Keith Nelson’s coaching philosophy is to provide you, the client, with a supportive space to think and to explore, and to enable you to build the foundations for progress – and then turn that progress into transformational actions.
The relationship he co-creates with clients has its origins in his conversations with world class athletes. They often described to him how they performed at their best: when they were in the ‘zone’. Keith’s focus is to bring this into the coaching room: to enable you to access your personal ‘zone’. This allows you the freedom to explore and express your thoughts and feelings openly, without judgement or fear of consequences. This is explored within the context of the coaching topic – whether personal or business-related.
But it’s not always easy, otherwise there would be no need for coaching! Accessing and exploring your personal ‘zone’ allows you to consider your thoughts and feelings around the topics being discussed. Life and work can bring considerable challenges – we all know that life isn’t always a bed of roses. Clients can find themselves working through extremely tough times and coaching is always provided within a systemic perspective.
Working patiently, empathically and supportively generates the environment for safe exploration and greater personal liberation. From such freedom initially comes creative uncertainty, and then explorations of new opportunities. From this raised awareness – and through the coaching dialogue – you can free yourself up to explore new personal and professional horizons. Above all, Keith seeks to bring an enabling presence that builds the foundations for lasting changes and enhanced personal effectiveness.
The consequence is that you can benefit from a new paradigm – that of greater liberation – to make choices that are right for you. It creates a wonderful opportunity to make authentic, values-based decisions – whether these are within your job, shaping your career or recreating your life as a whole.
Your personal journey forwards is based upon deeper self-understanding and, frequently, resolution of personal internal challenges. Clients describe how they move away from uncertainty such as “Should I…?”, or “What’s the risk of?” They are then able to make choices from stronger platforms of self-belief to achieve more of their potential: whether that is to be more effective at work and / or to live richer and more fulfilling lives.
Keith aims to create a coaching environment for you to bring about transformational changes in your:
- Work and career
- Personal and professional performance
- Self-understanding and abilities to work with others
- Authentic growth through alignment with your personal values and motives.
He encourages his clients to dream big. Through the challenges he has overcome in his life history, he brings a supportive and resilient presence to his clients. Keith’s aspirations for you integrate the following elements into your journey:
- Heightened self-awareness; personal accountability; self-belief and your motivation are cornerstones for progress.
…leading to…
- Greater acceptance and freedom in thoughts and feelings
…leading to…
Discovering and bringing into focus new possibilities for a richer and more fulfilling life ahead
…leading to…
- Turning those possibilities into choices and then actions
…leading to…
- A better, freer, more authentic, values-driven approach to life.
Ultimately, Keith’s passion is that
Coaching changes the world for the better
And his coaching motto is:
“There is always another way.”
The Technical Stuff
Qualifications
Keith gained coaching qualifications in executive coaching and coaching psychology in the 1990s and invests in his ongoing development. He undergoes regular supervision.
Clients
A broad range of national and global clients from the private, public and third sectors.
Coach Training
Through his business Your Total Coach, Keith has trained hundreds of coaches – from supervisors and first line managers through to CEOs and consultants. His company is an accredited centre of ILM.
He is Director of Coaching Programmes at the Møller Institute, Churchill College, at the University of Cambridge. He was founder of coach training programmes at the Institute of Continuing Education, Cambridge University and delivers online coaching programmes there.
Coach Training
Keith’s book, Your total coach: 50 inspiring ideas for personal and professional growth was written to go alongside his coach training programmes. This year he contributed the chapter: Interpersonal approaches in coaching in a new essential coaching handbook: Professional coaching: principles and practice. He is also passionate about inclusion and diversity and was a co-author of Leading inclusion guide: a guide to leadership of equality, diversity and inclusion.
Experience
Keith set up his own business in 2001, having previously worked as Director of Coaching and Development, at EMAP, then a multi-media FTSE 100 company.
Speaking
He regularly speaks at conferences and seminars. His latest presentation is to a group of school principals at an international education conference in Barcelona, July 2019.
What They Say…
“Keith, you were very supportive and understanding, I appreciate it very much.”
~
“Thank you very much Keith, for your inspiration, professional guidance and I am looking forward to be working with you soon again.”
~
“Thank you Keith for such an interesting course … the biggest surprising fact for me was the extent to which Psychological theories and other psychodynamic tools play a crucial rule in Executive Coaching. Prior to starting the course I was under the impression that Executive Coaching had a huge component of business development theories. I now realise that it is in fact more than that…A great understanding of human behaviour and the intra personal world is as important.”
~
“Comparing to other Coaching courses that I have done, I actually like that this one has shown the complete face of Executive Coaching: including its obstacles, difficulties, blockages or handicaps. Coaching is not always at an idyllic setting.”
~
“A truly great course, and picking up on Socrates, I came out smarter than before, and I have found a whole new world of things I want to explore. Or to cite my wife: I can see you liked it by the amount of books added to the ton of books already blocking your bedside table.”
~
“Emerging true belief in the power of coaching after a session with Keith.”
~
“Having completed two courses at Cambridge I’ve now heard several people speak of Keith Nelson as almost legendary and been told if you ever get the chance to work with him then do so.”