After a humble beginning in a German village, Karin Wellbrock embarked on a global journey that led her to discover her true passion: coaching and developing exceptional leaders everyone wants to work for. She is a certified coach with the ICF-PCC and an EMCC Senior Practitioner, as well as a Gallup and Hogan assessment specialist. Having worked in management consulting for more than two decades, Karin embraced her calling and has been living and working in Asia for the past 15 years. Now based in Japan, she and her husband co-run Kay Group, a leadership consulting firm that specialized in creating transformative leaders.
Their flagship program, Exceptional Leader-by-Design, is a comprehensive approach designed for future and current executives. Karin's mission is to empower women to break through the glass ceiling into the C-suite and support young entrepreneurs as they navigate their organization's growth stages. By addressing clients' mental models, tracking saboteurs like limiting beliefs, and cultivating courage and emotional self-control, Karin assists them in achieving their goal of top management.
Karin Wellbrock, Leadership Consultant and Coach
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I'm Karin Wellbrock, a small-town girl hailing from the picturesque Southern German Alps, where cows outnumber people. I began my lifelong journey of self-discovery and exploration at 15 when my brother gifted me an oversized, bright red t-shirt with "New York" emblazoned across the front. After three sojourns in the US, eight homes abroad, and over 35 years outside of Germany, I now call Japan my home as my husband, and I build a leadership consulting firm.
Since I am a proud member of the over-50 generation, I remain steadfast in my belief that we can still make a difference in the world. The concept of retirement has never appealed to me; instead, I have always been inspired by those who find their calling. After two decades of problem-solving as a management consultant, I discovered my true passion: developing bosses that everyone wants to work for.
As part of my journey towards coaching exceptional leaders, I have completed rigorous and extensive training in the UK, Germany, and virtually from the US. Today, I work with current and future leaders in Japan, mentor start-up founders in Japan and Southeast Asia, and provide pro bono coaching for NGO leaders worldwide. My rapid transition from management consultant to leadership coach, achieving both ICF-PCC (Professional Certified Coach) and EMCC Senior Practitioner status in just four years, makes me rather proud.
As a leadership coach, I'm dedicated to promoting diversity in leadership roles. I've set an ambitious goal for myself: to coach 100 women into C-suite positions. One remarkable individual at a time.
What inspired you to start KAY Group and what is the main focus of your business?
Kay Group was born out of reflections about our personal and professional paths, contemplating the people and circumstances that shaped them. When I was a trailing spouse of an expat in the 1990s, I found few examples of dual-career couples. Serendipitously, I discovered the consulting industry, which aligned with my passion for problem-solving and offered the chance to work internationally. As a result, I was able to join my husband abroad while maintaining a satisfying career.
When we decided to take control of our destiny and break free from the whims of corporate boards, we founded Kay Group. Our mission was born from two desires, one for self-determination and, second to address the persistent issue of low trust between leaders and employees. We sought answers to pressing questions: "How can we develop leaders people want to work for?" and "What do leaders need to deliver performance?" These inquiries led us to discover the most effective development and coaching approaches for Japan.
Our venture in Japan was fueled by my husband's background and language fluency, granting us access and a competitive edge. To meet the unique needs and context of leaders in Japan, we use approaches and tools from Europe and the US.
The clients we work with aspire to be exceptional leaders, looking for ways to positively influence their lives and the world around them. We see leadership as an art form, working closely with individuals to develop their unique style and achieve their goals. Leaders at this level have plenty of skills and experience; our role is to sharpen their brands and help them stand out in a positive way.
In addition to this, we develop high-performing teams using a systemic approach, which recognizes that leaders cannot exist without followers. The third pillar of our services is organizational cultures, where we help leaders create the desired corporate culture.
How does KAY Group differentiate itself from other companies in the industry?
As a company, we strive to differentiate ourselves in the multiple ways:
Our primary target is executives and executive candidates for multinational companies in Japan, especially in the life sciences sector where we can leverage our social capital. Increasingly more, we also provide start-ups with leadership development and business design services based on our management consulting expertise. Our unique clientele is driven leaders who possess ambitious goals, aim to make a real difference, and are committed to taking responsibility for their organizations and teams.
At Kay Group, we offer a comprehensive program called "Exceptional Leader-by-Design," aiming to guide aspiring and established leaders through various stages of their careers and roles. Furthermore, we established and deployed the Kay Group Triad. This proprietary framework examines the external environment, internal perceptions, and others' perceptions to help clients find balance and become high-performing leaders.
By focusing on mindset, we accomplish two essential objectives. First, we unveil the intricacies of Japanese culture, viewing it through a performance-driven lens. Second, we transcend traditional training to cultivate the exceptional leadership mindset required for success. By addressing mental models and dismantling limiting beliefs, our approach enables leaders to grow and overcome challenges.
Foreign leaders working in Japanese organizations often face obstacles due to their mental models, such as the desire to empower everyone. This can clash with employees who seek direction and guidance. In our elevation program for female clients, we tackle limiting beliefs and saboteurs like imposter syndrome, enabling them to advance to leadership positions. Common themes include "I am not good enough to be a leader" and "Everything I do needs to be perfect." While these mental models are not exclusive to Japan, we contextualize them for our clients, fostering meaningful change and growth.
Lastly, we are committed to providing transformative coaching experiences built on transformative relationships with our clients, inspiring them to reach their full potential. This is based on our values of honesty, integrity, confidentiality, and flexibility. Our coaching engagements typically last between six and nine months and we use a modular approach to semi-customize the service to meet the unique challenges and goals of each client. With this in mind, we aim to support our clients through various stages of their careers, empowering them to excel at every step of their journey.
How does KAY Group stay up-to-date with the latest developments and technologies in the industry?
Since the onset of the pandemic, the coaching industry has undergone a seismic shift with rapid technological advancements and the widespread adoption of virtual coaching. As geographical boundaries have virtually disappeared, coaches must differentiate themselves, brand themselves, and identify their niches. To stay at the forefront of industry developments, Kay Group embraces these changes and continuously adapts. We have reimagined our entire suite of individual and team programs to support virtual, face-to-face, and hybrid delivery methods.
To stay informed and drive innovation, we conduct research on various aspects of the coaching landscape in partnership with organizations. As an example, we studied women in leadership in Japan and developed a pragmatic approach to elevating more women candidates. This approach focuses on sponsor development. At the moment, we are examining new leadership roles seen in Germany – tandems and shared roles for managers or even executives - as well as the challenges start-ups face in accelerating their managerial and leadership development.
With the help of industry experts in team coaching, experiential learning, and assessment, we identify constantly new opportunities and requirements that are specific to Japan and Asia. Besides continuously improving our services, we are also committed to improving our own skills. We particularly enjoy cutting-edge programs from WBECS and Stanford University.
The rise of AI in coaching has been nothing short of revolutionary. We are tipping our toes into this innovative technology, experimenting both independently and with partners to explore its potential and limitations. Additionally, by mentoring start-up founders in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, we gain invaluable insight into emerging ideas and promising business ventures. From this vantage point, we can see how education, training, and development may evolve in the future.
How does KAY Group incorporate sustainable and environmentally friendly practices into its business operations?
We aspire to embed this kind of thinking and behaviors into our business operations as well as our coaching practice.
In our business operations, Kay Group strives to integrate sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. Adapting to the changing world, especially during the pandemic, has not only allowed us to meet our clients' needs, but also to reduce our environmental impact. In our day-to-day operations, we actively encourage clients to participate in virtual meetings for both preparation as well as service delivery. The use of this approach not only conserves paper but also reduces travel time and travel costs. As a result of adopting these simple yet effective practices, we were able to serve more clients than ever before, even during the pandemic. Although we value face-to-face meetings, we have proven to our clients that virtual meetings can be highly effective as well.
With our coaching services, we adopt a systemic approach and explore second and third-level consequences with our clients. By bringing commonly ignored stakeholders into the conversation, we help corporate leaders become aware of the wider environmental impact of their decisions. We do this by representing for instance, the planet, children, minorities, and animals.
In addition, we provide team coaching and mentoring to young leaders of climate-related NGOs. By investing in the leaders of tomorrow, we empower them to fulfill their NGO objectives and create a better future for all. As part of our engagement with environmental NGOs in Japan, we participate in information-sharing sessions, roundtables, and other collaborative events to address pressing issues like mental health and the environment.
Our goal is to create a positive impact on our clients, communities, and planet by adopting these practices. As we embrace a more sustainable, eco-conscious approach to business and leadership, we foster a brighter future for future generations.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
Picture diving into Japan's competitive business landscape with a burning passion for leadership coaching. The most significant achievement of my career so far has been building a renowned brand from scratch in just a few short years with my husband's endless support.
Our unwavering determination helped us build a premium brand for executive and team coaching in this challenging market. One of my most rewarding experiences has been empowering talented women who struggled with self-doubt to reach the C-suite. Witnessing their incredible journeys has been both humbling and fulfilling.
The thrill of building a successful leadership coaching brand in Japan has been exhilarating regardless of the highs and lows. The positive impact we can have on our clients propels us forward despite the visible and invisible costs of operating in Japan.
If you could bring one aspect of coaching to the world, what would it be and why?
Imagine a world where students and professionals would be equipped with a powerful tool that can change how they think, communicate, and interact with others. With the help of this tool, called reflective inquiry, we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and other people, resulting in more meaningful conversations, collaborations, and decisions. Embracing reflective inquiry in our educational institutions and organizations could help us address some of our most pressing challenges.
Reflective inquiry is a dynamic process that promotes personal and professional growth by engaging us in introspection about our thoughts, experiences, beliefs, and actions. What if we asked thought-provoking questions, engaged in interesting conversations, and considered alternative viewpoints? In comparison to our current entrenched viewpoints, how would our communication and decision-making differ?
Reflective inquiry stems from a mindset ripe for creating lasting change. With this mindset, we can approach situations and interactions with an openness and exploration that is characterized by curiosity, self-awareness, open-mindedness, humility, flexibility, active listening, empathy, and a commitment to learning.
Imagine if students were taught reflective inquiry from an early age. By incorporating this approach into our education system, we could cultivate a generation of thinkers who are capable of engaging in meaningful conversations, co-creating solutions, and making informed choices. By developing these skills, students will be better prepared to navigate the complexities of the modern world, enabling them to succeed both personally and professionally.
Take a moment to imagine a world in which organizations around the world use reflective inquiry. The adoption of this approach could help companies overcome many of the challenges they face, including communication breakdowns, lack of collaboration, and ineffective decision-making. A culture of continuous learning, innovation, and adaptability can be fostered through reflective inquiry, enabling organizations to thrive in today's fast-paced, constantly changing environment.
How can we turn this vision into a reality? As of now, we don't have much control over the education system; however, we can influence the way our clients work, which is where we begin.
Contact information: Karin.wellbrock@kaygroup-asia.com
