Practical, forward focused support for people and organisations on the move

Some of our beliefs about coaching, leadership and organisation development

All of our work is founded on a few core guiding beliefs and principles:

If you want something to change, first look to yourself

Many people, or teams, expend a considerable amount of their energy thinking about or working to change things that are outside their direct ability to control or influence. The harsh reality is that, no matter how much you’d like to, you can’t change other people.

We believe that what you can do, however, is change the way that you think and behave in the anticipation that this might induce a different response in others.

We will continually bring the conversation back to focus on you and what you can do differently to make change happen.

The coach's role is primarilly to enable, inspire, support and challenge, not to persuade, instruct or 'solve' problems for people

We’re absolutely convinced that the most powerful way for people and teams to grow and develop in a sustainable way is, to put it crudely, to do it for themselves. So how does working with a coach fit into that?

By stimulating your thinking in a supportive yet challenging way, we'll help you to get really clear about the choices you can make, their implications and potential outcomes, and things you might do to maximise your overall chances of success.

That’s not to say that we'll never make a suggestion or provide direction based on our own extensive experience when we're working with you -­ sometimes that’s absolutely the right call to make. On the whole, however, you'll find us working hard to build your own sense of ownership of your improvement plan and building your personal commitment and confidence to act.

Many heads are better than one

The traditional notion of leader as hero figure, inspiring others to follow them by force of personality and a compelling narrative, does not sit so well in today’s complex organisational settings that are characterised by profound uncertainty, multiple stakeholders and matrixed reporting relationships.

In this context, the leader’s role is increasingly to nurture and liberate leadership in others, and to bring people together in ways that enable them to engage collectively around how best to make progress on seemingly unsolvable challenges.

We will help you to think through ways of encouraging participation from the many, not the few, and to bring out the very best in each and every person that you work with.

In every situation, no matter how difficult it may seem, something works

There’s a value in examining problems and learning from mistakes, yet we believe there’s a much more powerful yet often untapped resource available, namely ­identifying strengths and working out how to build on them.

We'll help you to really understand and take confidence from what you’ve achieved so far and how you've done that, and then to hone and refine the way you work in the future so that you always show the best of who you are.

Always start with the end in mind

We've borrowed this well-known expression from Stephen Covey as it’s a perfect summary of our approach to development. If you’re not clear about what you want to achieve, about what ultimate success looks and feels like, how can you be sure that you’re focussing your energy in the most appropriate ways?

We'll make sure that you secure real clarity about where you’re heading, and ensure you continually check your subsequent actions to make sure they’re aligned with that ultimate end goal.

Dialogue is critical, yet dialogue is worth little without action

For many people in today’s workplaces, time to reflect seems like something of a luxury or indulgence. In our experience, many individuals and teams take tremendous value simply from taking time out and engaging in dialogue with a coach and with each other.

We have deep expertise in creating the right environment for that dialogue to take place in a constructive way, yet we also recognise that this dialogue also needs to contribute towards a greater purpose if its true value is to be realised.

Concluding each conversation with a clear emphasis on identifying what’s going to happen next is a core characteristic of the way we work.

Theories, models and tools are helpful, but do not provide ‘answers’

There are some great resources out there that can really help people to make sense of the situation they find themselves in. Be they leadership theories, psychological models, diagnostic tools or reference materials, all can play an important part in enhancing awareness and providing helpful insights.

We have many such resources to draw upon, as well as our own practical experience, yet we are always mindful to offer these up for examination, to stimulate curiosity about what might be going on, and never suggest that they represent the truth of a given situation or imply a specific course of action.

It’s the sense that people make of those resources and the sharing of experiences in their specific context that counts. That's where we'll focus our attention when working with you.

Everyone has the capacity to grow and develop

Done well, coaching is an extraordinarily powerful tool for individual and collective development. In our experience it is sometimes perceived as a remedial intervention, yet we see it very differently.

We believe that inside every person (or team) lies the potential to achieve even greater things, no matter where they are starting from, and that coaching is all about supporting and challenging people in ways that help them to fully realise that potential in a sustainable manner.

Even the most successful individuals and teams can benefit from working with a skilled and experienced coach.


If that helps you to get more of a feel for our beliefs and how we work, and you think we could work together, then please get in touch.