October Coach Spotlight: Mick Lavin

With over 35 years of business experience across 3 continents, Mick brings a rare blend of systemic insight, storytelling, and multicultural wisdom to his coaching practice.

Mick’s journey into coaching began during his MBA when he realized he didn’t want to manage people - he wanted to help them grow. That purpose still drives him today. A certified systemic coach and EMCC speaker, Mick creates deeply personalized coaching relationships that evolve with each client’s needs.

Whether exploring imposter syndrome, leadership in multicultural settings, or navigating self-doubt, Mick helps coachees build clarity, confidence, and context - often with a touch of humour and always with intention.

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1. What inspired you to become a coach?
   

   "More than a decade ago, I was completing an MBA. Something struck me as I worked through those Finance, Marketing, and Management lectures: I didn’t want to manage processes and people, I wanted to help people grow and develop.

   
   

   I was working in the tech world, so I looked at Agile ways of working but realized that much of that world, while it spoke about people, was more about process. I was looking for something different.

   
   

   Working with people to help them achieve success was where I wanted to get to, so I signed up for Coach Training with Kingstown College in Ireland. Evenings and weekends while finishing a thesis for my MBA seemed packed, but I earned my Diploma in Executive Coaching, and finally completed my MBA studies.

   
   

   Soon after that, I joined the EMCC and became a volunteer with them.

   
   

   My passion for Coaching and working with people, to create their future, is as strong today as it was when I first qualified."

   
   

2. What is your unique coaching style?
   

   "I would say that I have several coaching styles, but these will be unique to the coachee that I work with. No two relationships are the same, and how we impact each other will be a unique experience. I will have a conversation with the coachee about the style of coaching they wish to engage in. We can then revisit this at any time if that style is not working for the relationship. As we work together, the relationship will evolve to suit the future needs of the coachee."
   

3. What skills do you bring to the coaching world?
   

   "I have worked in multicultural environments for many years and have lived in 8 countries across 3 continents. I am also a systemic coach so I see systems and try to imagine where we (the coachee and I) are within the system, the influences affecting us in the system, and the potential impact we may have on the system. This gives a coachee context to explore.

   
   

   I am also a storyteller and am willing to share from my 35+ years’ experience in the business world. This can help the coachee find similarity or be a comfort when they realize others have experienced similar situations in their lives

   
   

   Humour is also something that is important to me and something I bring to my coaching sessions."
   

4. Which coaching question, model or tool brings the most insight? "I work with the questions that arise. There is no fixed approach to a session, so I remain model agnostic. I pull the tools and approaches (from models) that I need, and when the situation needs them.

   
   

   As I progressed as a coach, I also produced my own framework for systemic awareness. I do not call it a model, as it is more a systemic environment map and allows the exploration of our place in the system, pressures within the system, and understanding of the system around us.

   
   

   In terms of specific tools, I also find 360 feedback for leadership development to be useful. For Teams I like the PERILL Diagnostic tools (Clutterbuck)."

5. Which topics come up most frequently in your coaching?

   
   

   “Many of us doubt ourselves and our abilities, we struggle to believe that we are good enough and that we deserve our success. The Imposter in us gets the better of our rational mind.

   
   

   Working in multicultural environments brings more complexity to our perception of success and increases our sense of doubt (the imposter). How do we work with other cultures? How do we lead in this environment? What does collaboration mean to other cultures? How do we create a sense of inclusion in a multi-cultural environment? How do we become our true selves when the “imposter” has so much perceived evidence to the contrary?

   
   

   The Imposter, the Leader, and the Multicultural setting is very much the focus of my work with coachees."
   

6. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from coaching others? 

   “We all have blind-spots, self-doubt, and are limited by our belief in what is possible! Yet, we are so much more than these limitations we place on ourselves. 

   
   

   As we coach others, we learn from our coachees and their thinking and experiences: Each encounter brings us closer to understanding and overcoming our own limitations as a person.

   
   

   For me, I learn best from the coachees I work with and in reflection with my Supervision partner."

7. Can you tell us about your favorite moment throughout your coaching career? “Being asked to speak about Intercultural Coaching at the EMCC Annual Conference in Denmark. It was an honour to be recognised for my work on Intercultural coaching and a great pleasure to share that knowledge with a wider audience.

   
   

   I have spoken at several conferences on both Coaching and Mentoring over the years, which for me, affirms my contribution to the profession."

8. What advice would you give someone starting their journey as a coachee? "Be open to what is possible, to the future you can create. Your coach can guide the process, but you are the one to create and own your future.

   
   

   Your coach can hold a mirror for you, but you need to reflect on who you see. We all have limiting beliefs, blind spots, and doubt; work with your coach to see the “YOU” that others see in the mirror."
   

9. What is your favorite motivational quote or mantra?

   There are 2 motivational quotes I am fond of.

   
   

   "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response." - Viktor Frankl

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker

Both of these quotes speak to the power of coaching and our innate ability, as a coachee, to choose our own destiny.

8. What’s your favorite book, podcast, or movie related to personal development? "Two of my favourite books are:

   
   

   Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps – Jennifer Garvey Berger

   
   

   A book that explores the five pernicious “mindtraps” that often steer us wrong in today’s VUCA and/or BANI world. These mindtraps extend well beyond leadership roles and into our everyday life’s challenges.

   
   

   The Inner Game of Tennis – W. Timothy Gallwey

   
   

   An old classic, a book that aims to unlock your potential by fostering self-awareness and a non-judgmental attitude towards mistakes, leading to improved skills and enjoyment in your personal and professional development.

   
   

   Both books help us clear up doubt and trust in our instincts to create our future."

   
   

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At Kōkua Hub, we’re proud to work with coaches like Mick. Get in touch today to see how coaching can elevate your organization.