Coaching ‒ A Powerful Tool — We Need To Take This Beyond The Boardroom
Updated: Aug 22, 2022
Written by: Suki Collins, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” —Nelson Mandela.
Coaching is one of the most powerful learnings and development interventions available when it comes to improving confidence, navigating change, and embracing belonging. I found coaching is beneficial when it is taken outside the boardroom and into the organization. It is one of the tools at our fingertips which we do not use enough of.
I have had over 20 years of experience at the senior HR management level. I practice a coaching style of management and have seen the difference coaching can make to an individual, a team, and the organization. On an organization level, I was responsible for establishing a Medical School in the United Kingdom. Currently, the School is in the top 5 Medical Schools in the UK. I coached senior leaders as well as middle managers to achieve this.
What is Coaching?
John Whitmore (1996) defined coaching as “unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.” It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.
For me, coaching is when a coach works with the client (Coachee) to help them find their answers. As a coach, I will facilitate my clients to find the answers they have but are not able to find them without my help. I ask reflective questions to the coachee so they reflect and develop. If a coach and a coachee work well together, it is like a dance where each learns from the other. The process is amazing; you can see the change in the person or the team right in front of you. I never seem to tire when I am coaching and seeing the light bulbs come into the mind of the people I coach.
I also bring Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity into my coaching by asking more in-depth soul-searching questions.
Over the years, I have helped my clients to achieve the following:
Exploring ways to improve communication.
Aligning leadership teams.
Shifting the corporate culture.
Inspiring great team performance.
Articulating desires and visions, both personally and professionally.
Sorting through difficult decisions.
Increasing employee engagement throughout the organization.
Leading through changes in the organization and the world.
Preparing for successes in new roles.
Identifying development paths.
Dealing with changes at work and in life.
Facing fears of conflict and emotional reactions in oneself and others.
Finding solutions for dealing with difficult people and situations.
Strengthening relationships at work and home.
Managing stress and well-being to maximize energy.
Experiencing greater fulfillment and success.
Coaching can work for all the above, and it can work for you as well. Find a good coach to work with you. I work with two great coaches who help me realize my dreams.
Suki Collins, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Suki Collins is a leading Business Coach and an accredited Executive Coach. She has had over 20 years of experience at the senior HR management level. She practices a coaching style of management and has seen the difference coaching can make to an individual, a team, and the organization. On an organization level, she was responsible for establishing a Medical School in the United Kingdom. Currently, the School is in the top 5 Medical Schools in the UK. She coached senior leadership to utilize HR tools for ensuring performance and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity (EDI), and belonging are at the heart of everything Suki does.
Suki is the Founder/Director of Pebbles Coaching and Wellbeing Consultancy, established in 2020. Her company aims to provide coaching to individuals, teams, and organizations, leveraging the insight of over two decades’ senior management experience within two top Universities and extensive executive coaching experience.
Suki is passionate about new challenges, has a positive outlook on life, and this is carried through everything she does. She strongly believes that a positive mindset can take her through any challenges she faces in life.
Suki’s mission: spread the word about the positive impact of coaching.
