Andy Jones - Chair & Finance

Andy Jones - Chair & Finance

My approach to my coaching and supervision practice

I have a calm, friendly and yet challenging approach that puts my clients at ease and encourages reflection and self scrutiny.

For me, the most important element is the relationship with the client and providing the space and sometimes, silence, for them to reflect and think. As such, I focus on building rapport and trust so that the client feels able to collaborate openly and honestly in a safe environment. Each client is unique and therefore I don’t follow any rigid model or approach, instead drawing upon my wide range of experience, the psychology of behavioural change and evidence based coaching techniques to help my clients achieve their potential.

I strive to create a warm, supportive, calm environment, listen attentively and use insightful questioning and challenge to broaden thinking, raise self-awareness and enable deep reflection. Often, I will pick up on the client’s words and body language, opening the door for them to new perspectives that help them to find their own answers and embed new, more effective behaviours. I encourage my clients to see the wider context and to consider the system within which they operate.

What APECS means to me

I was introduced to APECS whilst studying at Henley Business School and was drawn to the reflective, executive coaching focus of the community. As I’ve grown my practice, I have particularly valued the quality of the conversations and depth of experience amongst the membership as well as the feeling of ‘belonging’ that one gets from being part of a smaller group of like-minded professionals. Having completed my MSc almost 2 years ago, I now feel ready to embark on the journey to Master Accreditation and am looking forward to the reflective, capability-based nature of the process which feels much more in tune with my coaching philosophy than other approaches that I have experienced.

The value I bring to my clients

Clients value my ability to create the environment where they can generate new thinking whilst at the same time bringing a business perspective from my extensive experience in finance, financial services and consulting.

I took my first board level role over 2 decades ago and have led diverse, global teams as Finance Director, COO and global Transformation Lead in companies such as PWC, Fidelity and Credit Suisse. I bring this experience of the realities of the corporate world to my work with executives and their teams and enjoy supporting them in making the changes that will enable them to thrive and perform at their best in a complex and uncertain world.

I work with a range of clients from senior executives to rising leaders in a variety of sectors, often helping them to enhance their personal impact and relationships, build confidence, transition to a new role and lead change.

Examples of coaching/supervisor work

Bank director - building confidence

This director was really struggling to believe that she was worthy of her role within the organisation and felt ‘small’ when surrounded by university educated peers and senior executives. I helped her to see the strengths that she had, her hands-on experience and exceptional ability to communicate and motivate those around her. We noticed words she regularly used that diminished her confidence and I helped her see how, by using different language, she would improve both her confidence and impact.

I took time to get to know her as a person, her strengths, values, beliefs and the system around her. We worked together to understand how she operates and helped her to find approaches to network effectively, create an elevator pitch, challenge her thinking and apply techniques to give her confidence in the moment so that, in her words, she now believes in herself.

General Counsel - improving relationships and building resilience

The General Counsel of a regulatory body was referred to me as she was struggling with her relationships with key stakeholders in the organisation. This was having a serious impact on her health and stress levels. Together we explored her preferred communication style and through challenging questioning, broadened her thinking as to how this might be received by her stakeholders with very different personalities, values, motivations and behaviours. As a result, she was able to come up with different approaches that she applied between sessions, learning from these experiences and adapting her style to communicate more effectively. We also explored the events and thought processes that were contributing to her heath and stress issues. By helping her to challenge her thinking using cognitive behavioural techniques and practising strategies to help manage her stress levels, she was able to build resilience and self-efficacy.

Qualifications and Experience

MSc - Coaching and Behavioural Change, Henley Business School

Certified Associate – APECS

PCC – International Coaching Federation

Hogan – HPI, HDS and MVPI

FCA – Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales

BSc – Banking and Finance, Loughborough University