authentic leadership from within

We offer our clients opportunities to gain valuable insights, learnings, and skills which will aid in the development of individuals and contribute to the value they offer their team. We craft a unique, client focused experience that results in participants leaving with a team development “tool-box”.

Who We Are

GCL has great passion and belief in what it does. In all spheres of life, the need to engage successfully with ourselves, as well as with individuals who differ from us, is paramount. Working closely with our clients to understand their needs and areas of focus, we develop tailor-made programs that focus on the individual and how they connect into a larger group in order to develop into a high performing team.

Our Unique Offering

The client’s program provides an experience which combines the bonding of shared experiences with coaching conversations. This facilitates self-awareness, as well as cognisance of broader group dynamics, and the individual’s impact within the team. We are guided by our clients regarding the extent to which they would like to drive subtle, fundamental skills growth.

This is done through the carefully considered design of an interactive, high energy experience which promotes underlying skills development. Programs highlight skills and behaviours that contribute to successful personal growth, as well as positive group interactions and the development of high performing teams. Participants will experience positive benefits which translate back into the workplace and can be further built upon.

Products

What's In Our Toolbox

Virtual Team Development

In 2021 GCL successfully created and completed a 3 day virtual team development experience. It is now a fixture in our toolbox, and is a valuable addition in these times of Covid-19 and social distancing. The Virtual Team Development experience can be tweaked to best suit the individual client’s needs.

Face to Face Team Development In An Outdoor Setting

Removing people from their comfort zone heightens and fast tracks team bonding. Individuals engage in a mix of physical, cerebral, and strategic activities which require team synergy.

An element of competition provides a common purpose, amplifies the fun, simulates pressure, and promotes the individual’s commitment to, and ownership of, their team for the day/s. This shared experience results in participants being open to new insights and perspectives, both of themselves and those around them.

Facilitators observe, take notes, and provide feedback to the groups at the end of each activity session, which allows teams to actively develop skill sets. These learnings and insights translate directly back into the organisational environment and can be built on downline.

These initiatives can be structured to comply with the particular Covid compliant regulations of the various levels of lockdowns.

Individual Coaching

One on one Integral coaching is available, either face to face or online. This is available for individuals who seek to further their own personal growth and development beginning at the point the individual is at currently. Integral coaching is outcomes based and seeks to effect positive behavioural changes and development which continue to evolve beyond the coaching relationship.

Sessions can be structured to comply with the particular Covid compliant regulations of the various levels of lockdowns, alternatively they can be conducted in a virtual environment.

Team Coaching – Enhancing Team Effectiveness

This is available for teams who seek to further enhance their unit’s overall growth, effectiveness, and performance. Team coaching combines self-awareness with group awareness, strategy, and vision. The outcome is clear understanding, refined strategy, and a defined plan of action with success indicators. Teams take their learnings and decisions back into their business.

These sessions can be structured to comply with the particular Covid compliant regulations of the various levels of lockdowns, alternatively they can be conducted in a virtual environment.

Conflict Resolution – Group Dynamics Workshops

These are available for groups that are experiencing difficulties within their team environment. The workshops enable the team to explore and take ownership of their current situation and pinpoint what it is that needs to discontinue. By identifying actions and behaviours that will move them forward, the group then co-creates and commits to a more positive and unified method of operating as a team.

Workshops can be structured to comply with the particular Covid compliant regulations of the various levels of lockdowns, alternatively they can be conducted in a virtual environment.

School Children – Outdoor Team Building

Particularly relevant in Covid-19 times where interaction between school classes within Grades has had to become so limited. This is available to schools and can be done on campus. A series of high energy activities set up around the school grounds/ sports fields and facilitated by the GCL team. This provides children with a fun day out of the classroom where they can safely interact with each other and engage in team building activities.

These initiatives can be structured to comply with the particular Covid compliant regulations of the various levels of lockdowns.

Get an Organisational and Team development “Tool-Box” that really works!

Meet The Core Team

GCL’s core team is made up of individuals who have worked together for many years prior to the company’s inception. They are contracted in as needed and are kept current with specific briefings, and in-depth training before working with each client. The team is made up of experienced facilitators who have a keen understanding and shared belief in the service that GCL provides to clients. We take utmost pride in what we do, and each facilitator’s unique personality contributes to the overall GCL experience.

Pippa Minshull Simpson

Integral Coach and owner of Growing Conscious Leaders, Pippa has been working in the Organisational Development field for 15 years. She is deeply curious about people, what makes them tick and how they interact with themselves and others. She is passionate about authentic human capital development and creating programmes which provide value to clients. She is an avid reader and enjoys talking nonsense with her kids, walking her dogs in nature, painting, and SUP-ing.

Devin Abrahamson

Devin has been a Leadership development facilitator taking people on expeditions and guided experiences, for just over 20 years. When he is not consulting with GCL he owns and runs Frixion Adventures (a canyoning company in Cape Town) in season, and out of season he contracts as an International Expedition Leader and Leadership Development Facilitator for multiple global organisations.

He has a passion for exploring new parts of the planet – the more inaccessible the better. On his off days, he can be found throwing a frisbee in the park or walking a slackline in the forest.

Debi Hawkins

Professional actress and theatre director. With a strong background in drama and teaching, Debi brings a wealth of insight to her team development facilitation.

She has been involved with GCL since its inception. Debi has pioneered and designed several role play activities which have been included in client programmes with great success. She is also an avid reader, writer and dancer and loves hiking and ocean swimming.

Gwen Ironsi

Gwen brings her events expertise to GCL’s Corporate Team Development work. Her experience with running her own teams lends her facilitation weight and insight.

When she is not contracting to GCL, she owns and runs a communications agency, Pamberi Communications which specialises in PR and Marketing to both brands and artists in South Africa and the continent. When she is not consulting, Gwen enjoys hiking, watching the Discovery Planet channel and finding ways to amuse an energetic 11-year-old!

Liberty Dimingu

Events logistics and owner of Fo8events & Logistics. Libs has worked with teams in the adventure industry since 1999, specifically as the Logistic and Set-up Manager for the Cape Epic, Wines2Whales, Eden2Addo, and Wildrun.

Liberty is a qualified adventure guide and is an adventure enthusiast who spends most of his free time hiking, mountain biking, spending time with his family and drinking black coffee.

Mark Hermans

Group Facilitator and Event Specialist, over the past 14 years, Mark has worked in dynamic team-based environments in 11 countries across 3 continents.

Mark greets challenges with a smile and believes creative thinking and hard work can achieve almost anything. In his free time, Mark enjoys nature, a braai, and the night sky.

Carlo Daniels

Photographer and Group Facilitator.

An experienced facilitator, Carlo is passionate about assisting teams build their relationships and develop their group dynamics such that they grow into a high performing unit.

When he is not working with teams or creatively capturing life through his lens, Carlo enjoys interacting with people, and making memories with his wife and children.

what our clients have to say

Celebrating Success

I enjoyed the structure of the programme and how each day incrementally built on the development of both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. I feel as though I have already been challenged to move beyond my comfort zone and the experience has surpassed my expectations.

Inga Wessels UCT GSB MBA Student

It has pushed me out my comfort zone with some intense sessions, but the results were fantastic. I have already learnt so much about myself, the strengths of others and the learning path we need to take. It has added immense value in getting through the "awkward" getting to know each other phase and all coming to an understanding of our values, mission, and purpose as a team. GCL has provided a fantastic platform to allow for us understand why groups are exceptionally important.

Aarthi Sewpersad 2021 GSB MBA student, Virtual team development

This experience has added a lot of value to my team. We have started to understand each other's strengths now and have been able to get a sneak-peek into each other's personalities. I know a lot is yet to come, but experience has made us all a lot more comfortable with each other.

Shruti Singh UCT GSB MBA Student

It has been absolutely phenomenal. The past few days have tested us emotionally, and apart from the fact that it challenged us as individuals, it also brought us closer together. Every single exercise challenged our thinking. What I appreciated most was how different our views were and how, in the end we could find common ground. This made our team bond even stronger, something we will need to be for the next 2 years.

Bianca Muller UCT GSB MBA student

A HUGE thank you. To you and your team! Our facilitator was amazing with us. As a social facilitator who has spent the last year trying to figure out how to create meaningful engagement online, I am so inspired and impressed. Thank you so much for everything you have put in.

Claire Du Trevou Cleveland GSB MBA student, 2021 Virtual team development

I have worked with Pippa and her colleagues on MBA Orientation and facilitation of group dynamics for the last ten years. It has been an amazing journey to be a part of. Pippa and team are incredibly competent and professional in what they do. Pippa’s ability to convert a concept into a practical beneficial orientation programme, is just superb. With the onset of the pandemic, Pippa and her team were challenged with creating a virtual programme, never to shy from a challenge – they came through with flying colours. Students over the years have had nothing but praise for the team’s insight and allowing them to have such an incredible experience over a short intensive period. Onboarding of students into a demanding programme is no easy task, Pippa and her team always made this much easier for me. I would highly recommend Pippa and her team as their value creation is enormous.

Segran NairDirector, Open Academic Progammes, Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town.