I'm Deborah. HR Consultant and Leadership Coach
I've spent more than 20 years working in HR, helping businesses navigate the complicated, messy and, let's be honest, the sometimes frustrating world of people management.
I've worked with businesses of all shapes and sizes from creative environments to engineering and all sorts in between. I've worked alongside founders, directors and managers of all levels, supported businesses through change and growth, and dealt with pretty much every kind of workplace people challenge you can imagine.
What I have seen again and again, is just how much difference a confident manager can make. And that's why I do what I do today.
How I got here
My career didn't start with a grand plan to become an HR Consultant.
I spent the earlier years of my career working in large corporate organisations before moving to a small tech business where I was the first in house HR person. That's where I really saw the difference good HR could make and how quickly people issues can affect an entire business when you're a small team.
It also gave me a real understanding of what it's like to build things from scratch, which is something I now bring to my work with founders and growing businesses.
Good HR isn't just about having lots of policies and processes. Of course they're important, but it's about understanding the business, understanding people and helping the two work better together.
Why I started coaching managers
Becoming a manager can be a much bigger leap than people expect, but the support needed to make that transition is often overlooked.
They're often brilliant at what they do. They're technically capable. They're trusted. They're good at their job. So they get promoted.
And suddenly they're expected to manage performance, deal with conflict, have difficult conversations, motivate different personalities, prioritise competing demands and somehow know what they're doing.
Except nobody actually taught them how to manage people.
I've worked with so many managers in exactly this position. They're not bad managers. They're often just people trying to figure out a difficult job while doing it.
That's where my coaching work comes in.
What I do
Today, I work with both small businesses and individuals.
I coach managers who want to become better leaders, and I provide practical HR support to growing businesses that don't need, or aren't ready, for a full-time HR employee.
Whether I'm supporting clients with coaching or HR support (or both sometimes both), my approach is the same: I start with where you are, understand what's really going on, and work out what needs to happen next.
A little bit more about me
Outside work, you’ll usually find me running around after my two very lively sons or in the gym getting some respite from my chaotic home life!
I'm naturally curious, I ask a lot of questions and I'm not particularly interested in doing things just because "that's how we've always done it". I like straight talking, common sense and finding out what's actually going on underneath the surface.
After more than 20 years in HR, I'm still fascinated by people and what makes them tick. I'm passionate about helping people and businesses thrive, whether that's helping a manager find their confidence, supporting a leader through a difficult situation, or helping a growing business get its people foundations right.
Qualifications and experience
-
Chartered Member of CIPD and 20+ years HR experience
-
MA in Human Resource Management / CIPD qualified (Level 7)
-
ILM Level 5 diploma in Coaching and Mentoring
-
Qualified DISC practitioner
Qualifications tell just part of the story. If you'd like to find out more about my approach and whether I might be the right person to help you, let's have a conversation.
