ABOUT

Anyone who has ever heard me speak at a conference would have heard my typical one-line intro: I am the accidental HR guy !

My name is Konstantin Strangas BA, MA, PgCert (Leadership Psychology). I am an international Human Capital executive; professional coach; academic faculty & researcher; and frequent conference speaker.

I started my career in the late 1990s in Finance & Accounting, where I cut my teeth in financial fraud investigations, forensic accounting and litigation support. Increasingly, I started to support large-scale business transformation initiatives for my clients. And it was during the global financial crisis of 2008/2009, when I experienced first-hand how poorly most organizations (and their consultants for that matter) managed the human side of change.

After an incredibly busy period of supporting my clients with business closures/divestitures, down-sizing, and mass layoffs, I pivoted my career away towards the HUMAN side of change. By making my way through general management roles in the recruitment and business process outsourcing industries, I eventually found my true calling in the area of leadership development.

Fast forward to today, and I feel privileged that I can look back to a fulfilling, non-linear career journey, cutting across Finance & Accounting; Consulting; General Management; and Human Capital Management.

For the past 12 years I’ve been focused on Talent Advisory, Human Capital Transformation; Talent & Succession Management; Leadership Development; and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I).

I currently serve as senior Human Capital executive on the management board of a 14,000 headcount multinational organization; I also serve as adjunct professor at graduate school teaching future HR leaders on how to cope with the future of work; I run a boutique leadership coaching practice to support leaders particularly in the NGO and for-purpose sectors; I hold a board committee seat at a leading Southeast Asian gender advocacy NGO; and I frequently appear at international conference as speaker or panelist on a wide range of Human Capital Management topics.

Qualifications

Executive Doctorate – ongoing (France & Luxembourg)
Graduate Certificate in Leadership Psychology (Germany)
Master's in International Management (Austria)
KornFerry- & EMCC-certified leadership coach

By the Numbers

25 years of professional experience
19 years in the Asia-Pacific region
15 years in regional & global roles
12 years in Human Capital Management
09 years as external consultant
05 years in general management
04 years as Board / Board committee member

A Few Personal Impressions

Father of two; Proud husband; Diaspora Greek; Asia-Lover; Enjoys rowing; Loves holidays off the beaten track; Lifelong learner; Contemporary history geek; Unconventional thinker; Morbid humor

My Principles

MY 6 COACHING PRINCIPLES

Principle 1

A Safe Environment

If we want to have honest & authentic conversations, then a safe & conducive environment is critical to do so.

I am providing a non-judgmental environment and an open attitude. Even when I challenge assumptions, you will have the reassurance that I support you 100% in everything in your choices.

Principle 2

Your Agenda

Coaching sessions are not about me, as the coach, but about you, as the coachee.

You decide which goals to work on and how to go about improving. My role is to augment your perspective by offering additional vantage points and by collaboratively challenging your assumptions as a sparring partner.

Principle 3

Facilitation & Collaboration

Like the Greek philosopher Socrates, who led his students with questions, so too will I refrain from giving direct opinions that could do more harm than good.

My role as a coach is to collaborate with you and facilitate your personal journey, suggest options, challenge assumptions; but the ultimate choice will always rest with you.

Principle 4

Enhance self-awareness

Many a times we have all the answers we need to achieve our goals and life a meaningful life. But often they're simply not (yet) visible to us. Due to our our hectic routines - and many other reasons - we forgot how to listen to our own inner voices.

Or it is due to external factors that we suppress our inner voice and don't allow us to put all options on the table.

Principle 5

Learning from Experience

We can learn, grow, and change only if we have the right set of experiences and are open to learning from them. My role as coach is to help you reflect on past events and to analyze what went well and what did not in those instances.

Through experiential learning we equip ourselves with tools and practices that we can deploy long after our coaching engagements have ended.

Principle 6

WITH you, never TO you

Change may often be perceived as a move from bad to good. And while superficial changes or tasks can be instructed, real & profound changes comes from within.

While I will encourage you to adopt certain practices or approaches, you will find that my main objective is to help you become your own effective coach.