Team Development

“Building a startup is a treacherous mountain to climb and when you're lucky, you encounter sherpas along the way that in hindsight, with 100% conviction, you can say "we wouldn't have made it without them." Zulfi has been one such guide, friend and beacon of light in the madness that is building a business from scratch. Key to a successful startup is a healthy founder relationship and team dynamic. I'll be the last person to say that this went smoothly from the start. Two entirely different founders with different backgrounds, mind- and skill sets can make for an incredible team, but also sets the scene for differences in opinion, language and thinking. We recognized this early on and Zulfi has been there to guide and coach us throughout the past years and continues to do so. He has the exceptional ability to level with you and use an open mind, empathy, challenging questions and effective methods and exercises to help individuals recognize their strengths and weaknesses and illustrate how that plays out in the founder/team dynamic. However healthy you think your situation is, I highly recommend all founding teams to work with Zulfi - I guarantee you'll look back one day and be glad you decided to bring an expert sherpa like him along for this part of the journey.”

"Zulfi worked with my cofounder (Mike) and I as a team coach. While Mike and I both feel very passionate and aligned on the business we want to build, and also feel a lot of respect for each other, we also felt that the dynamic between us was not always healthy. From time to time we would have heated debates or feel frustration towards each other which we felt we needed to address. We wanted to move towards a situation where we had a healthier team dynamic. Zulfi worked with us consistently over a period of more than a year to help us understand each other - as well as ourselves. Together, we investigated our underlying motivations and behavioural patterns, confronted sensitive topics, as well as learnt to articulate our expectations from each other in a safe environment. The outcome was a much stronger working relationship with my cofounder, which has now enabled us to have these challenging conversations with each other effectively and constructively, and without the need of a third party mediator."

"Zulfi's dedication to understanding each individual, the team dynamic, and fostering collaboration truly set him apart. We had the privilege of experiencing workshops and sessions facilitated by Zulfi, and the results were impressive. Through these sessions, we gained valuable insights about ourselves and the team, both in retrospect and in planning for the future. Zulfi's exceptional ability to read situations, from factual aspects to emotions, is truly amazing. I wholeheartedly endorse Zulfi for any future opportunities. His professionalism, expertise in coaching, change management project management and systemic constellation, and innate ability to drive teams towards success are truly exceptional. "

Zulfi served as our team retreat facilitator while the team was ‘forming’ during a period of significant uncertainty caused by organisational restructuring. He guided us to a deeper level of interpersonal connection, addressing team dynamics issues within the organisation. As a result, we now better understand each other's perspectives and can empathise more effectively with team members and stakeholders. Zulfi's personality and working style are a perfect blend of profound leadership knowledge and the ability to enable slowing down and reflecting. Our experience was a game changer, leading to conversations at a completely different level. Zulfi's unique mix of coaching and leadership development methodologies was invaluable. I highly recommend him for teams in their forming phase or those aiming to elevate their team dynamics.

"Zulfi helped bring a feeling of trust and security to every person attending every meeting we had together. He gives space to each emotion and allows for each participant to reach their conclusion independently. He does not overlook or repress questions, nor does he push any specific outcome on the group. Overall, he is an excellent coach who helps each individual confront their own patterns in a healthy way - which in turn enables us to make big decisions on how to move forward, in a safe, trusting and constructive manner. The overall experience has been very positive, and I would definitely recommend him highly to everyone in my network who would like to have a trusted coach / mediator; or even just a confidant who can hear you out and provide a mirror for your thoughts. The most valuable trait is his ability to forge a safe & trusting bond with each individual - even when working simultaneously with multiple individuals who may not be able to see eye to eye in that moment."

"Zulfi joined our team as a Sr. project manager and effectively guided our team through the delivery of training deliverables, following the agile methodology. Zulfi's expertise and leadership were instrumental in forming a cohesive team that capitalised on individual strengths while considering personal growth aspirations. In a remarkably short time, he skillfully motivated and inspired the team to bring forth their best work. Zulfi played a pivotal role in establishing a team structure, defining roles and responsibilities, establishing effective communication channels, and implementing an efficient planning method. Zulfi excelled as a coach, helping team members unlock their full potential and surpass their perceived boundaries. He created a supportive and collaborative environment where team members felt empowered to take ownership of their work and contribute meaningfully. Zulfi's exceptional ability to integrate seamlessly into our team from day one contributed to a positive work dynamic and fostered a sense of unity. "

Zulfi played a pivotal role in our team's first in-person meeting during a reorganisation. He supported us in recognising and really seeing each other, understanding where a person is coming from (not only reduced to nationality but also get a deeper level of understanding what the drivers and values of the different team members are). For me that created a better understanding and even more respect of the challenges each individual team member is facing. Meeting each other in such a setting was much more valuable than I would have expected. Zulfi has a natural way of understanding what a team needs (at each step of the process). It looks so easy what he does but it’s clear that team building is not an easy process. He is approachable and makes everybody feel welcome and appreciated. The most valuable for me was to get a deeper understanding of the team's values and what each person formed throughout their lives. Zulfi easily creates rapport with each individual: I think everybody felt seen and understood and valued. I would definitely recommend working with Zulfi especially when a team is newly created or has a lot of new members or faces changes (like a reorganisation). With Zulfi’s help the focus shifts on the important things in your (work)life and it adds a lot of value to how a team works together.