She believes that one-to-one coaching provides a tailored method of working with individuals to help them build on their current strengths and capabilities to improve their own approach to managing relationships.
Coaching typically involves some sort of personal change. Clients find that the perspective and accountability they receive from coaching often enables them to achieve more than they would have alone. They also find that they reach their goals more quickly and change becomes a positive rather than a painful experience.
"As a coach, my role is to listen carefully, reflect what I hear, ask powerful questions and deliver effective feedback," says Skates "This allows the client to challenge ingrained thinking, get to the source of the issue (rather than just the symptom), generate their own strategies and hold themselves to account".
Her coaching sessions are not limited to business goals alone. While they are useful for setting direction and providing structure, she believes it is vital to considering them in the context of the client as a 'whole person'. She believes clients must take responsibility for the coaching agenda and their own personal development if they are to gain long-lasting value from the coaching engagement.
Most of her clients work is in organisations – both large, established companies and small firms undergoing significant growth.
The management and people-related challenges she helps people deal with include:
- Transforming experienced professionals into effective managers
- The need to manage the tensions between highly creative and highly technical/analytical individuals working in the same team
- Managing physical and virtual teams
- Effective relationship building with clients
- Retaining and motivating creative, entrepreneurial staff in a structured, corporate environment
- Supporting individuals who feel 'stuck' and want to move out of their comfort zone
- Dealing with managerial growth challenges
