Coaching Approach
As a trained management consultant and coach (she holds an MSc in Organisational Behaviour, is a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consultants and is licensed to use a number of psychometrics including MBTI Steps I and II, NEO PI-R and DISC with clients), Katharine draws on a number of approaches in her coaching work but her objective is always the same: to help her clients to reach whatever their goal may be. She takes a solutions-focused approach and the key to her method is helping clients to find their own solutions through a mix of support and challenge. However, she is also comfortable with putting on her ‘consultant hat’ from time to time and offering suggestions and hypotheses if it seems right.
Katharine's natural style, from a position of enthusiasm, optimism and unconditional regard, is to help each individual to identify and build on their existing strengths. Through that process, they learn how best to draw on their own and others' resources to meet whatever challenges they may be faced with and to identify and address those aspects of their leadership style or working relationships that may be an obstacle to their achieving their full potential.
Trained originally as a "performance coach" i.e. using a goal oriented approach, Katharine is constantly refreshing and extending her coaching methods and is currently moving in the direction of offering clients the opportunity to focus on a slightly deeper psychological level and to explore, should they wish to, what may be stopping them from achieving all that they would wish (and pausing to consider some of the possible drivers of any unhelpful behaviours).
But a key component of any successful coaching intervention is the commitment of the client. Without that, nothing will change. However stimulating, interesting, enjoyable, challenging or enlightening a client finds a coaching session, the real work lies in between sessions, when the client puts into practice what he or she has learned about themselves.
A typical comment from a client is "I finish sessions with a clearer idea of what I want, what I need to do to get there and, crucially, I feel re-energised. Sessions with Katharine are great fun but, equally, she doesn't let me get away with anything!"
"Katharine has a wonderful and infectious energy"
Ethics
Katharine is an active member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC UK)'s Research and Ethics Community of Practice and subscribes to its Code of Ethics. For pdf of the full text go to www.emccouncil.org/fileadmin/documents/countries/eu/EMCC_Code_of_Ethics.pdf.
