This month, we are shining the spotlight on executive leadership coach Lisa, a leadership coach with a wealth of experience coaching Directors in FTSE 100 companies, Global Communication Agencies and Board Level of Private Companies.
Bringing empathy, honesty, clarity and warmth to her coaching, find out more about who Lisa is as an executive leadership coach, her approach to coaching, and what she likes about working with The Leadership Coaches here.
Who Are You as an Executive Leadership Coach?
The words that most regularly crop up in my client feedback are “enlightening”, “supportive", and “intuitive”. I would also add “values-led”.
Getting to know my own values was utterly transformational for me. When I contract with clients, that’s one of the things I offer - to help them get to know their values.
In my experience, it can be incredibly helpful for a client - whether that’s an individual or a team - to work out what makes them tick. Knowing your values can help you establish a roadmap for how you want to lead.
I’m an enthusiastic coach. I love my job, and I can’t believe that this is what I get paid to do every day. I’m also a trained Mindfulness Teacher, and that’s a big part of whom I am as a coach. These two things - presence and enthusiasm - might seem a bit contradictory, but my mindfulness training has helped me work out how I am “being” with a client and how to dial back my enthusiasm when it isn’t helpful.
My training has helped me develop my coaching presence. If clients want to include mindfulness in our sessions, it can be transformational for them to learn to notice and manage their physical responses to a situation which they had previously found challenging.
What Is Your Approach to Coaching?
Often when we get to a senior level, we get less feedback about how we are doing, and there is more at stake. The pressures grow, the competing demands on our time increase, and the need to navigate change is constant. Leading effectively - with a clear vision, and having a positive impact on those we work with - can be hard.
Having someone else to hold up a mirror so that we can see what’s going on can be really helpful, and that’s my aim as a coach. My clients know that I have their best interests at heart. That might mean challenging the beliefs that are holding them back, building their confidence, or helping them think more creatively - whatever is most in service of them. A lot of the time it’s about staying silent and listening intently to allow them the space to think.
I work on the basis that we’re all experts on ourselves - we know better than anyone the best approach to help us navigate the challenges that work and life can throw at us. My approach is to create a space where my clients can learn to trust themselves and apply what they learn to achieve the goals they set for themselves.
I’m constantly learning from my clients. I’ve been doing more team coaching in the last twelve months and being reminded about a team’s wisdom has impacted my one-to-one coaching.
What’s Your Superpower?
My clients tell me that I’m good at creating a safe, non-judgmental space, which is lovely to hear. My superpower is probably my intense curiosity - my sister would say intense nosiness! I find my clients - whether that’s an individual, a group of people, or a team, endlessly fascinating. I’m also good at helping my clients connect the dots - spotting patterns or themes that they might not have noticed before.
What Do You Like About Working With The Leadership Coaches?
They’re a really nice bunch of people and they’re all really experienced coaches - I learn a lot any time we connect. I also like Zoe’s approach. She listens, cares passionately about the quality of the work we do, and ensures that the business and everyone who works for it follows a best-practice approach.
There’s real rigour and I find that reassuring.
How Do You Bring Your Expertise to What You Do With The Leadership Coaches?
I’ve been part of Executive Teams, reported to CEOs, been to Business School and led high-performing teams. I know what it’s like to work in a fast-paced, complex operating environment, to have targets and multiple stakeholders. All this experience provides the backdrop to my coaching. It doesn’t play a part in my coaching sessions, but it does help me understand what’s needed to succeed.
I coach in-house for a big global PR agency, for the Allbright members club on a programme designed to help more women get on boards, and for businesses who are scaling at speed, as well as with individual clients in a range of industries in the US, UK, and Asia. I coach full-time, so I tend to see themes and patterns that are being experienced across lots of different industries, and this can be useful insight.
To find out more about Lisa, visit her coach profile here or contact us today to arrange a complimentary chemistry session with her.
