fbpx

My book Foundations to Lead From is available NOW!

——— Questions

Before we get into coaching, let’s be clear on the type of coach that I am, so you can be sure I’m the right person to help.

My specialism is Executive (Leadership) and Business Coaching.

I work mainly with leaders (both business owners and in employed roles), managers, high-performers and up-and-coming leaders.

The point of coaching with me is to achieve a valuable outcome, usually:

    • Improved performance;
    • Higher profit or revenue,
    • Career success,
    • Effectiveness in your role;
    • Or personal fulfilment.

To achieve your desired outcome, when we work together, you get a careful balance of a non-directive (pure) coaching style and more directive approach, depending on exactly what you need to get results.

It’s a partnership, working together to make things happen for you.

Our coaching sessions are high impact! Because typically, we get the best results in regular, short meetings. The aim is always for you to gain important insights, clarity, focus and make decisions to improve performance.

This is where coaching differs from consultancy, because it does not require lengthy reports and analysis to get results.

Instead, coaching is a dialogue. You do the majority of the talking, to express your concerns, challenges & feelings. As we go through the coaching process, it enables you to determine your own answers and action steps – not only to solve your immediate issues, but to empower you with the capacity to keep improving.

My aim is always to improve results that are sustainable over time. It’s that old analogy – coaching is teaching people how to fish, not feeding them for a day.

In our one-to-one, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, to stop destructive behaviour, embrace change and shift performance.

The great benefit of coaching is that you are very likely to see quick, positive results as an outcome. This is because coaching is participative; you tend to learn and adopt new habits more easily when they are actively engaged in the learning process. As soon as a coaching session ends you can implement a new practice.

The process is entirely devoted to you. You are in the driving seat, you decide the agenda; based on your challenges, focus, objectives and progress with new behaviour goals. Coaching takes place over an extended period of time, giving you the chance to celebrate your progress as well as continually challenging yourself.  Staying accountable and encouraged to work on areas that need focus and improvement.

To book a call & find out more about coaching with me, just click here now to get in touch.

As I mentioned earlier, I provide you with a careful balance of non-directive (pure) and more directive coaching styles.

Pure coaching allows you to formulate your own solutions & actions, as a result of skilled listening & questioning from me.

This means I do not need to be an expert in your field. I remain open minded and objective in my open questions and curiosity. You take more ownership of the solution, so you have a greater commitment to the action required and the solution. And because you chose it, it’s more like to be the right fit for you.

However, pure coaching can take longer to reach an outcome. And sometimes you just want an answer! Which is why I balance it with directive coaching, depending on your unique circumstances and the outcome you desire.

Directive coaching can be incredibly helpful when I have direct knowledge of & experience in the role that you’re currently in. Then, I can provide advice and direction to help you get to the solution more quickly.

The benefit here is you get the advantage of my hindsight! But because you have less ownership, rather than finding the solution for yourself, you may be less committed to taking the action required.

All of which means a balance of the two, being agile & adapting to your needs, is always the best approach.

Just so you can be certain it’s right for you – let’s be clear on what coaching is not.

• Coaching is not therapy.
• I am not fixing you.
• We are not delving into traumatic pasts.

We’ll dig deep beneath the surface, to look at your perceptions & beliefs (limiting or otherwise). But the emphasis is on helping you to overcome your challenges, be more effective in your work & in your leadership role.

I will support you, advise you & provide customised tools to help you find the solutions you need. But I do not provide a crystal ball or magically have the answer.

Please also know that coaching is NOT consultancy. It’s a partnership, to provide you with insights to take action on & improve your results.

Coaching often gets confused with mentoring, too. The main difference is that a coach doesn’t need to have done your job previously, as a mentor does.

And finally – coaching isn’t training, either. More on that below.

In my programmes (not single sessions), I will generally go through the following process:

Check that coachability is in place. Without this, we don’t have scope to progress.

Define goals, scope and contract. We set clear goals together, agree metrics to measure and agree the scope and boundaries of the relationship.

Assess. I will take time to understand the root of your challenge(s). We will get the data necessary to help develop the most effective coaching plan.

Coach, track and adjust. Most of the process is about coaching, tracking progress, reviewing metrics and adjusting on the way to helping you achieve your goals.

Succeed and celebrate. Holding a mirror up to your wins is a critical part of our programme. Celebrating and acknowledging your progress and your results should happen in the moment.

Work on the next issue. Coaching for progress will typically result in a longer term relationship together. As you achieve one goal, we identify the next challenge. Giving you room to keep growing and progressing.

Follow up. Sometimes you slip. You are human after all. Even after initial success you may slip back. I build in time with you to follow up and make sure everything stays on course and your results are sustained.

As a consultant, I share my expertise & knowledge to help businesses attain goals & solve problems.

The real benefit of working with a consultant is their ability to view the situation from a fresh perspective. And because we’re not beholden to any particular corporate culture, co-worker scrutiny or morale, consultants can act as the catalyst for change.

As part of my consultancy packages, I include some coaching in our one-to-one work. It helps with making difficult decisions, stepping out of your comfort zone, stopping destructive behaviours, embracing change and shifting performance.

In a nutshell, consultancy is ideal if you need specialist advice, expertise or an objective outside perspective on your business. We always start by reviewing the current reality and where you want to go.

To schedule a call & talk about consultancy for your business, just click here now to get in touch.

Training and learning are very closely linked – but very different things!

Training is the act of teaching a particular skill or behaviour. It’s the giving of information and knowledge, through speech, writing or other methods of demonstration, that instruct the trainee.

Learning is the process of absorbing that information in order to increase skills and abilities and make use of it in a variety of contexts.

Typically, learning takes place in a group setting (either in person or online with my courses) and I will lead the session. I might include teaching and training in your coaching session. And if I train you properly, you’ll also get coaching in your training session. But the primary activities in each discipline are different.

A mentor is someone with expertise in your role or field, who can pass down their knowledge to help you develop.

Mentoring can be a short-term arrangement or last many years.

It’s semi-structured guidance, where one person shares their knowledge, skills and experience to assist others to progress in their own lives and careers. Mentors need to be readily accessible and prepared to offer help as the need arises (within agreed bounds).

It’s more than ‘giving advice’ or simply passing on experience. It’s about helping you to find ways of resolving your own challenges and reaching your own solutions – not by doing it for you or ‘do it the way I did ’, but by understanding and respecting different ways of working.

Mentoring can help you achieve your goals more quickly, learn from another’s mistakes and build a network of expertise to draw on.

  • I prefer not to do one off coaching sessions as I believe coaching works best over a longer-term program and a one-off session is unlikely to get you to the outcome you’re looking for. That said, for some matters, one session can help you come up with some solutions to move you forward.
  • If you are looking at consultancy or training services (or a more directive coaching/mentoring relationship), then one session can sometimes be enough.
  • If you are looking for someone to review your current situation through assessment, review and observation and provide you with suggestions for improvement, then one session can definitely help.
No. I can help you find the solutions. I can even give those solutions to you and walk with you whilst you implement them. But sadly, as you are ultimately responsible for your own actions, I cannot guarantee your improvement or your results. What I would say is that if you’re not happy with your progress – at any point – all you need to do is give me one months’ written notice to terminate the agreement (providing you’ve paid up to and including all the work we have completed together).
My ability to help you get to the root of an issue (which usually, isn’t what you thought it might be) and my creativity in finding solutions and coming up with innovative ideas and inspiring change. Equally, I combine a vast amount of practical experience, including executive level strategic HR partnering, working with a wide range of leaders throughout my career, the ability to know what good looks like in your people and your business alongside personal experience of leading, setting up and developing my own business and mentoring others to do the same. I know first-hand the challenges of ‘making time and managing overwhelm’ as I am knee deep every day with running a home and juggling a family (including 2 young crazy boys and a mad dog!). I have also dealt with pretty difficult situations (including redundancy and breast cancer). All whilst still smiling, staying grounded, optimistic, down to earth, honest, straight talking, fun and professional. Oh and if qualifications are important to you; I am a fully qualified HR professional accredited with the CIPD, have a certificate in cognitive behavioural therapy and am in the midst of accrediting my coaching practice with the ICF – receiving personal mentoring from Andrew Neitlich at the Center for Executive Coaching and from Sherri Borne, MCC with ICF.

The industry that I work in is massive. Some will charge you only £50 for their time, others £10,000.

Before you look at payment, I urge you to look at compatibility and alignment to your own personal values.

• Look for someone who has experience helping you with what it is you need help with.
• Look for someone that you know you could work with.
• Stalk them, look for social proof of the work that they do.
• THEN get clear on how big your problem is and how much you are willing to invest to get help in addressing it.

My prices start from as little as £29 a month in my members online training space for businesses and from £297 for a one-off 1:1 session.

I take great pride that pretty much all my clients recommend my services. Most continue to work with me or come back if they need help again in future.

So if you’re ready to talk more and explore how we might work together – click here now to get in touch.

This website uses cookies

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our website, to show you personalised content and targeted ads, to analyse our website traffic, and to understand where our visitors are coming from. By browsing our website, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.