We are excited to introduce a new mentor on support.jomo247.com, Kim Stafford. Kim is an award-winning management coach with a wealth of experience helping businesses of all sizes manage teams and changes. Read on to find out more about Kim and her work in management coaching, or visit her profile and contact her here.
How did you get involved in Management Coaching?
I started running my own management coaching business 22 years ago, and I was at the forefront of a change in approach, supporting business advisors move away from ‘telling’ businesses what to do and more toward using a ‘coaching style’ – working with a business to diagnose issues, design solutions and make decision which worked for their unique circumstances.
My work mostly involves helping people manage groups and teams effectively, working from executive level through to teams and individuals in both big corporations and smaller businesses. What I offer adapts to the needs of the business I am working with. My process is very holistic, and I get a lot of satisfaction when businesses feel real improvements as a result of my involvement.
What are your specialisms?
I help people to feel more confident and able to perform their jobs, to ensure real change is implemented within the business. I strive to ensure they feel the benefit and worth of my work. Recently, I have been doing a lot of work with various clients about running effective meetings, especially with the big move to remote working.
What is your favourite thing about management coaching?
No day is ever the same! There are always new people to meet, and different businesses to work with. One of the advantages of really immersing myself in the businesses I work with is that I get an insight into so many different industries, processes, and people. I then apply this understanding to help businesses diagnose and solve their management issues in a way that suits them.
What interests you about becoming a mentor?
I am passionate about facilitation and see mentorship as an opportunity to give back. Through becoming a mentor for the Jomo247 support site, my goal is to support other people who want to learn the skills I’ve developed and gain insight from my experience. I have always been an advocate of the concept that knowledge should be shared, and that we ought to help people wherever we can to ‘be the best they can be’.
What do you think the next big thing will be in management coaching?
A common thread with managers in businesses I have been working with recently is that they have been struggling to re-engage staff after the past year. Whether they’ve returned from furlough or are suffering from a long period of isolated remote working, the sense of working as a team and of belonging has been stifled. The wellbeing of both staff and management is key to business productivity and putting in steps to manage communications effectively during this period can do a lot to relieve these issues.