Typical Clients
A career spanning three continents, fifteen years of coaching leaders at every level in global and local organizations, and a passion for finding creative methods for development have been the hallmark of my work.
My clients are people who know that they need to change behavior in order to achieve their goals but are not sure how to do so. They are driven, smart, and positive with the ability to take supported risks. My clients are also success stories. Many have achieved their career and leadership aspirations through hard work and dedication to making change stick.
Results Achieved
Several past clients have achieved C-Suite leadership. This does not need to be the focus for everyone but for those who do wish to become senior organizational leaders then often much energy and effort is needed. For example, one leader had the confidence of the senior team but not much experience in the technical side of the business. We worked with the leaders to ensure that he was connected at the right level to the client base. He attended conferences and read technical documentation. We prepared more searching questions to connect with clients in a deeper way rather than just focus on equipment or process. Perhaps most important of all we met with an Executive VP to share the coachee’s work and receive behavior feedback as observed by the Executive. I helped him translate this feedback into action. He was one of the youngest leaders to be appointed a VP in the organization.
Another high potential client was technically astute and could deliver multi-million dollar projects on time and on budget. His challenge for professional growth was personal connections with his team, other leaders and people in general. Task was his focus, relationship was an effort. After meeting we discovered that he highly valued the positive relationships but at work output was the priority. Over time, and many enjoyable interactions with others, he began to change his approach and benefitted greatly from enhanced listening, asking probing questions and better understanding what people were trying to communicate to him. He became an even more competent leader and a happier one.
Professional History
I have worked in Scotland, England, the USA and Argentina as well as travelling the globe for business purposes. I am the founder of a small company created in March 2017. My prior roles include Global Director, Talent Management, FMC Technologies Inc. with key responsibility for the identification and development of leaders across the organization. My career has taken me from lecturing in business to marketing and then into senior Leadership Development/HR roles with a focus in the energy industry. As well as a passion for developing others for career progression, I have a keen interest in the strategic direction of organizational development.
Credentials
Birkbeck college, University OF LONDON — London, England
Master of Science, Organizational Behavior
Robert Gordon’s University — Aberdeen, Scotland
Bachelor of Arts, Business (major Marketing)
- Certified Coach (Registered Corporate Coach) 2007
- SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) 2003 – present
- Certified Achieve Global®, Insights® Discovery & Six Thinking Hats® Facilitator, TalentView Leadership Performance®
- Guest lecturer at Houston’s Rice University, Jesse Jones Graduate School on International Culture and Leadership
Coaching Approach
Change is difficult and people typically do not change unless the motivation to do so is greater than the motivation to stay the same. My approach to coaching is based around the understanding that a client has sound reasons, wants to make a change and has the right level of support to be successful. We work together to create coachee-led exercises and solutions to help pave the way to change. I sometimes encourage getting out of an office and doing things such as walking, meeting and talking with others, attending events and finding ways to change old habits. These activities help break the “sitting in an office” atmosphere, helps me see the coachee in action, and we often both have fun in the process. I also focus on wider use of strengths that the coachee has while only spending enough time on weaknesses to bring them to a neutral state. Although laughter and enjoyment are often part of my sessions I also ensure that we focus on achieving stated goals.