INSIGHT FOR LIFE & WORK
Executive Coaching
What is Coaching and is it for you?
I like to think of a ‘coach’ in relation to its simplest dictionary definition: a means of conveyance; a vehicle that takes someone where they want to go.
Executive coaching is the practice of learning where a person wants to go in their professional life through one-to-one confidential conversations and providing a means to help them get there.
As a coach, I see my job as helping managers and leaders become more effective, more confident and ultimately successful in meeting their objectives.
One-to-one coaching is always tailored to an individual’s needs and goals. It can offer benefits if you:
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Are stepping into a new leadership role
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Could use support leading change during a time of crisis or uncertainty
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Are feeling unusually stressed or anxious over work-related issues
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Want to find more effective ways to motivate your team and communicate clearly
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Want to improve decision-making and strategic planning
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Are considering a career or role transition
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Are seeking an external, objective and non-judgemental sounding board
I also work with teams and Boards to help optimise performance, deepen staff engagement, and manage organisational change. One key to corporate success is good communication. I help teams to say what needs to be said in a way that can be heard by colleagues, managers and staff members.
As a team coach, I bring my 25 years personal experience of leading large and small teams as well as training in Systemic Team Coaching from the Academy of Executive Coaching. It can offer benefits if you and your team:
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Need support managing conflict and difficult conversations
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Are undergoing organisational change or restructuring
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Are coming together for the first time as a new team and want to build a strong foundation that prioritises strong performance and open communication
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Want to foster a team or corporate culture that promotes sustainability and embraces Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) principles
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Want to bring your team together so their collective output is more than the sum of their individual parts
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Want to move the team from Good to Great and jointly transform the business
How Does it Work?
The starting point of our one-to-one coaching relationship will be the ‘coaching contract’ which we will develop and agree together. This will have clearly articulated goals, and we will mark progress as we go along. I generally work with individual clients for 6-8 sessions, in meetings of 90-120 minutes. These can be scheduled weekly, fortnightly or at the client’s convenience. Meetings are held over Zoom, but can be held face-to-face at a client’s place of work if mutually convenient.
The team coaching contract will be framed around your particular needs. Systemic team coaching looks at how individuals in the team relate to each other, to the team’s tasks, to stakeholders within the organisation and to the wider context within which the team operates. We will formulate a contract together that allows insight into each of these dimensions. This will generally include one-to-one conversations with the team leader to understand the scope of work, followed by individual conversations with team members, participation in team meetings and interviews with stakeholders. A 360° tool is also available for diagnostic purposes. Meetings can be held in person or over Zoom, depending on location and preference. Assignments vary in length and intensity depending on need.
If you are an individual thinking of starting work with a coach or a team leader and want to speak further about whether this is right for you, please get in touch for a free 30-minute consultation.
Coaching Style
I believe that people have the capacity and the resources within themselves to find answers to the questions that come up in their professional lives, and that a coach can be a trusted partner to help locate them.
Coaching is an opportunity to develop a trusting relationship with someone who will help raise self-awareness, enable insight and encourage self-reflection through targeted conversations. As an executive coach, I can assist clients in eliminating or reducing obstacles to progress in reaching their professional and life goals, supporting as well as challenging current and future leaders to help themselves and their business to succeed.
I listen actively, attentively and empathically and bring a sense of calm, warmth, patience and authenticity to my coaching.
I will be led by clients in exploring what may be holding them back or trapped in unhealthy patterns, and I will also challenge them to confront issues that may hold the key to progress.
I aim to bring into awareness feelings and connections that can be buried in the unconscious, but always with the intention to help the client find practical solutions to work-based and professional issues.
As a coach, I adhere to the Ashridge Code of Conduct, inclusive of its code of ethics and code of practice.