Your Sales Coach, Trainer and Sales Strategist (2026)

26/05/2026

She spread ten years of McKinnon Leadership Growth Index graphs across her boardroom table.
A visual pathway. A decade of deliberate change.

She wasn't a natural people person. Never had been. The first profile made that impossible to ignore — her empathy indicator was low, and she knew it was costing her.

So that became year one.

She started making eye contact when people talked instead of dropping her head to take notes. She hadn't realised how much body language she'd been missing — the hesitation, the tension, the things people weren't quite saying out loud.

She added one empathy-building sentence to the top of every email. Every memo. Even disciplinary ones.

Her words: "I was criticising people and they were motivated to change."
That's not soft management. That's precision.

Year two was listening. Not waiting to respond — actually listening. To what was being said and what wasn't. To the intention behind the words. She learned to reflect back what she was hearing so people felt understood before they felt directed.

Every year, the graph shifted. Every year, her team got stronger.

Her business grew. Became more profitable. And she started new ones — scaling them quickly because she no longer needed to be inside them running everything. She had teams who were focused, accountable, innovative. Who wanted to give her their best.

That's what a decade of self-awareness and deliberate coaching looks like in real numbers.

Here's what that cycle looks like: a profile reveals the gap. Coaching closes it. A new profile shows the shift. Then the next gap becomes visible. Repeat.

It's not complicated. But it requires knowing where to start — and having an honest picture of where you actually are.

The leader your team loves to follow isn't a personality type. It's a skill set. And every one of these traits is coachable.

Drop "INDEX" in the comments or send me a message and I'll show you how it works.

22/05/2026

He came to me wanting to be a better leader. Figured his only issue was being a bit blunt sometimes.
His McKinnon Leadership Growth Index told a very different story.

He was a strong Nice Guy.
Sounds like a good thing. It wasn't.

The Nice Guy on a worksite — or in a sales meeting — looks like this:
Avoids the hard conversation. Looks the other way when someone's not pulling their weight. Lets problems slide because he doesn't want the drama. Is toughest on the people closest to him and lets everyone else off the hook.

In sales, he's too soft to close the deal. Running a team, he lets things fester until he can't anymore.
And then it happens.

One too many times of saying nothing, and he snaps. Comes down hard. Then feels bad about it and goes straight back to being too soft.
His team doesn't know which version they're getting.
He thought there were only two ways to be — a bastard or a pushover. Harsh or nice.

There's a third way. Most people never find it on their own.
Firm and fair.
Set the boundary. Have the conversation. Say what needs to be said — clearly, calmly, with respect. And here's what shocks every Nice Guy the first time they do it properly — the other person doesn't blow up. They just respond. Problem solved. No fallout, no bad blood, just a better working relationship.

The graph tracks the whole journey. You can see where you started and watch yourself move into the ideal range as the coaching takes effect.

That's the difference between knowing you've changed and actually being able to see it.

Sound like anyone you know? Maybe even yourself?
Drop a comment below or send me a message and I'll show you how the Index works.

20/05/2026

He'd done Dale Carnegie. Twice. Still couldn't figure out why his client refused to deal with him.
True story.

A business owner called me in. One of his managers was costing him clients. The bloke thought he was fine. Direct. Firm. Gets things done.

His client didn't see it that way. Neither did his team.
I ran him through the McKinnon Leadership Growth Index.
He sat down pretty confident. He left with a very different view of himself.

The feedback graph showed his aggression off the charts.
He pushed back hard. "That's not me."
Then we dug into it.

His dad was an aggressive alcoholic. Two older brothers — same. He was the quiet one in that house. The reasonable one.
His whole life he'd been measuring himself against three extremes.

Take them away — and on any worksite, in any meeting room, to any normal person — he was full-on aggressive.
He'd never seen it. Not once.
Until he saw it in black and white.

That's what the McKinnon Leadership Growth Index does. It doesn't measure what you think you're like. It shows you how your team, your subbies, your clients actually experience you.
Then it points to the one thing to change that'll make the biggest difference.

His behaviour shifted almost immediately. Not because someone told him to toughen up or soften up — but because he finally got it.

When you self-assess, who are you comparing yourself to?
If you want to know how you're really landing with the people around you — I'd love to show you how this works.
Drop a comment below or send me a message.

11/05/2026

TOMORROW WE START. Become the leader in your industry. Here's what's inside Lead the Tradie Way.
4 modules. 4 weeks. Built for trade business owners who are done with doing it the hard way.

Week 1 — The Three Ways to Grow Your Business
Most business owners are only using one, and it's the hardest and the most expensive strategy. You'll learn all three — and which one to focus on first.

Week 2 — How to Increase Your Cash Flow and Profit
Internal techniques which stop the sales leaks within your business. Most tradies are totally unaware of these.

Week 3 — How to Recruit the Right People and Keep Them
Hiring wrong is expensive. Losing good people is worse. Learn why good applicants are passing your adverts, and what to do about it.

Week 4 — How to Write Successful Tenders
Learn the two exercises you must do before you write your tender. The language which makes you appear to be ideal for the job and the one easy way to make you stand out as the obvious choice.

6 spots. $770 inc. GST. Two spots already taken.

Last chance before we start tomorrow.

08/05/2026

What You Get with Me as Your Business Coach
You get the experience and wisdom of 25 years of business knowledge across a wide range of industries, local, nationally and internationally. I take a strategy from another industry and make my client an industry leader.

I’ve helped solve business problems from mutinous teams, strikes, business turnarounds, increased revenue in the millions. Designed smooth transitions in take-overs and mergers, always with the goal of transforming owners and managers to inspiring leaders which increase productivity, revenue and profitability.

But the real gold is found prior to becoming a business coach. The lived experience of owning and managing your own businesses through peaks and troughs of the economy. Where your business is impacted by influences outside your control and the new strategies and pivots you must implement to not just survive but thrive.

I was unexpectedly promoted into management with no training or guidance. I know how you feel when you face problems you don’t know how to solve. When you wonder if you’re good enough. When everyone else thinks you know the answer.

I’ve been a Marketing Manager, a Sales Manager, General Manager, a Board Member, and a business owner of several businesses where I was able to experiment and test my experiences and theories and watch the revenue climb without marketing or advertising. I learned the value of something no one seems to have woken up to, internal strategies. Using teams to grow a thriving business.

I’m an avid reader and read all the classic and new business books so you don’t have to. I trawl for information, which is relevant for you, will educate you, surprise you and help you increase your impact on your team, customers and suppliers.

I am your biggest supporter. Non-judgemental, a good listener but unwilling to allow you to be less than your best. I am uncompromising in helping you achieve where you want to take your business.

I have trained and coached business owners, Managing Directors, all levels of managers and supervisors, teams and customers. I didn’t come down in the last shower, and I know excuses when I hear them, even if you don’t realise that’s what you’re doing.

I have worked with companies who were deadly competitors at the same time. They trusted my discretion completely and said that if I could improve their businesses, I would lift the whole industry.

Want me as a coach on your team? Contact me on [email protected] (so your competition can’t see you’re going to gain an edge) and apply. If I can help, and you are a good enough student, together we’ll exceed your business goals.

28/04/2026

Nobody warns you about this part of being on the tools.
You've been flat out. More work than you can handle. So you decide to take the leap and hire someone.

And within three months, you're more stressed than you were before.
Sound familiar?

Here's what actually happens for most tradies when they start hiring:

They write an ad that gets 40 applications — half of them completely wrong for the job — because nobody taught them how to attract the right people in the first place.

They bring someone on and realise they have no real system for showing them how things are done. So they either babysit them constantly or watch them do it wrong and say nothing.

They don't have time to train properly because they're still doing everything else themselves. So the new person either sinks, or picks up bad habits that are ten times harder to fix later.

And instead of getting their time back — which is the whole reason they hired — they've just added another person to manage, another wage to cover, and another problem to solve at the end of a fourteen-hour day.

More staff doesn't automatically mean less work.
It means more work — unless you know how to lead.

That's exactly what I'm covering in Lead The Tradie Way — a small group coaching program starting mid-May. Only 6 business owners per round, so every person gets real attention, not just a seat in a webinar.

We cover how to hire the right people, how to set them up so they actually succeed, and how to lead a team without it taking over your life.

If you're thinking about growing your team — or you've already hired and it's not going the way you hoped — drop your name below or send me a message and I'll put you on the waiting list.

6 spots. Mid-May. That's it.

👇 Comment "WAITING LIST" or send me a DM to find out more.

22/04/2026

Why don't people do as they're told?
It's the question I hear most from frustrated business owners and managers.
And my answer is always the same — you can't fix what you haven't diagnosed.
Before you lose your cool, ask yourself these questions first. 👇

How good are YOUR delegation skills?
If you already know how to do the job, you're probably giving instructions as if the other person does too.
They don't.
Think about it like asking an apprentice to sweep the workshop floor — it might be the first time they've ever held a broom. What's obvious to you is completely foreign to them.

How good are YOUR communication skills?
Not everyone thinks the way you do or receives instructions the way you deliver them.
If it's not landing, the answer isn't to repeat yourself louder. It's to explain it differently.

Do they even think there's a problem?
Or do they think you're just being fussy and nagging?
If they don't see the problem, they'll never fix it. That conversation needs to happen first.

What is their intent?
This is the question most leaders avoid — and it's the most important one.
Are they genuinely trying but struggling? Or are they pushing back and creating friction?
If it's the latter — manage them out. Teams are built on people who actually want to play.

Do they have the ability to do the job?
Have you actually given them the skills to perform to a minimum level of competency?
Here's my personal benchmark 👇
Have you watched this person complete the job — start to finish, without supervision, to your satisfaction — at least three times?
If no, this isn't just a skills issue. It's a skills AND knowledge issue.
Three unsupervised repetitions is the clearest sign someone is truly trained and genuinely accountable. Most leaders never get there.

And finally — what have YOU contributed to this problem?
Poor delegation? Poor communication? Impatience?
Before pointing the finger outward, point it inward first.
The good news? Every single one of those is learnable. 💪

If you're tired of having the same frustrating conversations with your team, drop a comment or send me a DM. Let's fix this once and for all.

20/04/2026

Being brilliant at your trade is not enough. I know that’s not what you were told. But it’s the truth nobody in the industry wants to say out loud.

Plumbers and gas fitters, mechanics, electricians and engineers.
Every tradie business owner I've coached makes the same mistake.
They believe that to build a better business, they need to become better at their trade.

And here's the brutal truth — you must be very good at your trade to start a business. But that's just the expected foundation.

To grow a business, you must become great at running one.
Not better at the tools. Better at managing the business that delivers your trade.

A few years ago, AlintaGas asked me to design a customised course to improve the customer service and business skills of their Approved Installers. Here's what they said afterwards:

"Overall, Shirley is an excellent trainer who can quickly identify the needs of the group and impart the necessary skills to address those needs.
The customer service and sales course has exceeded our expectations and continues to receive positive feedback from our Approved Installers.
There are also some great success stories where installers have taken the principles from the course and turned around their business. Congratulations, Shirley."

In May, I'm opening LEAD THE TRADIE WAY — a small group coaching program for trade business owners who want to grow without the extra stress or the 60-hour weeks.

I'm keeping each intake to a maximum of 6 people on Zoom, so every session is practical and personalised to you.

We'll cover time management — yes, even with the constant interruptions and demands. Winning tenders. Getting repeat business so you're not forever chasing new clients. Handling difficult clients. And attracting and keeping great staff.

Step-by-step. Practical. Built for tradies, not corporate boardrooms.
Imagine running your business instead of your business running you.

I'll be sharing more details later in the month — but if you want to be considered for this first intake, DM me now. Six spots. When they're gone, they're gone.

15/04/2026

Why Using AI Will Make Your Business Get Harder, Faster. AI will not save your business. It will magnify exactly where you already are.

Here is the brutal truth most business owners don’t want to hear. AI can’t make your strategic decisions for you.
AI can’t build a team that is loyal, productive and hungry to perform.
It can’t manage your time, end the constant interruptions, or give you back the ability to take an uninterrupted family holiday while your business thrives.

Only one person can do that.

You.

Think about it this way.

When you were on the tools, AI could help you work better faster. But it still needed your skill, your experience, your judgment to know what ‘better’ even looked like.

Your business is no different.

Your knowledge of your industry, your read on the market, even your gut feel all work to make the RIGHT decisions. Without them, AI will help you implement the wrong decisions faster.

AI can sharpen your marketing if you’ve already identified the right customers, the right products and service, the right message.

AI can improve your systems — if you already have the right people in the right roles.

Who decides what ‘right’ looks like? You do.

So, here’s the real problem.

Most business owners and managers hope AI will solve the chaos.
But chaos isn’t an AI problem. It’s a leadership gap.
Overwhelmed? Leadership gap.
Short-staffed and can’t keep good people? Leadership gap.
Too many interruptions, no time to think or plan, no strategic direction other than growth? Leadership gap.

AI cannot close a leadership gap. It widens it.

This is exactly what The Leader Within is built for.
We start with you — the decision-maker — because the business cannot transform until the leader does.

We put you through the McKinnon Leadership Growth Index, so we can tailor a program to you, your business, and your industry.

The results our clients see: A team that is productive and focused on achieving the business goals. Immediate revenue and profitability growth. Tender success. Repeat business. And an end to the exhausting cycle of constantly chasing new clients.

You will lead differently.

Only then AI can streamline your marketing, make your systems even more effective.
But if you skip this step?

AI will make the wrong things happen faster.

Don’t let that be you.

→ DM me to have a conversation about whether The Leader Within is your next move.

14/04/2026

Most trade business owners know they need to let go. They just don't know what to let go of first.

So they hold onto everything — because handing over the wrong thing at the wrong time has burned them before. A job done poorly. A client complaint. A standard slipping quietly until it became a crisis.

That's not a trust problem. That's a system problem.

Here's the question I ask every trade business owner I work with:

"What's the one task you do every week that someone on your team could do — if they knew exactly what good looked like?"

Not perfectly. Not as fast as you. But competently, consistently, and without you standing over them.

That task is your starting point.

Because delegation doesn't fail because people aren't capable.
It fails because the standard was never made explicit.

It lived in your head. You knew it. You assumed they'd figure it out. They didn't. You stepped back in. And now you're more convinced than ever that it's easier to do it yourself.

The shift isn't about trusting your team more.
It's about transferring the standard — clearly, specifically, in a way that gives them something real to work to.

When you do that, something changes.

They stop waiting for you to check their work.
You stop bracing for what you'll find when you do.
And the business starts moving without you having to push it every day.

That's not a leadership theory. That's what I've watched happen inside trade businesses for over twenty years.

If you're still the one holding everything together — it might be time to ask why the standard only exists in your head.

What's the one thing you'd hand over tomorrow if you knew it would be done right? Drop it in the comments.

10/04/2026

How my dog Frankie helped me be a better business coach.
You might not know this but a big priority for an experienced business coach is their own self-development.

You must go into a session unbiased, non-judgemental, supportive and committed to supporting the client in being their best version.
And that is harder than you think.

So, stability, good mental health and a balanced state of mind are crucial.
And that’s where Frankie comes in. Or used to up until five weeks ago.

Every morning before breakfast, I would take Frankie around the corner to the park. He used to walk to the beach but at age 9, he decided the beach was now too far.

So, we set out in the early morning sunshine, walk under the trees full of birds singing and chasing each other. Some of their calls are so loud and shrill from such little bodies, I marvel at them.

We cross the lawn beside the gardens where we know blue tongue lizards live and breed. Frankies’ tags ti**le and set the dog who lives next to the park off barking. He alerts all the other dogs of the neighbourhood that Frankie is out and about.

Nature, dogs and animals, oh and let’s add the beach, are how I retain my equilibrium to be an effective coach for my clients.

As I said, we don’t judge, we just assess whether what they are doing is working them towards their goals, or away from them.

We don’t get caught up in the emotion of what they are experiencing, we reflect back to them the impact it’s having on them, their business and their family.

We don’t judge. We help them become their future selves, not just business owners but leaders who lead a thriving community called a business.

We are dependably real with feedback on what they’re not seeing, and we help them see what’s possible. That’s probably why most people are motivated after a coaching session. They’ve had total attention, support, feel listened to and now have techniques which are going to retain staff, increase turnover and profitability.

That’s why my Frankie took me for a walk morning and afternoon, every day.
Unfortunately, now I walk alone.

What technique do you have for keeping yourself balanced in this chaotic crisis-driven world?

Your Sales Coach, Trainer and Sales Strategist

26/05/2026

22/05/2026

20/05/2026

11/05/2026

08/05/2026

28/04/2026

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