen as an expert consultant in coaching and leadership development.
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Awards
Awards/
Accreditations
Karen co-designed and delivered the Simplot suite of leadership development programs that won the 2106 category Award of Australia’s Best Leadership Development Program. The program was uniquely experiential and delivered a step change in leadership skill to the company. The leadership graduates each created innovation projects that delivered substantial investment returns to Simplot.
Karen has trained with Marshall Goldsmith, one of the worlds leading coaches and creator of the stakeholder centred coaching approach. Karen is part of Marshall’s LEAD60 cohort of coaches, and uses the acclaimed 360 assessment tool created by Marshall – the Global Leadership Assessment.
Blog
Blog
Are you on the COVID-19 Career Mummy Track?
May 11, 2020
There is a broad existing assumption around right now that due to isolation, everyone has heaps of time on their hands. Unfortunately, this is a dangerous
There’s One Crucial Leadership Trait Needed for the COVID-19 Pandemic
May 12, 2020
Which organisations are accustomed to operating during a crisis, and who can we look to at this time of unfolding global pandemic? Searching for this
Should your D&I budget take the cut in the post Covid-19 world?
May 12, 2020
I’ve spoken to many clients and colleagues recently who are lamenting that much of the progress for women, diversity and inclusion will be eroded by
contact
Karen Rule
Level 8/60 Albert Rd,
South Melbourne VIC 3205
© Karen Rule 2020. All Rights Reseverd.