My approach has evolved from 30 years of leadership experience in the Armed Services, on multi-national expeditions to the developing world across five continents, in business, and via 20 years of coaching and consulting activity. It demands that ideas be put into practice, and that theory be tested in action.
Typically, programmes combine debate, theoretical input and psychometric evaluation, with stimulating, immersive experiential activities and challenging reviews to underpin key lessons and transferable takeaways. The final key element is to make the vital transition from ‘programme to practice’ whereby participants develop plans to ensure learning is taken home and used effectively in the workplace. Given that 70% of our learning takes place 'on the job', independent or group follow up is a pivotal element driving the long term effectiveness of a programme. This will further embed new skills, behaviours and ways of operating, which may at first require significant personal and/or corporate change.
Many providers in the area of corporate and personal development produce 'off the shelf' programmes to offer to the market. Although this approach meets some needs, I believe that each organisation has its own unique requirements, and that these must be reflected in the design and delivery of a programme. My process therefore incorporates three key elements:
Exploration of desired outcomes and current realities prior to scoping and defining a solution in partnership with you.
Creation of bespoke leadership and team workshops and programmes, activities, exercises and project maps.
Facilitation of programmes - immersive, experiential, applied, and translated to the workplace.
Embedding new mindsets, skills and behaviours is the critical outcome of any effective programme. Through appropriate follow up, evaluation, feedback, and targeted conversations, true programme impact can be assessed, and further steps identified to transform good intentions into great results.
For over two decades, I have designed, delivered and facilitated a wide range of workshops and programmes for organisations of all sizes, from small, local operations to leading multi-national corporations. Some of the clients I have worked with appear below.
My core areas of expertise are as follows:
Inspirational Leadership
My strongly held view is that most leaders are neither born nor made – they grow. I also believe that given the appropriate conditions, the will to lead and some fundamental skills, all of us have the capacity to be leaders.
From my own experiences, I have developed a balanced approach to fostering inspirational leadership in others, which combines theoretical input, awareness exercises, discussion and debate in the conference room, underpinned with practical leadership tasks and challenges to reinforce learning and develop key skills. I seek to further support participants with 1:1 follow up coaching and facilitated or self managed action learning and workplace review.
High Performing Teams
The concept of ‘team building’ has become a well worn cliché in New Zealand, which might involve anything from a trip to the pub, to a high adrenaline adventure experience with one of the country’s great activity operators. This is ok as far as it goes, but my belief is that any real team development using these methods happens more by accident than by design. Hence my high performing team programmes are entirely customised to your team’s needs and linked directly to the outcomes you are looking to achieve. They can be designed for new teams, reorganised or established teams alike.
Performance Coaching
1:1 Performance Coaching
Look at any elite athlete in the world, and note what they all have in common – a coach. Business and life in general is no different. I am committed to the concept of coaching as a powerful stimulant to building and maintaining elite performance in individuals, their teams, and in whole organisations. As an accredited ICF (International Coaching Federation) coach, my model incorporates 1:1 sessions of agreed duration and frequency with an agenda and outcomes which you determine. This mode of support for business people all over the world has been proven to greatly enhance performance, wellbeing and overall success both in professional and personal life.
Training Performance Coaches - Workshops
Given that great people need great coaches, the importance of developing an organisational coaching capability should not be underestimated. This is both cost effective and self sustaining, with coaching skills being developed and passed on internally through all levels of an organisation. I support you to do this by providing coaching programmes to train and develop key members of your business as coaches. Most participants find this an illuminating and invaluable process, which is as much a life skill as a business skill.
Speaking
I have had the privilege to be asked to speak on many different platforms over the last three decades, to audiences of all sizes, in both formal and informal settings. Venues have ranged from TEDx and The Royal Geographical Society in London to schools' speech days, regional conferences, societies, charities, and corporate retreats and events.
My approach is to combine simple, clear messages, authenticity, vulnerability and down to earth storytelling to bring to life the subject of choice. Like my approach to designing programmes, each talk is entirely created or adapted for the audience in question.
Previous topics have included leadership, building great teams, risk assessment & crisis management, international expeditions, resilience, goal setting, achieving through adversity, and followership.
