About Me
I value being purposeful, inspiring, courageous and sometimes a little bit confronting
My story
About Me – Christopher Miller
My hopes, dreams, goals, and intentions have created a fulfilling life.
I have lived on three continents in ten great cities (seven capitals!), and was awarded with degrees in life science and business from two Canadian universities. I’ve been a competitive sportsman, and played in an orchestra. I’ve worked in pharmaceutical sales and marketing in Great Britain, and as a business coach and management consultant in Australia and New Zealand. I met my extraordinary Scottish wife, and with her, raised two exceptional sons.
Along the way, I discovered my passion and purpose through coaching, and following a 10-year career in management consulting, I had the courage to set up my own strengths-based leadership practice.
Throughout these experiences, I have been guided by being clear about my purpose and values, and the realisation that we are all only as fulfilled as our most recent greatest imaginable challenge. I use these principles, along with strengths-based development, as the cornerstones of my coaching for both individuals and businesses.
Purpose & values
I know that the foundations of any life (or business) are built on clarity of purpose and values. These principles ensure we understand why we are doing something, and how we will treat others along the way.
- Life roles: to be a great dad, loving husband, and extraordinary coach.
- Purpose: to make dreams come true – for myself and my family.
- Values: family; health and well-being; life is fun and easy; honour the evolution; living life out loud; enjoying creative and financial freedom; having a thirst for knowledge, and a hunger for experience.
Equally clear are my principles for running my strengths-based leadership practice.
- Purpose: to make dreams come true for my clients and community.
- Values: do what I love and love what I do; live my why and help others find theirs; every week is a 7-day weekend; work when inspired and play the rest of the time; honour transparency and confidentiality.
Would you like to unlock the power and joy of clarifying your own roles, purpose and values?
Greatest Imaginable challenge
What is a “greatest imaginable challenge”?
It’s where your passion and what you do best meets where you can add most value to yourself or others. It represents the next Mount Everest in your life – the enormous and motivating mountain that only you can climb.
Here are a few examples of my own greatest imaginable challenges, or those of special people in my life:
- To influence New Zealand’s GDP growth from 2020 to 2030 through my impact on the small to medium-sized business sector, and by doing so, emulate W. Edwards Deming’s impact on Japan following World War II.
- To help New Zealand’s springboard and platform diving community achieve at least three World or Olympic medals before 2032.
- To create a paradigm shift in how people who have experienced mental health conditions are perceived, and unlock the creative and productive potential of society.
- To re-qualify from Scottish to New Zealand law, and proceed to complete a six-year PhD in law, aligning the topic to my passions for child advocacy and children’s autonomy (Fiona Miller).
- To cycle solo from Land’s End to John O’Groats in Great Britain, before emigrating from the UK to New Zealand (Fiona Miller).
Working to help others achieve their greatest imaginable challenges.
My Life Experiences
We cannot control what life might throw at us, but we can choose our reaction, 100% of the time.
My business and personal development philosophy is built on the premise that we are all here for a reason, and those who discover the reason are most likely to thrive and find fulfilment.
I have had the amazing good fortune to experience life at its very fullest, thankfully with the highs far outweighing the lows over time. The few lows delivered invaluable insights. Some of these experiences have included:
- 24 years growing up in Canada and the UK as a “navy brat”, surrounded by a terrific loving family who always saw the best in me.
- Represented Nova Scotia at the Saskatoon Canada Games (1989) as a springboard diver.
- Waved good-bye to my father on the shores of Halifax harbour, as he and the Canadian Task Force left for the first Gulf War.
- Life sciences degree from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, including participation in the university orchestra as an oboist, and the varsity diving team.
- Masters of Business Administration, Health Services Management, at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, and proud to have been nominated valedictorian of my graduation class.
- Worked in pharmaceutical sales in London’s East End, primarily in the cardiovascular therapy area.
- Worked in pharmaceutical marketing, including national UK campaigns for oral contraception, emergency contraception, intrauterine devices and systems, as well as local marketing campaigns for Northern Ireland, including smoking cessation.
- Small business coaching for Results.com in Wellington (2007-2010).
- Senior consultant and executive coach for Gallup New Zealand (2010-2017).
- Established my strengths-based business leadership practice (2017-present).