I’ve spent 40 years developing people in all walks of life. I have worked for and run organisations in the education and third sectors, and am now a coach, consultant and a facilitator in the commercial, public and third sectors – see qualifications at the bottom of this page. I have coached well over 300 individuals in the past 15 years of professional practice, in addition to working with teams and facilitating organisational meetings.
Coaching is first of all a matter of perception – of seeing where change needs to happen, and how an individual can think and act differently to make this change. Within a supportive, confidential relationship, you are free to identify your own development needs and make realistic goals for yourself. The coach’s most crucial role is simply to keep you honest in your pursuit of those goals – to enable you to maintain a clear focus on the needs you have identified, and to support the changes you decide to make.
“I grew far more rapidly in both confidence and competence with Jerry’s coaching support than if I had attempted to tackle the change alone” – former NHS Chief Executive
The first meeting has two functions – to lay out the ground that you want to cover, and to check that there is a positive ‘fit’ between us – after all, if we simply don’t get on then the coaching relationship will be no use to you, and we wouldn’t take it any further.
Assuming all is well, towards the end of this initial meeting, you begin to set an agenda for the coming meetings – you may have one overall aim, or a series of smaller goals. We then carry this agenda forward in a rolling process, revisiting and refining goals from meeting to meeting, monitoring progress together, selecting appropriate tools to use along the way, and identifying new priorities and needs that may emerge.
And we note and celebrate successes!
“...an extremely effective coach... set me on a new far healthier lifestyle path... supported me to take control/responsibility...” – Senior Advisor, Oxfam UK.
I’ve coached individuals in business, law, education (schools, colleges and universities), the voluntary sector and the church, and am familiar with a wide variety of contexts and issues in personal and professional life, especially in the area of managing boundaries and work-life balance. I am always happy to discuss possible coaching relationships informally, and to help you clarify the exact needs that you may have. I’m very happy to meet for a ‘one-off’ meeting to explore the possibilities for work together.
I am a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and of the British Association for Personality Type. I have training in CBT, a high-level coaching qualification gained through the Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring (OCM), accreditation in using the Myers Briggs and many other assessments.
Jerry Gilpin
