I have coached senior leaders and high-potential individuals in the public and private sectors; higher education; and the third sector.
Some of the things they have said about my coaching are:
‘It is hard to put into words the support that Sarah provided to me as a new Director in Scottish Government – she was certainly a professional life saver for me on a few occasions! She was excellent at listening and providing gentle but incisive challenge. Her style is cool, calm with a very honest reflection of her own leadership experience. She helped me to have the confidence to do the role in my own way.’
Director, Scottish Government
‘I have benefitted massively from the coaching sessions. Sarah is very accessible, and approached each session in a thoughtful way. Her style varies depending on the issues we were grappling with – she was hugely sensitive to my own background including on issues on race and other historical events and was able to navigate these extremely well throughout the session. What I particularly gained from these sessions was a combination of the right of level of probing, challenge and support - but always with an exploration of ‘what next, and how’? There was always much to take away and follow-up after the sessions - Sarah often pointed me to further reading but also helpful ways to putting some of the things we discussed into practice and held me to account for the things I said I would do! She was able to create a sense of coherence throughout the sessions which allowed a genuine progression of my journey and my personal growth, each building on the previous discussions and learning. The sessions have had a lasting impact’.
Senior Leader, Russell Group University
‘You had real insight into what was getting in the way for me – and pushed me out of my conversation to begin to break down what was holding me back. I found you very helpful in helping me frame things. You spent time understanding what I was doing and where it fitted in and helped me find language to explain both outcome and impact. I really valued the way in which you got to the heart of the matter quickly and therefore spent time talking about the things that were going to have the biggest impact for me – and for the organisation. You encouraged me out of my comfort zone to find innovative solutions.’
Director, Scottish Government
‘I found Sarah to be extremely well-prepared as well as sufficiently insightful to be able to react adeptly to issues as they emerged. She used this combination to ask effective questions and prompt me to think more deeply than I would do naturally. She struck an excellent balance between support and challenge, helping to grow my confidence while simultaneously ensuring we didn’t avoid some of the trickier or more sensitive challenges. She also allowed me to lead decisions on the areas which we chose to focus on, while helping to highlight points of consistency and key themes that emerged over time.’
Deputy Director, Scottish Government
‘I was coached by Sarah when taking on a new role with significantly more responsibility. The process helped me to gain confidence in my own abilities at the same time as allowing me to talk through particular challenges in the early days. Sarah’s coaching style is gentle and she created a very safe environment – she was not prescriptive but allowed things to unfold. Using examples from her own life experience helped normalise what I was experiencing and she was very good at picking up particular comments that I made and developing those to look at what might lie underneath some of my fears and anxieties. It was hugely helpful to me and has continued to impact how I work now and is to be recommended!’
Director, Russell Group University