Oona Collins, founder of Potential Plus International, is a global leadership coach who specialises in developing emotionally intelligent leaders and high performing executive teams. She has over 25 years’ experience, incorporating board level positions in the UK and Asia and in particular works with female executives looking to stamp their authority, particularly those in male dominated industries, and those looking to build their own businesses. Having worked and lived in Asia, Canada, Australia, Europe and the USA, Oona has coached people from over 30 different nationalities. She has worked with senior executives and leadership teams from some of the world’s biggest organisations, including Virgin Atlantic, Bulgari, Coutts, Legal & General, RBS, Kraft Foods, and AON.

What would you love to share to encourage other women to start their own business? 

No matter what you have achieved in your career and personal life, starting your own businesses is one of the biggest and bravest life changes you can make. To succeed takes years of hard work, but it is essential that it is built on solid foundations that start with you. If you can start with the right balance of confidence, self-awareness and understanding of your own core values and drivers, then you are putting yourself in the best possible position to not just succeed, but be happy whilst doing so.

What are your top 5 tips for entrepreneurial success ?

1 – Be clear on why you are doing what you are doing. Know what the personal drivers are behind your determination to build a business. That might be wanting to give your children the best possible education, or it might be to achieve financial independence. Whatever it is for you personally, use it to give you purpose.

2 – Know what your desired outcome is. Are you building a lifestyle business that will give you the income you need to live the life you want to live, or are you building a fast growth business that you want to exit and sell. Knowing this will determine how you set your targets and plan your strategies.

3 – Build self-awareness. Put the time into understanding yourself, what your strengths and weaknesses are. From here you can then build a plan for action and decide on what you would like to change.  You can also then develop self management strategies and work on changing your habits.

4 – Develop your non-verbal intelligence. The way you carry yourself and use body language goes a long way in determining what influence you have over someone, or a situation. Women have a tendency to speak quickly and have a higher pitch.  With remote working and video conferencing likely to be something that is with us for good now, it is worth working on how you come across on screen during meetings. Facial expressions, breathing habits, posture and tone of voice become so much more important.

5 – Be yourself. Trying to be someone you are not is hard work, emotionally draining and distracts you from being able to focus on influencing. You have got to where you are today because of who you are, so don’t try to change that. People will buy in to you if you are being authentic.

Who are the 5 women who inspire you the most?

1 – My mother: she was an amazing role model and brought me up to believe that I can do and achieve anything I want in life. This is an attitude that I try to instill in everyone I work with.

2 – Jacinda Ardern: there can be few better examples of women showing that they can get to the very top of their ‘profession’ whilst still maintaining a healthy family life as a working mother.

3 – Amanda Gorman: here is a young woman who shot to international stardom by reading a poem at Biden’s inauguration. What inspired me the most though is not just the way she captured my attention whilst on the podium, but her ability to have even the most seasoned professionals on the political circuit in awe when she was doing interviews in the days afterwards. It was the perfect example of gaining influence through poise and presence.

4 – Maya Angelou: a woman who achieved so much herself professionally and made such a difference to society at a time when the odds were very much stacked against her. She embodied everything that it is to be authentic and influential.

5 – the Queen: one might imagine it is easy to be influential as the Monarch, but she took charge of an organisation that was steeped in traditions that she wanted to change and modernise. She did so against the will of many powerful people by biding her time, understanding herself and what her drivers were and by picking her battles.

What is your favourite saying/inspirational quote?

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou.

This quote says everything you need to know about how to be an influential leader and the importance of impacting on and touching individuals. It moves me every time I read or say it.

  • “Oona’s Vision Day was a unique, powerful, enjoyable, pragmatic and life-changing experience.”

    Diane Stevenson
    Director, Stevenson Original Works

    See full testimonial here

  • “I cannot imagine there is anyone better in her field of expertise”

    Steve Isaacs
    Principal, Luxury and Prestige Realty

    See full testimonial here

  • “Highly effective programme in Asia for 80 of our elite performers”

    Sally Chacatte
    Group HR Partner, Knight Frank LLP

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona was instrumental in helping me to transition from a UK VP role to a Global SVP promotion”

    Claire Cronin
    Senior Vice President - Marketing, Virgin Atlantic

    See full testimonial here

  • “Through your help revenue has grown by 70%”

    Richard Hardwick
    MD Pacific Region, The Hay Group

    See full testimonial here

  • “Helped me recognise my leadership style, core strengths and how I can build on them.. that has directly resulted in positive business and personal outcomes”

    David Walker
    Chief Operating Officer, British Land Plc

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona’s style combined the high level of credibility we were looking for with an appreciation of the more personal drivers of individuals. Our Emerging Leaders now have a clear plan as to how they will move their careers, teams and clients forward in line with our overall strategy”

    Julie Hyett
    UK Talent Lead, Aon

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona is an outstanding coach who can help hold a mirror to yourself as a professional and whole person. Her coaching made a substantial contribution to my success in tackling a new role, new team, in a new country”

    Daniel Mahoney
    European Research & Strategy Head, LaSalle, London

    See full testimonial here

  • “Coaching has been an eye opener”

    Angelina Ympa
    MD UK, Bulgari

    See full testimonial here

  • “A valuable and vital opportunity to step back from the intensity of the day job and think about my bigger picture”

    Polly Cochrane
    EVP & Group Marketing Director WBUK & Ireland

    See full testimonial here

  • “Working with Oona has been a revelation”

    Julien Diment
    Dixons Carphone

    See full testimonial here

  • “I have seen quantum improvements. Thank you for being a change agent for me”

    Dr. Ali Al Zarouni
    VP Midstream, Emirates Global Aluminium, UAE

    See full testimonial here

  • “I am happier, have a better work-life balance, the business is turning around and I feel far more in control and enjoy what I do”

    Senior Executive
    Finance

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona has been a sounding board for a number of business decisions. She has helped me pull together and retain an effective team, and look objectively at the business outcomes as well as plan for the future. It has been one of the best decisions I have made”

    Jess Simpson
    MRICS

    See full testimonial here

  • “Your business will never be the same again”

    Bill Thomson
    Chairman, Knight Frank Italian Network

    See full testimonial here

  • “The Vision Intensive day allows you to focus on a better you”

    Elizabeth Binder
    Senior VP, Burberry

    See full testimonial here

  • “Coaching has been a really positive experience that made me feel that I can achieve what I am aiming for in my career. It gave me perspective on what is holding me back from performing at my best and practical tools to enable me to be more confident and authoritative on a daily basis.”

    Director
    Savills

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona is the best. I am certainly a different person from my leadership perspective. Believe in yourself and follow her coaching and you will see yourself so developed that other colleagues will envy your leadership style.”

    Amir Al Jahani  
    Chief Internal Auditor, Emirates Global Aluminium 

    See full testimonial here

  • “I became noticeably more effective in our Executive Committee. If you need to work on your ability to read the room, influence without trying to influence and overall improve your effectiveness as a leader, Oona, with her vast experience working with senior leaders, will certainly help you get there”

    Bruno Meiller
    Executive Committee Director, Legal & General, Home Finance

    See full testimonial here

  • “Our business is already stronger and our team more focused than ever before”

    Chris Moorhouse
    Head of Sales, Sotheby’s International Realty UK

    See full testimonial here

  • “Just 3 weeks on from our 2 day strategy workshop with Oona we feel united, focused and excited again about the future we can create”

    Tracey Pollard
    Managing Director, Bruce Gillingham Pollard

    See full testimonial here

  • “When in the coaching process it is essential to build trust”

    Ian Ewart
    Head of Products, Services & Marketing, Coutts

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona has been a pro-active non-executive and has contributed in full measure to board debates and strategic discussions”

    Sir Peter Thompson
    Goldcrest Land PLC

    See full testimonial here

  • “Time spent with Oona has given rise to a wider energy and motivation across the business resulting in a step change in our financial performance.”

    Simon Higgins, Levy Real Estate
    Managing Partner

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona has been a catalyst in my career and overall life”

    Rahul Patel
    Head of Marketing, Avios South Africa

    See full testimonial here

  • “The experience in terms of results has been outstanding. At the end of the process I can see this was the key to unlocking the door and have no doubt about the value of every penny spent”

    Stephen Tarrant
    MD Winkworth, Farnham

    See full testimonial here

  • “I would recommend the Vision Intensive Day to anybody stepping into a new role, at a key junction in life or in need of reconnecting with what drives them”

    Judith Everett
    Chief Operating Officer, The Crown Estate

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona was a great asset during my transition into this new leadership role”

    Robyn McKenna
    Regional Business Director, McGraw-Hill Education, International Group

    See full testimonial here

  • “Since coaching I have seen myself grow in multiple areas but more specifically being able to handle myself in challenging situations and navigate them with relative ease. This coaching gave me the confidence to approach conflict”

    Harry Jardine
    Head of Property – MGA Segment, AON

    See full testimonial here

  • “Her coaching assisted us on winning another major pitch”

    Christopher Smith
    Partner, Knight Frank LLP

    See full testimonial here

  • “It has given me the confidence to do what is right for me, and as a result I have accelerated and focused my plans in a way that has been fantastic for me, my family and my business”

    Jo Greenslade
    Founder and Director of Strategy & Funding, Barwood Capital

    See full testimonial here

  • “Wow what a day, from the time we met it was engaging, made me think, made me feel excited about the future…  Worth every moment”

    Gary Redman 
    Chairman, Now Careers

    See full testimonial here

  • “If you are serious about taking your personal and business performance to the next level, you simply must spend time with Oona.”

    Zac Goldman
    Co-Founder & Director, TSP London Ltd

    See full testimonial here

  • “Coaching has been immensely valuable to me as I have thought about how I can do my job better, and how I can meet my ambitions”

    Director
    City & Guilds

    See full testimonial here

  • “I feel my personal growth and career success has been accelerated by the coaching course”

    Kurt Viertel
    Managing Director, Leo Burnett Singapore

    See full testimonial here

  • “I learnt so much in a short space of time and came away with a clear plan… this needs to be an annual event for me”

    Victoria Merton
    Director of Corporate Affairs, Peel Holdings (Management) Limited

    See full testimonial here

  • “Leadership Programme Asia – Delegates’ comments”


    See full testimonial here

  • “Accelerate your personal performance and well-being, being true to who you are and what you really want in life”

    Emanuel Gavert
    Kraft

    See full testimonial here

  • “A huge impact at our firm over a relatively short space of time”

    Tim MacPherson
    Head of London Residential, Carter Jonas

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona you are a wonderful coach and I got a lot out of my experience”

    Jennie Farmer, Brand Director
    DeBeers

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona’s coaching will help you clarify what you want to achieve and enable you to find creative solutions. I would thoroughly recommend her Vision Intensive Programme.”

    Sharon Saxton
    Group HR Director, City & Guilds Group

    See full testimonial here

  • “Working with Oona has been fun, thought provoking, insightful and we have gained far better knowledge of ourselves as businessmen and good business practice as a result”

    Patrick Rampton and Joel Baseley
    Rampton & Baseley

    See full testimonial here

  • “The benefits have been self-confidence, belief, inner-strength, improved communication skills with all colleagues, new sense of direction and an increased drive to succeed.”

    Amanda Cousens - BKP
    Sales & Marketing Manager

    See full testimonial here

  • “I have witnessed some remarkable behavioural changes from all participants which have had significant benefits for our business”

    Stuart Flint
    Partner, Fisher German LLP

    See full testimonial here

  • “She has had a huge impact on me professionally – I would recommend her without reservation”

    Rosie Compton
    Head Teacher, London Borough of Southwark

    See full testimonial here

  • “The work we have done together has been specific and targeted”

    Chris Remer, Aspect Property Management Ltd
    Director

    See full testimonial here

  • “I have never seen a team so motivated and driven after a programme”

    Regional Director
    Hamptons International

    See full testimonial here

  • “My thanks to you for the impact your coaching has had – it has been no less than life-changing”

    Jacqueline Hill
    Management Consultant, The Hay Group

    See full testimonial here

  • “The business generation programme was the best programme in 25 years”

    Andrew Hay
    Global Head of Residential, Knight Frank LLP

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona’s Vision Day was a unique, powerful, enjoyable, pragmatic and life-changing experience.”

    Diane Stevenson
    Director, Stevenson Original Works

    See full testimonial here

  • “I cannot imagine there is anyone better in her field of expertise”

    Steve Isaacs
    Principal, Luxury and Prestige Realty

    See full testimonial here

  • “Highly effective programme in Asia for 80 of our elite performers”

    Sally Chacatte
    Group HR Partner, Knight Frank LLP

    See full testimonial here

  • “Oona was instrumental in helping me to transition from a UK VP role to a Global SVP promotion”

    Claire Cronin
    Senior Vice President - Marketing, Virgin Atlantic

    See full testimonial here
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