Why is coaching useful?

Today’s leaders are under pressure to delivery exemplary performance, at pace and under intense stakeholder scrutiny. Capacity to think (rather than simply to act) is therefore at a premium.

Coaching creates a supportive and non-judgmental environment where you:

  • are both challenged and enabled to do your best thinking
  • develop clear strategies to attain your business goals and
  • distil and commit to practical actions that will drive future success.

But for busy leaders, time to think and additional processing bandwidth are not the sole considerations. The confidential coaching environment also provides a welcome safe space to articulate and work through anxieties and test and develop ideas, away from the public glare or the scrutiny of business stakeholders. 

The higher leaders rise, the more difficult it becomes for them to find colleagues willing to challenge their thinking – either at all or without agenda. A coach with credible business experience  and who is willing to challenge is therefore a valuable resource.

When is coaching useful?

Coaching supports positive change. Maybe you are transitioning to a new role. Maybe your business is in flux and you need to rise to new challenges. Maybe you’ve become stuck and want to change gears and have more impact. Maybe your existing role no longer challenges or fulfils you and you are considering options for a different future. Maybe you need to reframe a difficult business relationship.

Whatever the change you seek, I’d like to help you unlock it.

Why choose me?

When working with you, I draw on over 30 years of business and leadership experience. I’ve faced myriad business challenges and have learnt from that experience.

My experience includes being an executive leader in an international law firm including:

  • managing a significant profit and loss account through successive downturns and the Covid pandemic
  • developing and leading the execution of a successful growth strategy
  • leading on acquisitions and business integration
  • restructuring and exiting non-aligned businesses
  • people leadership and development
  • fostering a positive and inclusive culture (including addressing organisational bias)
  • as a non-executive board member during the global financial crisis and
  • as a lawyer specialising in debt funding for large businesses.

During my career, I’ve been coached on 3 different occasions, experiencing both great and poor coaching. Those experiences inform my approach. Pure non-directive coaching, where both parties come to the conversation as equals, can be a powerful enabler. Yet sometimes, sharing my relevant experience is useful to expand your own thinking or help you avoid pitfalls. Where appropriate, I’ll amplify our coaching conversations with observations from my own experience.

I’m a graduate of Meyler Campbell’s Mastered Programme which is accredited by the Association of Coaching and has been awarded the European Quality Award by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council. I am individually accredited as a practitioner by EMCC Global and have adopted the EMCC code of ethics.

Who do I coach?

Leadership challenges are rarely unique to one industry so, although my own business and leadership experience comes from working in a law firm, primarily with financial services businesses, as a coach I work with leaders across a range of industries. My coaching clients come from industries as diverse as professional services, financial services, the charity sector, education and marketing.

I particularly enjoy working with debut leaders, as they make the transition from technical expert to effective business leader. It’s a transition that typically condenses the full spectrum of leadership challenges into a few short months, often demanding a radical shift in mindset, focus and activity.

I am a passionate advocate and sponsor for women leaders in business. I have experience of effecting organisational change to foster equitable opportunity. I relish both helping leaders impeded by bias to thrive and working with leaders who are determined to tackle organisational bias.

Are the discussions confidential? 

Absolutely. For coaching to be effective, it’s important for you to feel comfortable to share information (sometimes personal in nature) and thoughts freely. Consequently , checking that the right chemistry exists for a successful preofessional relationship is a vital component of our initial discussion. 

Even if the coaching is organised via your business, our conversations will be confidential unless you agree otherwise. Of course, the outputs from our conversations should become evident to your colleagues through the changes you effect.

In the very unlikely event that our conversations touched on something illegal or materially damaging to you or your business, confidentiality would not apply.

What would the time commitment be?

After an initial set up meeting we’d typically have 6 coaching sessions of around 90 minutes each, roughly a month apart.

We can extend or contract that as appropriate to meet your overarching purpose.

Would it be in person?

Not necessarily. Coaching conversations in person can be especially effective. I’m London based. If you are too, we can certainly meet in person. Otherwise, our conversations might be via video link (or a combination of by video link and in person).

How do we get started?

Simply get in touch with me.

amanda@amandagrayconsulting.com

+44 7720 544070

I look forward to hearing from you.