Jane Downing has post-graduate qualifications in both Counselling Psychology and Education. She has many years’ experience in Executive Coaching and Leadership Development. She comes from a background in brief and strategic counselling, family therapy, and leadership training. She holds a Masters degree in Organisational Change.
Leadership coaching gives time off the treadmill to lift the spirit, let the past be the past, and enable some new beginnings.
It is time away from the everyday habits and rituals – time to reflect, renew, replenish – as a person and as a leader.
Some of the most spectacular shifts in thinking and relating to others occur during individual coaching sessions.
In leadership coaching, Jane assists the individual to consider their current habits and patterns, and how this impacts on themselves and those they live and work with. Emphasis is usually placed on:
Self-awareness – you are able to use various psychological tests and inventories, which allow you to get a picture of your preferences, strengths and weaknesses, in how you operate in a team, how you function in a relationship, and how you attempt to lead and influence others.
Inter-personal excellence – practitioner skills to ensure adult to adult collaborative problem solving as opposed to win/lose dynamics.
Attending to cycles and seasons in your life – times where it is important to unfreeze and give some endings to some habits and patterns, as well as times to refreeze with new beginnings. Where are you surviving rather than thriving in your home or work life?
Developing teams – knowledge and skills for assessing teams current functioning and intervening to improve individual’s performance and achieve synergy, so that the team is better than the best individual.
Looking after your own psychological and emotional health – offerings and practice from various fields, including mind/body/spirit/health, qi –gong exercise, meditation and energy medicine.
Suggested selected readings in-between sessions. This adds perspective for reflection at home and at work. It is also a vehicle for sharing at home.
Leaders must manage self, others, teams, change, the organisation. Jane emphasises personal growth as critical to ensure professional excellence.
For over twenty years, Jane has developed and conducted various forms of interventions in individuals, teams, and organisations.
Feedback from clients:
“Jane has real understanding of the human condition. She holds up a mirror, then with compassion helps you see what you must keep, and what you must let go”.
Partner, KPMG, 2013
“I always find I get so much insight from my individual sessions with Jane, it’s like a self-audit, and then you develop real skills for home and work with a very experienced coach”.
CEO, 2013
“Jane’s approach is holistic, she works on self-understanding , then working with others for the common good. Her focus on emotional and psychological health works wonderfully well”.
CIO, RSL Care, 2012