my coaching approach
I use a variety of approaches to help clients make sense of the world around them and my approach is pragmatic and action orientated. Often described as an intuitive coach, I draw from a wide range of psychological approaches and theories of adult development.
How they think becomes increasingly important as leaders take on more complex challenges in a wider interconnected system. They will be managing conflicting demands, changing priorities and very many relationships. At this level coaching becomes less about the transactional what needs to be done and far more about how a leader is approaching a challenge. It's about developing the ability to not only to reflect but also to be aware in the moment of what's influencing our thinking.
Clients describe me as warm and open, with a laser sharp ability to pick up on the stuff behind the surface that can hold them back from reaching their true potential. I work with simplicity and courage and a deep respect for people.
Qualifications
I qualified as an Executive Coach with the Institute of Leadership and Management (Level 7) and have a Master Practitioner Diploma in Systemic Team Coaching from the Academy of Executive Coaching.
I am an Accredited Master Executive Coach with the Association for Professional Executive Coaches and Supervisors (APECS) and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). I have a Certificate in Organisational Development Practice from Roffey Park.
About ME
I began my career in retail management at The Body Shop International at the height of its success under the leadership of the inimitable Anita Roddick before joining the retail training department, supporting store managers and their teams in the UK and globally.
I moved into consulting, working as an affiliate with several agencies, delivering management and leadership development programmes. When I came across specialist learning and development consultancy, Leaps and Bounds I was blown away by their creativity, passion and dedication to help others be successful that I joined them as Director of Learning Design. There, I worked with companies as diverse as E.on, Scottish and Southern Energy, Orange (EE), O2, Vodaphone, J Sainsbury, Specsavers, Lastminute.com, and Pret a Manger. I've recently held in-house roles at PRS for Music and Macmillan Cancer Support.
From my early career at The Body Shop, I assumed that all businesses were groups of passionate people, united in a common cause, where profit was important only if it was used to help make the world a better place. They were places where people worked hard, cared deeply, formed friendships and were given the freedom to try new things and fail happy.
While experience has routinely challenged this romanticised, and some might say naïve, view of organisational life, it has never dampened my enthusiasm for encouraging businesses to have a positive impact on the people that work in them and the people they serve.