When it comes to writing about oneself for this part, it has been a little tricky. What do the curious want to read? Is my LinkedIn profile sufficient for someone to want to enquire further as to how we might work together? Is that enough? Then I read what my friend Gordon has generously written below, reflected on how I came to this position of coaching and mentoring, and what has ultimately brought me to setting up John Stannard Consulting at this time. The experiences have been the Hult Ashridge World Class Mentoring Programme, nearly 12 years as Chair and Vice Chair of the England Cricket Board Coaches Association, NLP training, performance coaching, training coach educators and 30 years in business. The reasons are having a genuine interest in people and listening to them, to create a rapport and an opportunity for them to share of themselves, and to have fostered a relationship where trust is the foundation and honest conversation naturally occurring. It has come from my interactions with people who have various experiences and roles in life. If you wish to find out more about the consulting process have a look here, otherwise to read more about my experiences and motivations in helping to develop people please read on. 

I was raised by parents who ran a small business for 50 years, working for and with them, experiencing the highs and lows, the stresses and strains, making connections and creating lasting relationships, communicating with a diverse range of people from various backgrounds, managing employees professionally and personally, and experiencing what it means to be resilient. 30 years in business has been a lesson in what contributes to my resilience.

I have been fortunate enough to take my experiences in business, especially in communication, to an interest in coaching cricket, both in grassroots and performance environments. As well as the learning which came from taking the different levels of qualification, coaching also showed me that to affect positive change those being coached learned in different ways, and that the art of questioning was a skill that produced self-sufficiency. If a player could assess a situation and ask the question of themself to pull out the answer from their training memory, then they could effectively coach themselves when performing and under emotional pressure.

From there I worked in the area of coach education, principally for the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Once again it gave me the golden opportunity to observe and learn from incredible coach educators within cricket and from other sports, as well as individuals from beyond sport.  From delivering courses and workshops to coaches, to facilitating training to tutors and contributing to new coaching qualifications both in content and delivery as well as conducting assessments, this work brought me into the area of developing people in roles that would in turn develop and influence others.

For a period of nearly 12 years I was also privileged to be both Vice Chairman and Chairman of the ECB Coaches Association where I represented the interests of coaches and coaching at a national and a local level. I was able to contribute to the strategic development of coaching and the support of coaches with the national governing body, helped to shape initiatives so they could be implemented into an operational reality, then communicated and supported these strategies to a diverse and committed body of coaches from both the professional and voluntary sectors. Similarly, I was able to form a relationship with the membership, listen to their experiences and concerns, and communicate these to the national governing body, thus helping to shape future strategies or alter aspects of existing ones. Being in this position also afforded me the opportunities to mentor boards and individual employees both in the UK and Europe, to help organise and host National Conferences and to sit on interview panels for governing bodies.

Recognising the nature of the work and my experiences, I was invited to attend the World Class Mentoring Programme with Hult Ashridge and through this I was fortunate to be able to conduct executive coaching/mentoring in the corporate environment which was an experience as equally rewarding as anything I have done. Working with professionals in different roles, understanding the nature of their work and the challenges they face, allowing them to release what’s on their mind and make sense of it, whilst being able to offer options to improve the quality of their working lives and impacting positively on their personal lives, all the while in an honest and supportive environment, is an energising and deeply rewarding experience. It also showed that coaches and mentors who listen and question effectively, as well as creating rapport and empathising with who they are working with, can create truly positive and productive relationships that favourably impacts on individuals and organisations.

Through my experiences as a business owner, performance coach, tutor, trainer, carer, chairman and mentor, I have been fortunate enough to have seen professional life, and life in general, from different viewpoints. I have also had the privilege to have observed and worked with very good people from all walks of life who have shaped my appreciation of what they achieve and how they go about achieving it. Amongst many things, it has really taught me the importance of listening well, not only to what is said, how it is said including the body language AND what is left unsaid. From this the crucial questions for understanding and development can come.

So that is how I have arrived to where I am today, shaped by the experiences of what I have done and who I have met along the way. Why coaching and mentoring? I think I go back to my parents for the motivation in working with people and how my empathy was developed. By how they helped and valued others, they showed me that kindness, generosity and support was a gift that was enjoyed on both sides; that seeing people succeed gave them so much joy. It’s that legacy that I am so proud of and that joy that drives me in what I do.

“Someone else’s success should be nothing but fuel for your motivation”
Art Jonak