Tatjana Gaspar is a certified Systemic Coach and Online Trainer who uses methods that focus on the clients’ individual goals, thus aiming at improving their business or life situation. She is also the CEO of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland, where she organizes events, hosts webinars and is responsible for operational and financial issues. Before coaching, she spent 20 years in international wealth management and leadership positions with different banks in Zurich. Initially, Tatjana obtained a Degree in Hispanic and Russian Literature and History from the University of Geneva. She is a firm believer in life-long learning and fluent in seven languages.
Tatjana Gaspar, Coach, Consultant, Author
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I was born in beautiful Zagreb, Croatia (then ex-Yugoslavia). In my family, my parents were the first generation to attend university. When I was a child and my father was a young medical doctor, we moved to Germany, then later to Switzerland. One of the advantages of Swiss schools is that you can learn at least three foreign languages. After my graduation from university, where I studied Hispanic and Russian literature and history, I was fluent in seven languages. At the same time, I was not sure, in which direction I should go professionally.
I was curious, eager to learn, and add new skills to my background. After a year in marketing services at an international management school, I got hired by the World Economic Forum in Geneva, where my languages came in handy when dealing with political and corporate leaders from Latin America or Eastern Europe, e.g., at the annual meeting in Davos.
Organizing summits around the world while being responsible for the WEF’s corporate members was exciting and gave me the opportunity to travel extensively during those seven years, meet decision-makers at the highest levels, and cultivate inspiring relationships.
Then I decided that it was time for a radical change of perspective. I moved to Zurich and into the world of finance. After my first job in public relations at a settlement company, I got hired by UBS at the time of the merger with Swiss Bank Corporation. That was a major professional reorientation, but I was fortunate to receive proper and thorough banking training. During the following twenty years, I worked for four different banks. I was responsible for key wealth management accounts of high net-worth individuals, while at the same time gaining leadership experience as the manager of a mid-size team.
Those twenty years were a succession of all kinds of emotionally shaping episodes. Several banking crises later, I felt that it was time for me once again to move on to new horizons. In 2017, I became professionally independent and founded my own company: Lilytrust Consulting. That was my third total reboot. Over the next two years, I obtained my diploma in systemic coaching, business coaching, and subsequently my certifications in online training and adult education. At the same time, I was approached by the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland. The Board was looking for a new CEO who would bring a fresh perspective and turn the organization around financially. It is a perfect part- time mandate, where I am largely autonomous and flexible to work from home or as a digital nomad. My tasks involve designing and hosting events and webinars, managing the Chamber’s finances, member base, and social media channels, dealing with large corporate sponsors, introducing new projects, etc. As the world evolves, new perspectives are created. All my roles and languages can coexist.
In my free time, I am passionate about underwater photography, travel, reading and music, and have practiced all kinds of sports over the years: skiing, scuba diving and horseback riding have been the longest-lasting ones. Whenever I have time, I enjoy jogging or walking in nature, and this year, I started yoga and stand-up paddle. It balances body and mind and creates lots of positive energy. As I live next to the wonderful Lake Zurich, surrounded by hills and mountains, water and nature are always close. It is a nice lifestyle; I consider myself very privileged.
Last year, I published my first book, a story about my dramatic experience with a seriously crazy person during our diving vacation in the Maldives, when we both tested positive for COVID-19 and had to remain in quarantine together. She assaulted me, it was quite scary. Writing everything down and giving it an entertaining twist was helpful. Initially, it was meant as a personal coping therapy. But then, my friends convinced me to send it to a publishing house, and I found one that was keen on printing it. The story is called “Der Kleine Albtraum” (The Little Nightmare).
What is the core focus of Lilytrust Consulting, and what types of services do you offer to your clients?
The company is set up in a way that it can cover a range of diversified services, but the core focus is on coaching and training, where I am now in the process of expanding my repertoire. Systemic coaching is my “heart project”, as I have always been interested in psychology and human behavior. How does it work? Each one of us is part of many different systems (work environment, family, circle of friends, etc.). At some point, we may find ourselves faced with a challenge in one of our systems that we are not able to solve on our own. This can typically influence our behavior and mindset in the other systems. We may then need external support or motivation to deal with it in a constructive way, find the best possible outcome, and confidently take the next step. The challenge can be perceived as stressful, painful, or burdening. But it can also be a doubt we have with regards to a career move, or the wish to improve our own leadership approach.
Could you provide some examples of successful projects or cases where your services have made a significant impact on your clients' businesses?
Not long after I took over as Managing Director of the Latin American Chamber, at the start of the COVID pandemic, I had to cancel all our planned events. I suggested to the Board that we organize webinars instead (like almost everyone else, you may say), which would help us stay connected with our corporate community by providing meaningful content, broadening our visibility, and expanding our reach overseas. Within a couple of weeks, I taught myself the new basics of virtual communication and set up our platform to hold our first webinars with an international audience and top speakers. Since then and throughout the pandemic, I structured and hosted some 25 successful webinars with global CEOs and experts, and even moderated some myself. All of them are posted on our YouTube channel.
The webinars are now a fixture within our very diversified agenda. In the past four years, thanks to this development, the number of our LinkedIn followers has increased by over 600%. The improved visibility and quality of our content and webinar speakers helped us onboard several global corporations as recurring sponsors, which in turn supported my endeavors to achieve the financial turnaround. I am proud that we could create something relevant for our members; and grateful for the encouragement and backing I received from our Board of Directors. Ultimately, behind every success, there is great teamwork.
In what industries or sectors does Lilytrust Consulting primarily operate, and do you have experience working with businesses of various sizes, from startups to established corporations?
Yes and no, depending on how you look at it. The largest bank that I worked for before my professional independence, had about 80,000 employees worldwide at the time, and a complex hierarchy. I also worked for SMEs, which can be just as complex. The Latin American Chamber is a non-profit association with around 100 corporate members, some 20 Swiss and overseas cooperation partners, and a Board of 15 Directors who are mostly C-level executives in large organizations. At Lilytrust Consulting and at the Chamber, I am an operational one-woman show. Self-leadership is key in my world. When needed, I hire external staff for our events or outsource certain administrative tasks.
Regarding my individual coaching clients, I have no preferences or restrictions. They are mostly seasoned professionals. They come from all walks of life, and completely different cultural backgrounds. In corporate training, it is not necessary that I be a specialist in my client’s line of work because the problems that need solving and for which I am asked to help, are human. Depending on the case, they can have a strong impact on the operational process. But it is of little importance, whether the company is large, small, or a start-up.
How do you approach client relationships and ensure that your solutions are tailored to their specific needs and challenges?
Individual coaching clients normally knock on my door of their own free will. Perhaps they are stuck, insecure, or at a loss for resources, after having tried for some time on their own. You can be brilliant at what you do and have the best intentions, but sometimes you do not recognize the signs that an outsider picks up. Whatever the challenge, together we can find a coherent, viable solution sooner or later. Establishing trust at the beginning is vital. Some clients open up more easily in the conversation than others. Sometimes, the challenge turns out to be a different one than initially assumed when an underlying issue surfaces. This can happen because, through our conversation, we mobilize the subconscious. All of us have some issue, maybe a bias, inhibition, or anxiety that we carry through life. The question is whether it prevents us from being the best version of ourselves and achieving our goals.
One example: A client approached me asking me to provide help as a wealth mentor. As it turned out early on in our conversation, this had only little to do with how the money should best be invested in the current financial environment, and much more with the client’s own value system. Many of our values are instilled in us during our childhood and youth, and they often resonate with us during a lifetime. As adults, we may find that some of them have become redundant in today’s world, but it does not mean that we can easily get rid of their strong vibe.
Most of the methods that I use have been developed by eminent scientists in the German- and English-speaking cultures who have researched throughout the past 80 years in the fields of psychology, molecular or neurobiology, brain activity, epigenetics, family therapy,and communication. Sometimes, I add elements from embodiment or yoga, especially when I feel that my client has a very low energy level. It is all meant to boost self-awareness and strengthen mental health. Systemic coaches are trained to apply so-called solution-focused short-term coaching methods. At the beginning, the client defines a general goal as well as one for the time of the session. The most frequent requests that I have received so far had to do with becoming more resilient, overcoming loss, mustering the courage to take the next step, preparing for a major change or challenge, dealing with conflict, exploring untapped potential, solving a dilemma, or simply improving one’s self-consciousness. The process of how we work towards the goal is very reliable, the client has full control. This can trigger all kinds of helpful resources and ideas. I have never seen it fail. The client recognizes new possibilities and options to go forward that he or she feels comfortable with and ready to apply.
If I am asked to do a team training, I discuss upfront and in detail the needs and expectations of the company leadership, and then present them a tailor-made offer. Depending on the size of the group and the depth and scope of the issue, such training can be just a day long, or last over a period. In either case, the group’s feedback is an indicator of whether we are on the right track. It is an excellent instrument allowing me to keep everyone engaged and leave no one forgotten or frustrated on the back seat.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
Three years in a row, during my time at UBS, I received an award for being among the Top 50 in Wealth Management who achieved an outstanding return on clients’ assets. That was no doubt a great recognition for someone like me who had just recently started in the industry. It made me proud at the time. But we know how complex and volatile the world of finances is. We are all trained to be high performers in a competitive and mostly unpredictable world. When that world comes crashing down, it affects everybody. For clients’ portfolios, diversification is recommended. For human beings, resilience is of the essence to confront change and weather the storm. Therefore, what really matters to me most is having proven to myself throughout my professional life that I am resilient, and that I can be committed and successful doing many different things subsequently, but also in parallel. The most important aspect is strengthening one’s personality mentally, building bridges, and having a productive, reliable network. Life-long learning keeps my mind curious, there is so much to learn. When my work is fun and useful, creates perspectives, and brings me together with people who inspire me, what could be better?
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
I am unable to think of one pivotal moment. There were lots of moments that led to a great deal of self-reflection on my part, and that brought me where I am now. Extracurricular activities, such as being associated with BPW (Business and Professional Women), an organization that has been promoting equal professional chances for women and men for the past 90 years, have helped move the needle in my self-awareness. I never calculated my next move, but I tried to listen to my inner voice. In retrospect, I can say that failures were just as valuable as successes. I would have appreciated having a mentor early on in my career, maybe he or she could have helped me avoid some leadership mistakes along the way. But as there was no one, I went with my gut feeling and common sense. Now I am a mentor myself and passionate about giving something back.
What are your observations in your industry with regard to contemporary leadership?
Never have there been so many courses and books focusing on what a modern leader should be or do. One of many possible answers to the question of why situations nowadays still go south may be that some leaders only implement a small part of what they know, learn, or read. How come? I suppose because it is very difficult in our multicultural environment to get the balance right, e.g.: What is the correct choice of words and appropriate mix of must- know and need-to-know in communication with a particular audience (team, peers, bosses, public)? Is vulnerability going to be perceived as a quality or weakness - which may differ substantially from one culture to another? Do you actively request feedback and how do you then deal with it? Where do you draw the line between confidence and overestimation of yourself?
My observations have been that many people in leadership positions are reluctant to implement a change in behavior, e.g., apply more emotional intelligence, because they think it undermines their competence and ultimately their position of power. Or they simply don’t see the value of active change because they have been successfully and comfortably navigating below the radar for a long time. It appears easier and perhaps safer to them to keep micromanaging from the height of their ivory tower than sharing, trusting, and empowering. Fortunately, I know many great leaders with highly motivated and dedicated multicultural teams. They are true icons and role models. Good sustainable leadership is only possible with a well-balanced mind, regular self-reflection, the will to empower others, and the ability to appreciate honest, constructive feedback.
What else would you like to attempt in the future?
Let’s see if and how I can use artificial intelligence in any of my business ideas. I am thinking about writing another book on a different topic than my first one. And I would like to explore ways to use some of my best underwater shots artistically. Since the pandemic, my objective has been to learn or do three new things every year. I intend to keep that up.
