Coaching Testimonial
“I had the pleasure of spending 6 weeks working with Lesley during a period of uncertainty surrounding my career path.
Lesley’s guidance and supportive approach provided me with an environment where I felt safe to explore my past experiences, fears, desires and areas of confusion. She doesn’t provide you with answers but having someone to provide direction to what can be seemingly confused thoughts, is invaluable.
I would highly recommend Lesley to anyone looking to take control of their future”
Mentoring Testimonial
“I had just been appointed to the senior management team when I got in contact with Lesley. I wanted to establish myself in the role. Working with an ICSA mentor who had been through the same process helped me to gain clarity, focus and perspective. I received advice and encouragement and found Lesley to be a valuable sounding board. I also learnt new ways of approaching issues. This helped me to understand my authentic leadership style, how I contributed to the senior management team and how to convey this to my colleagues so I could make a real impact. I achieved better results than I could have hoped for. I really enjoyed working with Lesley and would highly recommend her to anyone.”
Mentoring Testimonial
“As a recent ICSA graduate, I needed to gain relevant experience in governance and compliance. I was introduced to Lesley by my line manager.
Initially, I didn’t know what to expect from the mentoring process. Lesley guided me through the process and helped me to identify my strengths and areas to improve upon. I have gained valuable skills which are very useful in my role.
Lesley is very professional and supportive. I felt very comfortable interacting with her and that boosted my confidence. I gained immensely from her wealth of experience as a company secretary. The main contact was through the telephone in one-hour sessions. We progressed at a pace that suited me and each month we went through agreed objectives – it was a six-month period mentoring process.
I enjoyed the process and I look forward to engaging with Lesley when I am ready for the next stage in my development.
I highly recommend Lesley to anyone interested in coaching.”
Mentoring Testimonial
“The mentoring sessions which Lesley offered were invaluable on both a professional and personal level. Given her governance background, it made conversations easier as the contextual stage was already set and we were able to focus on my development as a Chartered Secretary.
Our discussions were “focussed and fruitful” and I was always challenged to achieve 2 – 3 goals before the next session which meant I always made progress and ultimately achieved my goals that I originally set.
Lesley is attentive and professional and would always see the best in me or my situation. It really was a pleasure working with her and I would highly recommend her to anyone who is keen to take the next step up!”
Sandy-lee Connolly, Deputy Company Secretary, Keller Group plc
A Change in Direction
Alan contacted me whilst he was contemplating a change in career direction. In the medium term he identified he wanted to build on knowledge, skills and experience he already had in order to set-up a self-employed business he could run for several years. In the longer term he wanted a complete change, working in an exciting new field which would require significant new skills development.
We identified the three main elements that would deliver his goals and worked towards achieving them. By the end of his course of coaching Alan had a business plan for the medium term goal and was well on the way towards developing the skills and knowledge he needed for the longer term goal. This is what Alan said about his coaching experience:-
“Working with Lesley has convinced me more than ever that this kind of extensive coaching engagement is the most effective means to personal growth and achieving what matters most right now. Even though our current 12-session coaching engagement is complete I very much look forward to working with Lesley when I feel the need for an occasional coaching session to help me keep on track, or indeed to deal with anything that comes up. This is powerful stuff, and Lesley is an extremely competent coach that I can heartily recommend to anyone.”
Making the Most of Change
Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was in the process of merging with Birmingham Women’s Hospital when Gwenny contacted me. The merger provided potential opportunities and challenges which Gwenny wanted to work through. We identified that there were 3 main areas she wanted to focus on to equip her to support the organisations through this period of change. This is what Gwenny said about her coaching experience:-
“I was not sure what to expect from coaching when we started but it was a really positive experience. I found the hour a week of structured, protected time to talk through successes and challenges really valuable and Lesley pushed me to pause, think, plan and do things differently.
Lesley was positive, understanding and encouraging. She helped me identify my strengths, formulate my ideas about the future and think differently, so I will continue to benefit even now the coaching has finished. My organisation has benefited because I am positive, more organised and have a clear action plan.
I would not hesitate to recommend working with Lesley to other Governance Professionals”
Gwenny Scott
Company Secretary
Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Thriving following promotion
Linsay had recently been promoted and had identified that it was a good time to focus on her personal development to help her thrive in her new role. We identified 3 goals she wanted to achieve and worked together on a weekly basis towards achieving them. Linsay identified that she needed to make the time and space to lead her team, manage the challenges that leadership brought and ensure that she was as fit and healthy as she could be to ensure that she had the energy required.
This is what Linsay said about her experience:-
“Before I started the coaching programme with Lesley, I could not imagine how the sessions would translate into positive outcomes at work. However, through Lesley’s support and encouragement I have managed to become much more focused and developed new approaches and skills which have enabled me to become more productive and efficient. This has in turn also had a positive impact on the team I manage.
The majority of the sessions were remote (by telephone). This flexibility ensured that I always had the time to commit despite having a hectic work diary and home life. I would highly recommend Lesley and the style of this coaching programme.”
Linsay, Risk and Audit Professional