About Me I spent my childhood on the move, never in one place for longer than 2 years and often moving every six months so I was constantly in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by strangers and often lost both physically and emotionally, not knowing how to act in these new environments. As a result, when as a teenager we moved to England and I was spectacularly unsuccessful in breaking into established friendship groups and was often very lonely. Until I joined the Red Cross, and joined a group that provided first aid at the Snetterton motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Then I found it easy to make friends as I was joining a community which shared ideals and a common sense of purpose. Following a successful career in the RAF, my time in the National Health Service strengthened that belief in the power of the community. I eventually became the Chief Executive of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, and in particular, I was privileged to work with teams of specialists who by combining their knowledge and skills, worked together to achieve miracles on a day-to-day basis. Over the years I have added to these experiences through my formal education in coaching, mediation and group facilitation, alongside my NHS Chief Executives development programme and an MSc in Social Research. In 2002 I took a different direction, leaving the NHS to set up my own business as a leadership coach in the commercial world. Once again, I found myself in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by strangers and lost in a new world of marketing a small business. As a result, I joined Asentiv first to learn how to build a powerful network and then teach these methods to others. As an accredited coach/trainer I gained a solid grounding in the principles of business development and marketing techniques. The main thing I learnt from all this formal education is to have the humility to seek out others who have the expertise I need for my own development and to assist my clients. Now, although moving into semi-retirement, I will continue to support others who, like me, whether from choice or necessity, left the relative security of employment to strike out on their own. Using established state of the art techniques and my own experience I help them easily shift from novice to fully rounded consultant. They will become recognised as an authority in their niche, confidently working on projects that align with their values and interests. All supported by other experts in their own supportive network. I know that we are only truly successful in business and life when we harness the talents of each of us and work together. |