Frequently asked questions

Answers to common questions about coaching, mentoring and team workshops, and what you can expect when working with me.

What kinds of support do you offer?

I offer executive coaching, leadership and commercial mentoring, and practical team workshops. I work with individuals and teams in science and technology, with a particular focus on sales teams and commercial leadership teams. We start with a conversation about your situation and what would be most useful.

In coaching, I help you examine your thinking, question assumptions and develop your own responses. In mentoring, I also draw on my experience to offer guidance and suggestions. Both involve listening and constructive challenge. We agree which approach would help you most and make any shift between them explicit.

I work with leaders and teams in science and technology, including analytical instruments, laboratory technology and life sciences. Clients may be technical specialists taking on leadership responsibilities, experienced leaders seeking a thinking partner, or sales and commercial leadership teams wanting to improve how they work.

Coaching can help you work through a bigger role, difficult conversations, decisions, confidence or how you lead your team. It can also help when you find yourself solving everything and want others to take greater ownership. You bring real situations, and together we explore what is happening and what you could do differently.

Mentoring gives you an experienced sounding board for leadership and commercial challenges. We might discuss developing people, understanding customers, reviewing priorities or moving business forward. I share relevant experience and suggestions, helping you consider what fits your circumstances. The decisions remain yours.

Each workshop is built around the team’s real challenges and agreed aims. Sessions combine discussion, reflection and practical exercises. Sales teams might review customer needs and opportunities; commercial leadership teams might examine priorities, decisions and how different functions work together. The team leaves with agreed actions and a plan for follow-up.

How do you handle confidentiality?

Confidentiality is agreed at the outset. For individual work, we clarify what stays between us and any limits to confidentiality. If your organisation sponsors the work, we agree what progress information can be shared. For team workshops, we agree expectations for handling personal contributions and what will be reported afterwards.

We start with a conversation about what is happening and what you would like to change. I explain how coaching, mentoring or a workshop could help, and we agree an approach that fits. If your needs change, we review it together.

Before we begin, I take time to understand the roles, pressures and business context involved. For team work, I discuss the aims with the team leader or sponsor and agree how participants will contribute. Sessions use relevant situations from your work, with an approach designed around your needs.

Before the workshop, we agree how actions and progress will be followed up. This may include a review with the team leader, a follow-up team session or individual coaching or mentoring. The aim is to help the team apply what it has learned and see what is changing. Any additional support and fees are agreed in advance.

We agree at the start what useful progress would look like. This might include changes in how you lead, greater ownership within a team, clearer priorities or better progress with opportunities. We review agreed actions, your observations and any feedback or measures we have chosen together.

Understanding your organisation, its people and the challenges you face is my starting point. I bring more than 30 years of experience at Waters Corporation in technical support, sales, sales management, specialist team leadership and senior marketing roles. This gives me relevant insight into scientific and technical markets, while your circumstances shape the work we do together.