1. What is important to me in my coaching

My aim is that every coaching session the coachee leaves with something they didn’t have when they walked in: a nugget of gold or an insight that reframes a challenge, or a practical idea that changes the way they lead. The best coaching creates the space to think differently, but it should also translate into the real world of leadership, where decisions need to be made, relationships navigated and ideas put into action. I take great pride in my work and in making every conversation count.

2. What is distinctive about my approach to coaching

In many ways, I have become the trusted person I wish I had alongside me when I was building my own business and navigating the various opportunities and complexities. That lived experience is an important part of what I bring to coaching. I know what it is to build a brand and a business, lead people through change, make difficult calls and carry responsibility when the path ahead isn’t obvious. My instinct is both creative and commercial: to look beyond the obvious answer, explore what might be possible and then bring that thinking back to what will work in practice.

3. What lights me up about coaching

The moment in coaching when someone sees their situation differently: an idea lands or a pattern becomes visible, or perhaps a decision that has felt difficult suddenly becomes clear. Those moments are enormously rewarding. I am fascinated by people and by the different ways we grow into leadership over the course of a career. Being able to draw on what I have learnt throughout my own career: the successes, the mistakes, the risks and the reinventions, and use it to help someone navigate theirs, is one of the great privileges of coaching.

Alexandra Smart
Partner | ECI Partners

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