I’m glad you’re here

Aren’t choices fascinating. Life defining really. What we think of ourselves, the situations we find ourselves in, how we get to where we want to be. They never stop.

…I work with you to make the choices you want.

Most of my coaching links to leadership. Particularly around transition and change. Often new challenges or fresh chapters in professional life. Without exception my clients have always known so much more than they thought.

About me

Leaving school at 16 seemed a genius move. It wasn’t. Rebel without a cause isn’t a great look. I needed to make better decisions.

So began my fascination with the way we shape our destinies.

Much has happened since.

A stuttering career start, some nomadic world travel and a surreal stint as a valet car parker in Miami prompted a reset. I returned to studies.

After successful commercial and leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry, in 2001 I became a learning and development consultant. At first for an international training organisation and since 2004 as the Principal of Kirkstone  (www.kirkstonelearning.co.uk). My work has taken me to 23 countries, 27 industries and 81 organisations. It’s been a privilege, at times an adventure, always an education. As a coach I’ve been fortunate to work with clients from start-ups to some of the world’s leading organisations.

I have a Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching from Henley Business School and hold a PCC level of accreditation from the International Coaching Federation. My frameworks, subtleties and principles are guided by these, as well as the things my clients have said made a difference over the past 20 years. With the speed of change these days I’m obsessively invested in my on-going development.

Striding out of those school gates seems a lifetime ago. Mullet blowing gently in the wind. Bold but clueless. I may not have known my destiny but coaching feels very close to that.

At home, I have two wonderful early 20s kids and an equally wonderful wife Nicki. Nicki’s ability to sniff out (and reject) any coaching approach by me in our discussions continues to amuse us both. I’m a keen traveller, mediocre windsurfer and awful guitar player.

Professional Certified Coach (PCC) – International Coaching Federation
Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching – Henley Business School
Hogan, MBTI, Social Style Certified
Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming

About you

You’re astute, unique and doing well in so many ways. You’re probably in a leadership position or heading there soon. You’re curious about what’s possible and invested in dedicating time, energy and space to think, step back and refocus. Beyond that, some or all of the following might also be in play for you;

  • You’re experiencing significant stretch around key deliverables for your role – new systems, relationships, challenges, responsibilities, landscapes
  • You’re intrigued by the idea you can be more, but at times concerned you’ll be revealed as less
  • You’re navigating a particularly challenging situation or phase in your professional life
  • You’re giving more than is sustainable
  • You’re noticing your performance and happiness is being held back by less useful patterns you run
  • You have a significant decision to make that will shape your life going forward

My approach & results

This is an important ingredient. There are a lot of coaches out there.

For me coaching conversations are about choice, change and ultimately about action. Often they are to do with less helpfully held ways of thinking and perceptions, and they are always about possibilities and options. I see coaching as a mix of appropriate challenge, honesty and support. A discussion with flow and focus, safety, humanity, reality, method and mystery. Ultimately I see myself as a catalyst in service to your goals.

But what have others said about the atmosphere, rhythm and effectiveness of my approach? Here are some recent client testimonials;

“Working with Will has been an invaluable experience in my professional journey. His exceptional ability to focus on the heart of the matters that truly resonate with me, even when I wasn’t fully aware of them myself, has been transformative. Will’s adept guidance through challenging areas of personal development has been instrumental in my growth. His knowledge of our business, helped him to understand and playback with real credibility in our sessions. Beyond his professional acumen, Will effortlessly established a personal connection, creating a coaching dynamic that was not only effective but also enjoyable. I wholeheartedly recommend Will for anyone seeking a business coach who combines expertise with a personable approach.”

Simon, Head of Performance and Process Improvement

“Will played a pivotal role during a challenging phase in my career, restoring my confidence through a balanced blend of support, challenge, and encouragement. His approach helped me to deeply examine the core of the challenges I had faced and to quickly establish a series of strategies to help me overcome them. With his guidance, I not only overcame the issues I’d faced, but also developed a deeper understanding of myself and the motivations of those around me. I highly recommend Will for anyone seeking professional and personal transformation.”

Julie, Executive Creative Director

“Will helped me unwrap the core motivations that drive me to work in this wonderful industry and guided me to a comfortable place where I could find my gremlin and look it straight in the eyes. His coaching is inspirational and life changing.”

Theo, Creative Director

“This was my first experience of coaching and I didn’t know quite what to expect. However, Will created an instant rapport and trust that set the tone for open, honest and meaningful conversations. Will found the right balance of curiosity, probing questions and snippets of advice that helped me to reframe challenges at work to highlight the positives & opportunities which in turn has given me more confidence when successfully applying for my next role and engaging proactively with senior colleagues.”

Jamie, Finance Director

“Coaching sessions with Will have definitely helped me massively to expand my ability to reflect my own actions as a leader towards my team and understand better the effects and phenomenon around it. His style of coaching is very supportive and warm yet challenging. Not allowing me to leave any stones unturned when soul searching and understanding both my leadership behaviour and also the purposes and missions behind it. The atmosphere in our sessions was extremely safe and warm from day one and I was lucky enough to walk away from each session with loads of new thoughts, ideas and reflections to take and implement in my ways to lead. I appreciated Will being so positively demanding in making sure I took my leadership skills to the next level while and always making sure the room for discussion, reflection and honesty remains large. Will is truly amazing and completely in the right place doing his thing!”

Sanna, General Manager

“I have been working with Will for 18 months, spanning a challenging time in my professional career. In a coach I was looking for someone to challenge my thinking and perceptions and to provide a structure on how to overcome unhelpful patterns of behaviour. Will’s in-depth knowledge of models and approaches brings an element of tangibility to our sessions which I found personally helpful. At the same time his wider coaching approach is focused, purposeful and supportive. I have made huge progress in my time with Will, in the best possible way he is relentlessly focused on you being your best and creating those step change moments.”

Sarah, Head of Philanthropy

“Will listens carefully, and when he has really understood you, moves at pace to evolve the conversation to the right questions, feedback and management models for your individual needs. This personalization made it easy for me to grasp what action I should take from our conversations. Though my work with Will, I have created meaningful improvements in the way work”

Hwyel, Business Development and Strategy Director

“I’ve had a pleasure to be coached by Will. As a leader you need to understand your behaviours, capabilities, values, believes, identity and purpose. Will has the ability to explore and guide you on the deepest level to help you understand how decisions are made and how to influence. Over a couple of months it was a journey of laughter, learnings, but most importantly the journey into myself to better understand how to lead and how to be perceived as a leader with impact.“

Natascha, Global Head of Access, Value and Pricing

“I have been working with Will for 17 Months. During this time I was impressed with his contribution to every situation I described to him. He always provides a valuable point of view, applicable advice and alternative options to face complex situations. Most, if not all his advice has been incredible useful to me. On top, he demonstrates a very high quality of working standards, strong discipline and confidentiality in any discussion. It has been a great pleasure to work with him and I am sure we will work together again soon. He has become a real cornerstone in my career.”

Alberto, Global Director of IoT Commercial, Marketing and MNO Partners

“I had the pleasure to work with Will recently as a Global Brand Director in Pharmaceuticals.  I found that he has a  nice way of helping you find the answers for yourself in a supportive but challenging way and also has a huge toolbox he can deploy to support you in your development.  Will helped me overcome several areas which had held me back in my career through his coaching skills and the knowledge he shared. Will is genuinely interested in people and maximising their potential. This was evident in every interaction I had with him and the results I achieved (validated through peer feedback). I wouldn’t hesitate recommending him to anyone within the Pharmaceutical or any other industry looking to improve themselves through coaching.”

John, Global Brand Director

Stepping into the first entry level of executive leadership was not an easy endeavour for me. Being quite a perfectionist, always wanting to excel, always wanting to be best at everything, I was drowning in self doubt and feeling constantly exhausted. I feel really blessed that in this time Will and I started our coaching sessions. They were really a life saver. Every session with Will was packed with insights and realisations, and with every session I could feel myself getting stronger and stronger. I really appreciated Will’s soft and compassionate approach, and while my mind would always scatter into millions of different directions, Will would gently bring me back to the core of all things. Sessions with him, not only equipped me with better posture at work, a lot more confidence in my actions and the feeling of having strong ground under my feet, but also had a big impact on how I show up in my personal life. Working with him, really supported my stepping into my leadership role and coming closer to the idea of the leader that I wanted to be. I really cannot recommend Will more. He is a fantastic partner in crime if you want to crack your neural pathways and start building healthier relationships with life around you.

Emilya, Director Risk and Controls

What to expect

We’d start by agreeing what works best for you: your priorities; the sort of approach you need from me; and what I’d need from you to do that justice. We’d get obsessively outcome focused. Defining what it is that will tell you the coaching has delivered, specifically and in high definition.

We’d explore the backstory. What’s on your landscape – the people, the pressures, the system, the conversations you’re having with yourself. We’d explore where the forward momentum you want can come from. The steps for change. By now we may have also chuckled and waved a stick at life’s absurdities. We’d certainly have worked hard to call it as it is. You’d have done most of the talking. You’d also have done a lot of thinking. With your permission I may have challenged you on a few things, assumptions and perceptions.

To get more clarity we may have connected with a range of useful constructs, models, methods and ideas. Towards the end of our sessions we’d gather together the emerging themes, insights and truths. We’d then shape what you want to do with them, specifically.

Usually our work together would be for 6 x 90 minute focused sessions over a 4-6 month period. Although the precise flow and format we’d agree would be designed to help you get the most from the coaching. Depending on your location we would work face to face or virtually. If an internal sponsor was involved typically we’d factor in a pre, during and post check-in and 3-way contracting sessions.

Before all this we’d have a 30 minute call to explore your goals and expectations and get a feel if the fit feels right for us both. There’d be no charge for this.

My coaching clients include

Coach-Mentor

A SERVICE FOR ORGANISATIONS

Coach-Mentor is a service that CEOs, MDs and HRDs can use to support their newly promoted leaders.

The first 100 days as a leader brings hope, excitement and a healthy stretch. They can also be uncomfortable, challenging and confusing. The craft and landscape are different. As well as shifts in identity, priorities and relationships, a fair number of the skills are different too.

Ideally, transitioning support and development is in place. But sometimes it’s just not possible. Promotions happen between internal training initiatives and resources are tight.

Coach-Mentor is a hybrid approach that blends tailored leadership development with personalised coaching. Skills input complimented by deeper work on beliefs and thinking patterns. It’s flexible, cost-effective and completely bespoke. In the absence of alternatives, it gets the new and transitioning leader off to a flying start.

 

Coach-Mentor combines my 20+ years of leadership development and coaching experience from the following industries;

  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Biotech
  • NHS
  • Medical Devices
  • Ophthalmology
  • FMCG
  • Manufacturing
  • Food Retailing
  • Fashion Retailing
  • Media and Communications
  • Advertising and PR
  • Construction and Building
  • Business Information
  • Media and Publishing
  • Entertainments and Leisure
  • Consulting
  • e-Commerce
  • Niche Technology
  • Insurance and Finance
  • Hotels
  • Broadcasting
  • Legal
  • Telecommunications
  • Geotech
  • IT and Technology
  • Market Research
  • Engineering

Get in Touch

Do get in touch if you’d like to explore the possibility of working together. I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Call me on +44 (0)7884 313034