Coaching is a collaborative conversation that helps you to gain clarity and insight. My role as a coach is to create a space of awareness and reflection, in which you can explore new ideas, gain different perspectives and enjoy personal and professional growth.
The aim of the coaching relationship
As a coach, I help my clients to see the world in a new light. Because when someone sees the world differently, they do things differently. And when they do things differently, they can achieve what previously looked impossible.
I use powerful conversations to energise my clients and to help them to open up new possibilities. I challenge them to do better and to achieve their goals. And I help them to bring about positive change for themselves and for others.
I work with only a small number of committed individuals at any one time. Some run or work within existing organisations, others are starting up new ones. But they all have one thing in common. They want to make a real, positive and lasting difference in the world.
My approach to coaching
I adopt a ‘person-centred’ approach to my coaching relationships. This means that I welcome you entirely on your own terms and help you to work in your own way on the aspects of your personal or professional goals and aspirations on which you wish to focus.
Because in order to create a climate in which you can realise your full potential, we must both demonstrate integrity and be authentic in our thoughts, feelings and behaviours, without hiding behind a professional facade.
As your coach, I will not be evaluative or judgemental, but rather will be motivated by a deep and genuine desire for you to progress and to develop.
I will refrain, as far as possible, from giving you advice or from telling you what to do. Because that’s not what coaching is about. My role as your coach is to help you to take control of your own personal and professional growth.
Things coaching can help with
Coaching can help with almost any aspect of your personal or professional development and growth.
I work mostly with social entrepreneurs and with people in senior roles within the public, not-for-profit and social enterprise sectors, but I’m open to working with people from other backgrounds, too.
The sorts of things that I help people with include:
- personal and career development;
- planning a new venture and getting it up and running;
- improving their performance at work;
- dealing with workplace challenges;
- overcoming challenges that their organisation faces; and
- improving their team’s or their organisation’s performance.
In addition to working with individuals, I also coach small organisational teams to address challenges that they face and to improve their collective performance. And I work with organisations to offer coaching to their senior leadership teams, either individually or collectively.
How the coaching relationship works
The coaching relationship takes the form of a series of one-to-one conversations, each of which has a clear focus on a particular goal that you would like to achieve, a challenge that you would like to overcome or an aspect of your professional performance that you would like to improve.
We’ll agree a specific coaching contract at the outset, which will set out how we’ll work together and what we can expect from each other.
I conduct most of my coaching conversations by video call (e.g. Zoom, Teams, Skype) or over the phone. I also happy to meet in person, though, depending on where you’re based and on the logistics involved.
Coaching sessions generally last an hour, but they can be shorter or longer depending on what we think will work best. The number and frequency of the sessions depends on the nature of the goals, challenges or aspects of your performance that you would like to work on.
I offer a range of coaching packages, which are tailored to common coaching goals. I’m also able to prepare bespoke packages of support for individual coaching clients or for organisations wishing to offer coaching opportunities to their people.
My coaching packages
My coaching packages are designed to address common coaching goals. They offer a carefully-considered approach to getting the most out of our coaching relationship, with a level of support that is tailored to what you want to achieve.
| Jump start | A one-off intensive three-hour session that is designed to help you to make rapid progress on an urgent issue. You’ll leave the session with deep insight into the issue at hand, a clear understanding of what you need to do and an action plan to maintain momentum. |
| Focused goal | A series of six ninety-minute sessions spread over two months, which is designed to help you to make tangible progress against one or two clear goals. It’s ideal for people who know where they want to get to, but need a little support along the way. |
| Transformational improvement | An initial two-hour session followed by a series of ten one-hour sessions over a period of six months, which is designed to help you to explore your personal or professional development, to develop clear goals and to help you to achieve them. |
| Accountability | Two initial ninety-minute sessions followed by six one-hour sessions over a period of six months, which is designed for people who struggle to do what they set out do to. We’ll agree clear goals, actions and targets and I’ll email you each week to help you stay on track. |
| Team | An initial two-hour facilitated exploratory session for your team, followed by six ninety-minute facilitated sessions over a period of three months. The ‘team’ package is designed to help your team to gain insight into workplace issues or performance challenges and to achieve tangible and sustained improvement. |
If you don’t want to commit to a specific coaching package, you’re more than welcome to book coaching sessions on a pay-as-you-go basis. Or you can book a series of sessions up-front and schedule them in as required.
Professional accreditation
I hold the Institute of Leadership and Management’s postgraduate certificate in executive coaching and leadership mentoring. I also engage in regular continuing professional development, to enhance my skills and to ensure that I’m able to offer the very best support to my clients.
I’m a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and undertake to comply with the EMCC’s global code of ethics. I’m also working actively towards the EMCC’s individual professional accreditation.
Sounds great. How do we get started?
Easy. Just call me on 07903 523 839 or email me at hello@sockmonkeyconsulting.com and we’ll set up an initial free, no-obligation chat to talk about what you’re looking to achieve and how I might be able to help. Or click the button below to set up a phone or video call.