For a long time (actually since 1976) I've been interested in what makes people tick, what holds us back, and what can happen when someone starts to see themselves or their situation differently.
My coaching didn't begin as a formal career. It grew naturally alongside my main work.
People would come and talk to me. A conversation would turn into another conversation. Then something I said would become so significant for someone they would come back and tell me things had changed for them.
I didn't call it coaching back then, but those moments gave me real joy.
Experience that taught me about people.
For more than 25 years I worked in complex and challenging change environments, designing and delivering significant change.
My background and professional qualifications are in Change Design and Delivery, but the titles are less important than what that experience taught me about people.
For the people experiencing it, change can be very uncertain, uncomfortable, sometimes frightening and sometimes exciting. I found within those environments I could help people thrive through change.
In recognition of this, I received a National Award for Excellence for Designing and Delivering Change. Those experiences continue to shape my coaching approach today: helping people recognise their strengths and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
Identifying and Adapting Your Skills
The insights I developed from taking part in Tony Robbins UPW total immersion sessions (in London 2012) strengthened my passion for coaching.
An opportunity came through Strathclyde University's module Identifying and Adapting Your Skills to coach others in a group setting.
I attended the module and, during the course, I was delighted to be asked to teach the next cohort.
I subsequently worked with the university to develop additional material and a different approach to helping people recognise the skills and experience they already had and then empower them to leverage this new mindset to create fresh opportunities.
I found the experience of teaching the Change Strategies I'd created, especially rewarding. And in particular, to see how my strategies helped the students recognise their potential and turn those insights into action.
“Tony has the ability to instantly spot areas within individuals that are causing them blocks and has a real warmth about him in helping them work through things.”
Course Leader for Counselling
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Strathclyde