Sandra Keith

Executive Coach - Bristol

Why I coach:-
I have been coaching managers since I was first introduced to the concept in 1999 when working for Boots the Chemist. I had great training from coach trainers and started to see the transformative effect of switching from ‘tell’ to ‘coach’. In 2013 I decided to develop my coaching skills further by studying for the ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching & Mentoring and was fortunate to have Christian Van Nieuwerburgh as my course tutor (internationally renowned coach and author of several coaching books). Since then, I have continued to build my coaching professional development as an active member of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC) and have been a coordinator of the Bristol & Bath branch for a few years now.

My coaching style:-
My style can vary from nurturing and supportive to challenging and directive, depending on the needs of the client and the situation. Integral to my approach is the coaching contract agreed with clients as this sets the scene regarding confidentiality and boundaries. Each coaching session lasts about an hour and a half, at the end of which any action points are identified. Some clients will only want or need 1 session whereas others may prefer more (up to 5 or 6 sessions). I’m happy to hold coaching sessions face to face or online.
Because I have many years of running development programs for leaders, I often refer to leadership models to help explore the reality that my coaching clients are operating in. I like to use various tools and techniques to help ‘unpack’ my coachees, as well as asking great questions, so that they can identify new ways of moving forward.
I appreciate that some people come to coaching because they have a particular goal in mind whilst others might struggle to articulate quite what it is they need to work towards. Either way, I work at the pace of my coachee.

My clients appreciate my ability to quickly build rapport, show empathy, listen intently and ask insightful questions to help them achieve their desired outcomes. Part of my role as a coach is to ‘hold up a mirror’ so that the coachee can reflect upon themselves and part of my role is to help them to identify their next steps.

Sectors:-
I have worked with managers from a range of sectors including a variety of Universities, the NHS, Transport, Charities, Insurance companies, Engineering organisations and Retailers.

Other related work:-
For many years, I have been working with my business partner to run ILM Qualifications in Leadership and Coaching. This has a huge advantage of making sure that I keep on my toes in terms of new insights and I thoroughly enjoy learning each time I deliver a program and I bring this freshness to my coaching sessions.