Steph Cooper

Senior Consultant | Complexity Navigator (she/her)
Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland

Qualifications: BA, certified Scaled Agile Framework Programme Consultant (SPC), Certified ScrumMaster, ICF Coaching trained, Cynefin® Practitioner

Navigating complexity to help people find focus and get momentum

What’s important to know about me?

Your time and energy are valuable, so I like to get to the heart of things quickly. I like to spark ideas, see opportunity and move forward boldly. I bring calmness to complexity. I am inspired by big dreams, but I know that we often need to start with small steps to bring those dreams to life. My role is often to help teams find focus and build momentum - to open up different perspectives, enable you to explore the many options you have to choose from and navigate the tough trade-off decisions.

This is how I’ve led and advised across fast-growing startups to some of NZ’s largest companies, covering a broad range of industries including telecommunications, financial services, utilities, and travel. I’m known for quickly diagnosing the business issues and determining the best way forward through Agile, Lean and Design-thinking approaches. In today’s evolving world the ability to build a shared vision, iterate, learn and create strong working relationships are crucial for us as individuals and businesses.

Aside from work, I raise my sons, who are the centre of my world and require a different kind of agility. I hail from the Hawkes Bay and with family still there this is the place I call home. It brings together my love of big open spaces, sunshine, beaches and the freedom of ocean swims.

Working together with you is about creating positive change

In the simple art of coaching it’s always surprising to me what is possible. Allowing your brain to spend time thinking about something that’s been swirling, gaining insight and options for the future, for you to decide what you will or won’t change. I respect your experience and what you’re capable of, offering a framework, asking questions from different angles, and trusting that you’ll pick things that make the most sense to you.

As a facilitator I’m known for bringing together both the mechanics and dynamics in a room, to create experiences where you can explore new ways of working together. I have a healthy cynicism for team days which means I work hard to ensure they’re not cheesy, but value-adding and focused on what’s most important to you. 

I love taking strategic visions and making them real for people. Real-life learning beats a PowerPoint slide every time, so I focus on interactive, creative moments that bring new insight. Insights then turn into everyday actions we can take.

I’m at my best working with working alongside leaders and teams in strategy execution and engagement; in big change where there are tough trade-offs to make; and enabling teams to deliver on complex portfolios; and with leaders who want to try new things.

Recent projects that I’ve loved include:

  • Kāinga Ora, Waka Tangata Leadership Programme

  • Waka Kotahi, Accelerate Leadership Programme

  • Ministry for the Environment, PID Division Day at Pipitea Marae

  • Toka Tū Ake EQC, Systems Leadership workshops

  • FMA, Leading with Mana Programme

Email steph@cvl.co.nz, or stay connected via LinkedIn.