I hold dear the values of equality, integrity, authenticity, empathy, love, creativity, honesty, openness and collaboration with others. These values are core to my coaching business and are tangible within our coaching sessions.

Equality

“Women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world. The numbers tell the story quite clearly… Women systematically underestimate their own abilities… Women do not negotiate for themselves in the workforce… And most importantly, men attribute their success to themselves and women attribute it to other external factors.” Sheryl Sandberg, TED Women, 2010

“What the data shows is that success and likeability are positively correlated for men, and negatively correlated for women.” Sheryl Sandberg, TED Women, 2010

Women are the world’s greatest resource, but we live in a world that devalues females and places unhealthy emphasis on power, competition and dominance. Women are expected to run homes, care for families and accept inequality in the workplace; and we are paid less for the privilege. Global societies continue to oppress women and place cultural barriers to their success. A recent study (Mercer, 2020) of more than 1,100 world-wide organisations, shows women to take up only 23% of Executive positions. In many countries, the picture is far worse, with women of colour being woefully mis-represented; In India, women hold only 2% of CEO roles. This is despite research showing the importance of typically female characteristics (collaboration, empathy, emotional intelligence) in leadership roles. I am on a mission to help women break down global societal barriers, combat their fears, develop self-belief, celebrate their successes and totally nail life and leadership. The World needs you more than ever, women leaders…

Although I coach individuals and teams at all levels, across business, charity and education sectors, I am particularly excited about helping women in executive/ leadership positions or those women aspiring to executive positions. My mission is to coach professional women for transformation in life and leadership… empowering them to leap equality hurdles, value wellbeing, transcend current circumstances and achieve greatness as women leaders. 

Integrity

“When I was younger, I thought success was about being famous, driving nice cars… But my idea of success is different today…For me, the most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity… to live your life as an honest and compassionate person.” Ellen DeGeneres, Tulane Commencement Speech, 2009

“There are no moral shortcuts in the game of business or life.” Jon Huntsman Sr. Author of ‘Winners Never Cheat’

Integrity and honesty are fundamental foundations for the leadership of any organisation. Responsibility to lead with integrity has never been more relevant than in the current national and international climate. Despite this, we witness gross lack of integrity in political and business landscapes. Some of the World’s most significant leaders regularly place themselves in a position where their leadership and moral decision-making are questioned.

We do the right thing, in life and business, because it is the right thing to do, and I encourage this in my coaching; for my clients to never lose sight of integrity and their core values, for themselves and their organisations. I behave with thoughtfulness, honesty, accountability, and am personally and professionally reflective. By holding these values close to our hearts at all times, we can all help to develop an equitable society.

Authenticity

“To be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect — and vulnerable. We have to believe that we are fundamentally worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are. I’ve learned that there is no better way to invite more grace, gratitude and joy into our lives than by mindfully practicing authenticity.” Brene Brown 

Being authentic is about embracing the possibility of imperfection in ourselves. Authenticity requires us to show up as we are, not as we feel people would prefer us to be. Authenticity can be felt and authentic people encourage authenticity in others. My coaching aims to help clients embrace who they are and appreciate their strengths and areas for development. Being true to ourselves and aligning our organisations with our values is a recipe for personal growth and organisational excellence.

Empathy

“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.” Meryl Streep (1949)

“Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to believe it.” Steven Covey, Author of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “The Eighth Habit”

Understanding people and their full plethora of depths takes great empathy. Neuroscience shows us that for coaching to be successful, it is important to engage the pre-frontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for complex thought, planning and decision making). However, to ignore the amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for emotion) is to ignore the person as a whole. I place great importance on being emotionally intelligent, understanding my clients as holistic individuals and treating them with empathy and compassion. The emotional connections I build with my clients enables them to feel secure and safe. Coupled with this, my ability to empathise and help individuals to link their emotions, their lives and their work allows them the opportunity to develop fully, impacting positively on their personal growth, their leadership skills and the success of their organisations. 

Love

“When love is part of an organization’s framework, employees and customers feel genuinely valued and are more loyal, innovative, creative and inspired. Then a virtuous cycle occurs. Companies are more likely to produce products, services and experiences their customers will love. Customers will, in turn, reciprocate with their loyalty, referrals and, of course, their money.” Steve Farber, Entrepreneur and author of “Love Is Just Damn Good Business”

“I love you, Mummy!” My children on a regular basis. There are no better words to hear from a loved-one!

I believe that by doing what I love in my coaching, my clients will love what I do. Even if clients ae feeling challenged at any particular moment, the aim is that they will love the impact that the coaching has for them and their organisations. A company is only as successful as the people and the relationships in it. Healthy relationships, be they with family, friends or colleagues are based around love. Executives are often in lonely places and need the time and space of coaching to fully reflect and develop some self-love. Nurturing individuals with kindness, love and compassion is at the heart of what I do. 

Creativity

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original... People have become frightened of being wrong. We run our companies in this way; we stigmatise mistakes. We don’t grow into creativity, we get educated out of it… The gift of the human imagination must be used wisely… by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are.” Sir Ken Robinson

“All children are born artists. The problem is to remain artists as we grow up.” Pablo Picasso

I creatively apply a wide variety of resources, artefacts and leadership models in my coaching. This is what keeps my coaching dynamic and meaningful for my clients. I use images, video, artefacts, the natural environment and a wide range of other resources to enhance the experience for clients and help them learn in more meaningful ways. My understanding of the brain and the processes of learning and memory helps me encourage deep and lasting transformation for the people I coach.

Honesty and Openness

“To live with courage, purpose and connection- to be the person whom we long to be- we must again be vulnerable. We must show up and let ourselves be seen.” Brene Brown

“It is much harder to judge yourself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself, it’s because you’re truly wise.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Honesty coupled with compassion, for ourselves and others, is the starting point for transformational development in coaching. I demonstrate honesty (both internally and externally) and I share my own life story openly. I do this because it’s my natural way, but also because the vulnerability it displays encourages openness in others and enables deep connections to be made. Vulnerability can be the pathway to courage and therefore success. Through honest open communication, the relationships I build with clients allow them to thrive as individuals and make the most of their roles in organisations.

Collaboration

“No one wants advice, only collaboration.’’ Author, John Steinbeck 

“We don’t need heroes, we need radical inter-dependence, which is just another way of saying we need each other.” Lorna Davis, TED talk A Guide to Collaborative Leadership

Our coaching relationship offers an opportunity for deep collaboration in a partnership where we work together to achieve clarity and enlightenment, enabling an inspiring forum for achieving goals. We set out ambitious goals and objectives in our first meeting, decided collaboratively through a process of questioning, listening and understanding.

Extending collaboration world-wide, in virtual networks of people who share ideas, skills and resources, will enables us to achieve ever bigger goals… Together.

References: 

Mercer (2020) Let’s Get Real About Equality: When Women Thrive; Global Report.