Coach Class

Mark is currently resting in between roles, having previously run companies like Speedo and more recently Wolverine Worldwide. 

Like me, he's found Barefoot at a point in his life where he has the time and capacity to learn more about coaching, having practiced it throughout his managerial career.

He's been reflecting on our two week half term about the fact that as coaches we are always good enough. Holding space for someone else is really powerful. 

Mark is a great coach, and a brilliant observer of others on the course when they are coaching. He helped me realise that being still can help the person being coached to open up and reach a deeper level, so much so that I now have a Post-it Note next to my laptop!

He's always been a big fan of feedback if it is given in the right way. As a coach we want us much feedback as we can. 

The thing he loves about our group is allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and an eagerness to learn and get better.

Notice what you notice is key - not just in terms of language used, but also reflect back changes in tone, or pace, or feelings. Mark says you need to listen with your eyes, your body and your gut. 

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.

We met on Twitter ten or so years ago, since when we've become virtual mates.

Both comms professionals by trade, we had a shared connection in Hamish Thompson.

Mark describes himself as a public speaker and campaigner, a Social Media and PR Pro, with demonstrable experience of getting around in a wheelchair, having an incurable, progressive illness called Multiple Sclerosis. He's not a ninja or a guru but he blogs at One Man and his Catheters and plays Wheelchair Rugby - admittedly badly.

In this conversation we reminisce about the social media hey days, what's changed in the world of comms since we started out, but also what motivates Mark, where he gets his get up and go, in spite of starting the day with his tank quarter full due to his MS.

We also talk about his personal brand - his colourful clothing, footwear and hair dyes. If people are going to stare at the man in a wheelchair - do it because he looks funky or weird not because of his disability. Eye catch for the right reasons.

He's transparent, open and upbeat about his illness while he can be.

His two best purchases in lockdown are his hair clippers and his posh coffee machine.

Physically he is always knackered - but he was born positive. He started life as a holiday rep and helped open Disneyland Paris, living a wonderful silly life, drinking and snogging. Then met his wife, which caught him up short. 

Some of this drive comes from his wife and two children, who he wants to live up to, and show them a good example.

Dixons, and his manager at the time, helped him go through each stage of his early illness - transforming his PR role into social media. 

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.

Emma and I met each other on Twitter back in the days that social media platforms were fun, vibrant and full of unexpected opportunities to connect with like minded people in the real world.

Since then we've worked together, coached one another and formed a strong friendship.

Emma is impossible to put in a box, which is ironic, as she can often be found inside one of her many shipping containers - Playboxes that appear in town centres, parks, or neighbourhoods around Yorkshire.

While I was at Asda, Emma was a thought-partner of mine - helping me on a monthly basis think better, share ideas, and be heard. An important aspect of me being the best I could be in a senior leadership role.

Emma has many superhero powers - one of which is an amazing ability to ask questions. She is curious, and is fascinated by what makes people tick. 

In her day job, Emma uses play to blur the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds, encouraging participants to get creative with all manner of media, from cardboard to code. To the naked eye it is a street event with crayons or Play-Doh, but to the trained observer you can see Emma in her element. Giving people a safe space to explore and discover. By doing so she creates a space for psychological welcome. Where people can stay for five minutes or linger for five hours.

She believes the 'theatre of the street' is a key component, because people love to look at things, to observe. She wants people to feel they can do more of what they love in places where they live with other people.

Emma manages to give groups of people on a busy high street, what seasoned coaches take 30 years to master in a 1-2-1 environment with a paying executive. Giving people time to think with distractions everywhere - it is a wonder to behold.

I really loved capturing Emma's story on this podcast - let me know what you think.

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.

Sanja Kon describes herself as a digital executive and international keynote speaker with a passion for coaching, spirituality and self development.

She was born in Sarajevo in a mixed marriage, moved to Italy before war broke out, attended one of Europe's top universities, and has settled (for now) in the UK where she is currently the CEO of Utrust, a disruptive Fintech blockchain crypto currency company.

Prior to running a start-up she held a number of senior positions at eBay, PayPal, and Vodafone.

​A multilingual communicator, Sanja has a proven track of building and leading international teams in challenging commercial environments. She is fascinated by how technological innovation impacts our lives, constantly investigating new start-ups that will shape our future. 

She is a mentor and advisor to various start-ups within accelerators and incubator programmes. and is a regular speaker at international conferences, sharing her vision and knowledge on how the digital landscape impacts consumer’s behaviour.

To top it all off Sanja is also deeply involved in diversity and inclusion as a mentor and coach to women leaders. She says she loves helping leaders around the world to regain their confidence and overcome their self-limiting beliefs.

Wowsers. She's a bit of a rock star really isn't she?

In her late 20s she started to become interested in life coaching, a concept that in Italy at the time was still not commonplace. She hired a coach from the US, she started to invest in herself each year - helping her move from the big corporate world. 

Now on Barefoot she is looking to give back, by focusing on coaching and in time developing her own practice. 

She has a morning routine where she doesn't read emails or social media, she meditates for 15 minutes, and tries to exercise if she can. When this slips, it really negatively impacts her day. The course already is helping her become a better leader. Helping her say no to other things that compete for her time and attention.

She is learning more and more about being present, and although she thought she was a good listener, there is so much more you can do - to give your time to someone, and be there. Not reading emails, focusing on them, and demonstrate you are really listening.

She is a goal setter herself, monthly goals, weekly goals. But she encourages her team to review their life goals every six months - are you happy here in this environment, if not, it's time to look at another challenge, another role or even consider leaving the company.

We also discussed when she is at her peak, and what floats her boat - she has come to realise it is all really about the small things, to be grateful every day. 

Her insight on life is to be the CEO of your own time. 

I love that sentiment.

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.

Doug was most recently a global vice-president and head of Amazon UK from 2016 to 2020. He is currently chairman of the British Heart Foundation, and the director at Natural Histroy Museum.

He left Cambridge University with a maths degree, before getting a PhD at Edinburgh, then he taught at Aarhus University in Denmark, before joining the civil service, then going into consultancy with McKinsey & Co, following which Andy Bond brought him into Asda as his head of strategy.

Doug also spent four years running Amazon in China, during which time he ran a marathon along the Great Wall of China, just for fun.

He was born in Leeds, where he lives today, grew up in Africa to parents from New Zealand, so has always had a global outlook.

He is mindful each year of the things that give him balance, and takes time to plan the next five years ahead, as when you have a plan rather than coast you are more likely to get stuff done.

Doug has his own Wikipedia page - which says it all really - he is one of the smartest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, has no fear, and loves a challenge. 

He is also charming to boot. Oh, and did I mention he is Scottish international triathlete, and a keen ski mountaineer?

In this podcast we discuss the future of work, and how people will need the ability to manage both people and machines. 

Doug believes the early 21st century is going to be as pivotal a time as each of the three previous industrial revolutions, with data and informatics fundamentally shifting how we work as humans. 

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.

Rob Chester studied law before getting into retail, having worked his way through Uni at the local Tesco.

His father had given him advice as a young man - offering three options, become a doctor,  a lawyer, or an accountant. Counting wasn't his strength and he couldn't stand the sight of blood. So he ended up being a lawyer running shops. Which came in handy when he started to look at the compliance rules that were dished out by head of office.

He was brave, pointed out the obvious problems, and created a much clearer one page summary - and was offered a trial.

From there he went off round the world doing a variety of compliance roles - then joined Asda, then Walmart China, a stint in the US at Walmart HQ, and most recently has headed up the compliance and certification organisation NSF International as it's European Food Managing Director.

But it was as a store manager at Tesco that he learned some of the key skills required to lead people. One of his father's tips was when you change jobs, write down one thing you're going to copy and take with you, and one thing you'll leave behind.

A key learning was focusing on the customer - Terry Leahy (Tesco's CEO in the 1990s/2000s) had an absolute obsession with customers - he ensured you put the customer at the centre of every decision. 

Rob is a student of leadership - he engenders trust - people want to be led by him. He still maintains a cohort of mentees from his days in China. 

So when he joined NSF as a new starter, he created a YouTube video to introduce himself to his field-based team to demonstrate his humility, and his open door approach to wanting to hear what was really going on. 

He told a story about a  mistake he made with pickled onions - which led him to speak to colleagues and customers, to hear first hand why he had got it wrong. 

He always aspired to be the type of leader who knows what is going on on the ground. 

On the issue of trust - he says there aren't any shortcuts - you've got to show day after day, week after week that you behave consistently and listen consistently. 

He's always encouraged boards to take 'conscious risks'. In order to do this you have to remain in touch. 

One of his biggest mentors worked in retail and visited 10 stores, and asked for feedback from 10 colleagues on the shopfloor - 100 pieces of feedback a week. Always able to keep his finger on the pulse.

Rob gets his energy and inspiration by being disciplined to focus on simple things like exercising every day, eating healthily, sleeping well (including watching comedy before bedtime to help his brain switch off). 

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.

Michelle has over 20 years experience managing teams, with a background in marketing communications, project management and insurance. Before joining Reech - her current agency - she worked with the Environment Agency and DEFRA, on high-profile campaigns.

She describes herself as an enthusiastic and effective leader and team player motivated by making a difference and adding value wherever she works. She's taking a long and winding path to coaching, which dates back 15 years, when she had coaching herself for the first time when she was going through a break up and became a single mum. She's read a lot around the topic, and when managing her teams she tries to use a coaching approach. One day she hopes to have her own coaching practice. 

In this episode we reflect on a big week on the Barefoot Coaching course. 

In Michelle's words it was massive, really massive. This week was a deep dive into the self, ourselves, considering who am I? Am I even a coach?

We've been learning about the coaching relationship - and considering how you practice unconditional positive regard for yourself - are we giving ourselves permission that we are enough?

Noticing what we notice, understanding how present you are, managing your inner voice, and using meditative techniques to ground yourself before starting the process. 

All of this big stuff made the top of my head hurt. 

Michelle reflected on the iceberg way of thinking, what's visible and transactional, what's beneath the surface - self beliefs, values, the way you think. 

"I hear you" was something that came up for me, honouring the person you are listening to. Recognising what they have said, acknowledging it. And how powerful that really is.

We also discuss the questioning exercise we did in pairs, that felt a bit weird but was profound. 

My coaching session this week also enabled me to get off a tightrope that I've been traversing for more than 20 years. And reappraise how I handle feedback and whether or not I let it go to my head. 

All in all another great podcast (even if I say so myself) 

:)

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.

Judith McKenna is president and CEO of Walmart International where she leads 550,000 associates across 23 countries.

Having joined Tetley pub company from a law firm, they decided to move offices down south, she suddenly found herself without a job, and a nine month old baby. One day she got a call from the retailer based over the road - Asda - and started her career in retail.

She was promoted to the board while eight and a half months pregnant with her second child, a really forward looking move by the company who placed their faith in her and her ability. At the time it didn't cross her mind just how momentous that was.

That step up took her a while to find her feet, from always having someone ahead of you, to having the dust ball moment - when you realise the responsibility rests on your shoulders.

Allan Leighton taught her the power of connectivity with people - he took the time every Monday at 6.15am to sit down with the accountants and ask them - what do I need to know? He didn't have to do that, he could have waited for the report to land on his desk and ask someone way more capable than they were. 

Someone once told her you need to be more commercial - you have to look beyond the numbers. Trust your gut, what do you really think. She attributes that insight to Tony De Nunzio - a finance director who went on to become a CEO himself.

Judith believes being yourself is the most important thing you can do - it comes with age and experience, you can make a difference by being who you are, not being scared to share your own challenges as well as the capabilities you have.

The there are TNTs - which stands for tiny noticeable things - the note someone sends you saying well done, or simply asking about you mum who isn't feeling well, or I saw this article that I thought you'd be interested in. Those little moments she is passionate about doing, and she does them not just because they are a nice thing to do for the other person, it is one of the places she gets her energy from, seeing the difference you can make. 

The shining light for her is helping people do what they do better. It is where she gets her kicks in business and life.

She'll always tell you what she thinks, but she'll be fair and balanced. But none of this stuff you do on your own - you do it through your personality but you have people around you who you trust.

She thinks everyone should give feedback to others - 360 feedbacks loops - above, across and below - by doing so you can help make leaders better leaders by pointing things out to people - good, bad and ugly. It requires courage, but courage is one of those business skills that is critical. 

Wellness has become a central pillar over the last 18 months, finding things that give you energy is key. She runs an "It's OK!" campaign with her team - Zoom free days, or go walk your dog if you need to - creating a framework for people to operate within that suits them and their families. 

Judith is an inspirational leader of the highest order. Tune in to hear more of what she had to say.

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.

Hava is a Positive Psychology Life Coach, and fellow Barefoot student. In this conversation we reflect on week 2 of the course where we practiced asking questions with ruthless compassion, being empathetic provocateurs, while donning our challenge coats along the away. 

In her day job, Hava is situated at a Bakerloo line underground station, where she leads and manages a team to deliver high level service to all London Underground customers. As an operational manager she is also responsible for the smooth and safe daily operation of the station environment, delivering performance targets for customer service, safety, reliability, capacity and commercial performance of the network.

She has recently completed her masters degree in applied positive psychology - achieving a distinction.  She really likes interacting with people and enabling them to be their best self.

Hava is really enjoying getting the opportunity to talk about herself with the other participants on the course and to be asked challenging questions. 

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.

Marjorie Ellis Thompson has worked on Capitol Hill and in Parliament, as a lobbyist for CND and the Royal College of Nursing, head of communications for the Commission for Racial Equality and founded Saatchi & Saatchi Cause Connection.

She was also chair of CND during the first Gulf War and is co-author of Brand Spirit: How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands with Hamish Pringle.

I had the pleasure of meeting Marjorie in 1998 when I interviewed her for my university dissertation on cause related marketing, which led to a summer internship at Saatchis.

In this conversation we reflect on the way Marjorie created diverse teams, and gave people around her opportunities through her collaborative leadership approach. Rotating chairs for meetings, taking young interns to client presentations, bringing people into Westminster to experience where decisions are made.

Marjorie had a huge impact on my early career and gave me the confidence to me my full self in my first role at Green Flag.

She opened up doors for people, invited them into the room, respected their intelligence and empowered them to be integral parts of her team.

She likes to think she remains American, when you see a wall you climb over it.  Barriers need to be taken down so that citizens find out their representative democracy works.

Marjorie was inspired by a trip to Washington DC with her mother to visit a friend Sylvia Bacon. Sylvia was a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and was considered by both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan as a potential nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States, at a time when no women had yet been appointed to the Court.

She also looks to civil rights leader John Lewis who famously said: "It's alright to get in trouble, good trouble!". It is something Marjorie has tried to do all her life. And if she's making trouble, make it for a good cause.

Marjorie has the ability to be connected and educated, but not exclude you from being in the know. She brings people along with her. 

She knows how important it is that others believe in you. 

A truly inspirational leader.  Capable of everything. 

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Please consider sharing Coach Class with someone who’d enjoy it — and leaving a review on your podcast platform. It genuinely helps more people find the show.