Executive coach

I support leaders on a 121 basis to lead with Head and Heart.

What I do  I am a great believer in role modelling what you want to see in others. It helps enormously to know yourself well: your natural and unique qualities, how to lead from these strengths and your best self more of the time, to know what it is to step change performance from coaching and mentoring support in order to inspire trust, momentum and great results through others. The reality is, for many senior leaders, that time for thinking and reflection is limited. And over the course of a successful career you are likely to come across challenges, blocks, forks in the road. When you do, external coaching support can make a huge difference to your productivity, clarity and mindset.

What I offer I offer one off coaching sessions and longer term assignments, whether it is help working through a specific challenge, preparing director level leadership roles or how to enhance your impact, presence and ability to influence. Exec Coaching provides a safe confidential space for you to step back, reflect, explore challenges, express what you are thinking, how you feel, what you want more or less of. You will receive feedback, come up with alternative strategies, learn and practice skills in a safe environment, define your plan of action and review your learning’s and progress.

Understanding oneself as a leader: Looking at what lights you up and what gets in your way is key to both leading yourself and unlocking the potential in others. I work with simple practical tools and skills that will enable you to enhance your self awareness (360’s and qual feedback are both available as part of the coaching engagement) and manage your own mindset so you can develop a clear sense of who you are, what matters to you and what you want for your organisation, team and yourself.

Influencing others: Shining a light on specific relationships, which if unlocked, can be transformational to your productivity, engagement, results or peace of mind: whether this be a relationship with a line manager, your peers, team or clients and customers: explore how to learn how you can overcome and work through differences and conflict: learn from past experiences and stop repeating patterns that are not working: learn the skills to really listen: challenge and speak up so you are heard: express what it is you want and give feedback clearly. I also have a background in innovation/creative facilitation so can offer a range of practical tools and skills if your challenge is more about how to engage and get more participation from those you lead and work alongside.

Getting clear on what you want: specifically for those making a big career transition, step up to Exec level where the nature and focus of our leadership naturally changes, along with our stakeholder groups. I offer Exec Coaching that will help you get clear on what you would like to shift, change or aim for, what your purpose and values are as a leader, how to bring your character strengths more fully into your leadership and what will be required of you to make this happen. Storytelling often forms a large part engagements like this, particularly how to communicate chapters of our career, our learnings as a leader and what that means for the future.

Coaching philosophy

My coaching is practical and I would say more directive – some coaching styles can be a little passive, providing a space to listen to the client and allowing them to work through answers to issues they face themselves. My preference and that of the companies/employees who work with me is for supportive challenge to help you take action and create the results you want. In this respect I focus the coaching conversations on the outcomes required by you and the organisation. You will have pre work for each session to complete to focus your mind on what you want to get out of each session. I will give open and honest feedback to you on what I see and provide specific practical tools which you can practice in session and use in between, with a structure to capture your wins and progress. What is most important of all when deciding if coaching is for you, is that you know there is something you want to be different, that you welcome the investment in your development and that you actively choose the coach you trust to get you there.

How we work

• Establish clear purpose and outcomes: align with line manager, HR and individual.
• Chemistry session: establish personal relationship, discuss coaching style, process, boundaries, agreements on how we will work.
• Agree go / no go and number of sessions: usually minimum 6 x 2 hour sessions held monthly.
• Agree mid point feedback session with line manager/HR on what changes you are seeing, agree any specific areas of focus for remaining sessions.
• Final review: individual, line manager and HR feedback

What people say:

“During my first position of Associate Medical Director at Heart of England, I received one to one and group coaching by Nic. I also asked her to facilitate a workshop with our ED team which was under considerable pressure at the time. Nic has a very sensitive antenna for the psychodynamics within teams. What’s more, she is able to draw out those difficulties and overcome them during detailed work with clients. For her individual coaching I will be forever indebted to Nic. Nic made me see my real strengths and values in my work and my life; it is no exaggeration to say that this changed my life forever. Without her positivity and support, I probably would have given up medical management altogether.
Worth every single penny! Just talk to Nic – you won’t regret it!”

Arne Rose Associate Medical Director – NHS Heart of England NHS Trust

What people say:

“I and my senior team worked with Nic for a period of 6 months from 2021-2. The brief we gave was to help us expand our strategic thinking and abilities. From the start Nic was able to help us drill down into more specifics on what we were looking for as a team and as individuals, working to pinpoint what we really wanted and needed. Her efforts helped provide us with useful disciplines and habits we can use in the future. What differentiates Nic from other coaches and mentors I have experienced in the past, is the mix of intelligence, acuity and brilliant sense of humour. As a team, I would say we are stronger, and more focused as a result of our work with Nic. I would not hesitate to recommend her for either individual or group coaching.

Lex Jones CEO

What people say:

“Nic first came into my life 3 years ago as part of a Leadership Development Programme. I was immediately struck by her energy, insightfulness, compassion and willingness to share her knowledge and expertise of leadership development. This was someone I really connected with and wanted to work with. I was hugely disappointed when I had to pull out of the Leadership Development programme due to ill health, so was delighted when, on my return to work, Nic agreed to become my Executive Coach.

Over the next year Nic listened and carefully guided me back to work. Using a range of tools and techniques she challenged me and helped me to manage a myriad of complex situations, creating my own personal space to learn, to develop, to cope and to breath and most importantly to believe in myself enabling me to shine again and regain confidence in myself as a Leader.

Nic is truly inspirational and I would not hesitate to recommend her.””

Tracey Hammond HR OD Director St Clares Hospice

What people say:

“Nic is great to work with. She brings rare insight and understanding which really helped me grow into a new, challenging role. Thought provoking, stretching and compassionate. I would not hesitate in recommending her to bring impact and purpose.”

Paul Hickey, Managing Director RAPID (OFWAT)

What people say:

“It is with pleasure that I am providing a reference for Nic Crisp. She is extremely bright, focused, and simply gifted at getting the best out of people. I have had the privilege of having Nic coach me personally as well as utilizing her skills to coach my leadership and wider team over the past 3 years. Nic truly has a talent for giving others the tools that they need to perform their very best over a wide range of scenarios. My team looks forward to working with Nic and they value her insights, energy, and humor. On a personal level, I am a much better leader, professional, and person for having had Nic as a coach. She helped me cultivate skills that enhanced the quality of mentoring conversations involving feedback and difficult subjects, she provided frameworks to help me identify how to further leverage my strengths and minimize my weaknesses, and she asked insightful questions that helped me fully realize my potential and desired career objectives. Nic has been an invaluable resource and there is no doubt in my mind that she would be an asset to any individual or team that has the honor of working with her.”

Lisa Owens, Director Arcus Biosciences

What people say:

“Working with Nic has really given me the confidence to make some brave decisions, having explored ways in which I could approach my role and understand my own ability and needs. She offered some really helpful advice and approaches to real situations, that were appropriate at the time. She took time to get to know me, and my line manager at the outset, so that she could help us develop our strategy for the business using a focused and structured approach. I would highly recommend Nic as a support to anyone facing challenges or seeking new ways of looking at their roles,”

HR Director UK

What people say:

Working with Nic gives you tools and approaches to a variety of topics that generate positive results quickly. Nic provides challenging and provocative support on a variety of management and leadership topics, using concepts that are familiar but refreshing and also innovative. Her tactics are focused and applicable to real issues being both session-based (well-structured, requiring preparation, discussion, rehearsal and review) and practice-based for immediate implementation in the work setting. Nic is flexible and adaptable to both immediate and longer term needs, without losing sight of getting successful results. Put the work in with Nic and you will get a lot out.

Graham Clarke, Director of Regulatory Affaires – Gilead

What people say:

“There are coaches and then there is Nic Crisp. Nic was able to engage down to the core and pull out realisations in a way that no other coach has been able to do. I cannot recommend her enough. Thank you Nic.”

Director Emergency Services

What people say:

“Nic provides high-impact executive coaching support – perfectly balancing support with challenge to ensure you ask yourself those difficult questions and get to the root-cause of issues. Her open and engaging coaching style allows conversations to develop naturally but within a framework that ensures demonstrable progress from session to session.”

Chris Dick Director of Operations