Executive Coaching
Space to think. Challenge to move forward.
Senior roles can be demanding places to operate. You may be dealing with a specific challenge, stepping into something bigger, trying to change how you lead or simply finding that the approaches that have worked well for you in the past aren't working quite as well now.
Executive coaching gives you dedicated time to step away from the immediate demands of the role and focus properly on what's happening, what you want to achieve and what you might need to do differently.
I work with senior leaders who want more than simply a sounding board. I'll listen and help you think, but I'll also ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions and encourage you to turn insight into action.
What might bring you to coaching?
There doesn't need to be a problem.
Some people come to coaching because something isn't working. Others are performing well but want to become better. You might be taking on a bigger role, dealing with a difficult relationship, facing an important decision or trying to understand why you're having less impact than you'd like.
You might also arrive without a perfectly formed coaching objective. That's fine. Part of our early work can be understanding what would make coaching genuinely useful to you.
Whatever brings you to coaching, we'll establish what you want to achieve and keep coming back to whether the work we're doing is helping you get there.
How I work
Coaching with me is a conversation, but it isn't a passive one.
I'll give you space to think and won't rush to fill it. I'll ask questions, test your thinking and challenge you when I think it will help. I won't pretend that my own experience disappears when I enter a coaching conversation either. Where a perspective, observation or piece of experience might be useful, I'll offer it — and you can decide what to do with it.
We may explore what's happening and why. We might look at patterns in how you think or behave, particularly when you're under pressure. And sometimes we'll work directly on something very practical — preparing for an important conversation, shaping how you communicate an idea, working through a decision or deciding what you're actually going to do next.
I don't have a fixed coaching formula that everyone has to follow. The work should respond to you, your situation and what you're trying to achieve.
Using Hogan
Where it would add value, we can incorporate Hogan personality assessment into our work.
Hogan can provide another perspective on how you're likely to approach work and leadership, what motivates you and how some of your strengths may become less helpful when you're under pressure.
I use Hogan as a starting point for exploration rather than a verdict on who you are. The useful part isn't the report itself. It's what we learn from it and what you decide to do with that insight.
What does a coaching relationship look like?
We'll start with an initial conversation to understand what has brought you to coaching, what you're hoping to achieve and whether working together feels right.
If we decide to proceed, we'll agree the focus and shape of the coaching. Where an organisation is sponsoring the work, we'll also be clear from the outset about objectives, confidentiality and how the sponsor is involved.
Coaching takes place across a series of one-to-one sessions, giving us time to do meaningful work together and giving you time between conversations to put things into practice, notice what happens and bring that learning back into our next session.
Is this right for you?
We'll probably work well together if you're prepared to think openly, be challenged and do something with what emerges from our conversations.
You don't need to arrive with all the answers. That's rather the point.
But you do need to be willing to engage with the work.
Start a conversation
If you're considering executive coaching for yourself or a senior leader in your organisation, get in touch for an initial conversation.