Carolyn Didsbury - Governance, Risk & Compliance
Carolyn Didsbury - Governance, Risk & Compliance
My approach to my coaching and supervision practice
I work with leaders and aspiring leaders in a variety of organisations: in large multinationals, in smaller, more entrepreneurial companies, in academic research and in consultancies. The goals that my clients bring to coaching reflect the many challenges of leadership: leading self, leading others and leading organisations. Fundamental questions such as “how do I show up as a leader?”, “how do I find work/life balance?” and “how does my work link to my sense of purpose?” seem to be common in all settings.
Common themes that emerge include:
increasing self-awareness
leading self and others through change
developing an authentic leadership style
increasing leadership presence and impact
connecting with a sense of purpose
creating positive change and transformation
transitioning successfully into new or larger roles
I am always interested in the whole person and take an holistic approach to coaching each individual. This enables us to explore questions of identity, self-belief and purpose which are more about ‘being’ a leader than ‘doing’ leadership.
My intention as your coach is to create a safe space in which you can do your best creative thinking. I will listen carefully to what is being said and not said and ask questions that invite reflection, exploration and fresh thinking leading to purpose-full solutions and a way forward. I will bring both challenge and compassion to increase your self-awareness and support your personal development, to enable you to be the best you can be.
What APECS means to me
APECS values everything I bring to my coaching practice: my capabilities and capacity as a coach, who and how I am as a coach, and my experience as a leader in the corporate world. I love being part of a smaller community of coaches (not all like-minded!) and learning from each other. I enjoy the APECS events, that always involve great conversations and exchange of ideas with practitioners who have a wealth and variety of experience and practice. I see certification and accreditation by APECS as hallmarks of quality – ‘kitemarks’ for coaching. I’m confident that I could recommend an APECS-accredited coach to my best friend or client.
The value I bring to my clients
My clients appreciate my understanding of business and leadership and my experience, awareness and presence as an executive coach. My corporate background includes 15 years’ experience of human resources and leadership development in GlaxoSmithKline, a complex multinational organisation, partnering with General Managers and other senior leaders. I’ve led and managed teams in the UK and across Europe and have coached executives in Europe, Asia and Africa in a variety of roles and functions.
My clients value the safe space I offer in which they can explore the issues that concern them without feeling judged. Here are two examples of feedback I’ve received:
“Carolyn gives me this fantastic jolt of energy, different perspective and very deep insight into what is going on. I love how she manages to be both compassionate and yet very challenging.”
“For me the most important things have been the ability to get to the bottom of complex questions and very deep thought-provoking questions that lead to real actionable insights. I have had situations where through one powerful question Carolyn has been able to shift my whole perspective on a situation so completely and this helped me enormously.”
Examples of coaching/supervisor work
Country General Manager (transitioning successfully into new and larger role)
Managing Director, Marketing Agency (increasing leadership presence and impact)
Director of Quality for a major manufacturing site (leading through change)
Consultant (managing emotions to create positive change)
Charity Director (developing an authentic leadership style)
Franchise Head, Pharmaceuticals (connecting leadership with purpose).
Qualifications and Experience
M.Sc. Coaching & Behavioural Change
Post-Graduate Certificate in Psychosynthesis Leadership Coaching
APECS Accredited Master Executive Coach
B.A. (Hons) History
Chartered Member CIPD
