A host of movers and shakers received accolades for their contributions to the coaching profession, at this year’s Coaching at Work Awards.
The award results were announced by editor Liz Hall at a ceremony at the end of the annual Coaching at Work conference in London on 4 July, which was then followed by a reception sponsored by the online training provider the Wisdom Tree Academy to celebrate the awards.
Craig G Howe from the Wisdom Tree Academy handed winners a plaque and those highly commended, a certificate. A full conference report, with photographs, will appear in Coaching at Work’s September/October issue of the magazine.
“It’s been really tough for the judges to choose winners – there are so many out there who deserve accolades for their contributions to coaching and mentoring.
One thing we’re happy about this year is that we’ve been able to honour some people who have been beavering away for many years without shouting from the rooftops about their achievements, such as Edna Murdoch and Anne Hathaway,” said Coaching at Work editor Liz Hall.
Winners
Louise Sheppard (Best Article/s)
Tim Dench, Euroclear (Internal Coaching/Mentoring Champion)
Anne Hathaway, Time to think (External Coaching/Mentoring Champion)
Eve Turner (Contributions to Coaching Supervision)
Edna Murdoch (Lifetime Achievement)
Highly Commended
JOINT Liz Pick & Neil Atkinson (Best Article/s)
JOINT Eve Turner & Jonathan Passmore (Best article)
Victoria Niroomand-Rad (Internal Coaching/Mentoring Champion)
Jackee Holder (External Coaching/Mentoring Champion)
Edna Murdoch (Contributions to Coaching Supervision)
INTERNAL COACHING/MENTORING CHAMPION 2018 AWARD
Shortlist
• Craig Rollason, National Grid
• Heather Cooper, Hargreaves Lansdown
• Victoria Niroomand-Rad, Rosebery School
• Katherine Chowdry, British Transport Police
• Tim Dench, Euroclear
WINNER:
TIM DENCH
Judges’ comments on Tim Dench included:
- What can I possibly say that hasn’t been said? I made up my mind to vote for (this person) halfway through reading his nomination – and the reasons to do so just kept coming! Bravo, Tim, on the quantity and quality of the work you’ve done in this space.
- Tim has done a great job of bringing coaching into Euroclear and engaging leaders in taking it forward, well done.
- Tim has achieved so much in both designing, installing and integrating coaching and coach supervision, that is admirable and not easy to do in a multi-centre operation. He has based the initiative on sound principles, set the standards bar high – like insisting that all internal coaches have regular and high-quality coaching supervision – and has gained the respect and cooperation from peers and his senior management.
- Big respect Tim– a worthy award winner!
- His work with the JLP as well as in collaboration with other companies on Inside Out, is highly impressive. Tim has got my vote!
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Victoria Niroonmand-Rad, Rosebery School
Judges’ comments included:
- There were many impressive people in this category, very impressive. But Victoria Niroomand-Rad stood out for me. She follows a different path to traditional executive coaches and she is leading on coaching with the future generations in schools. This is impressive as is her leadership and the progression and impact she has made in such a short space of time. I think this award needs to go to Victoria so she can be validated and acknowledged for the work she is pioneering with young people. I am so proud of her and what an asset she is to the education system.
- An excellent initiative to support students.
- My vote goes to Victoria, largely because she is championing young people in the schooling system. We need to get more schools valuing coaching and it was inspiring to read of Victoria’s desire to translate her own experience of coaching into something that served the young people in her school, in an attempt to empower their own futures
EXTERNAL COACHING CHAMPION 2018 AWARD
Shortlist
• Jackee Holder, independent
• Jonathan Passmore, Henley Centre for Coaching
• Ann Akers
• Anne Hathaway, Time to think
• Eunice Aqulina, independent
WINNER: Anne Hathaway, Time to think
Judges’ comments included:
- Her support of Nancy, and the great work done through thinking environments, reflects the hard work often undertaken by those out of the limelight, in the wings. Time to step forward and take a bow!
- Really excellent contribution – fully deserving of being recognised with this award
- We all stand on the shoulders of giants in this industry and it feels important to acknowledge that. Great names in the field have not worked alone as her example demonstrates. Anne clearly deserves to be recognised for her tireless contributions behind the scenes. Getting a publisher to buy into something that seems like a good idea and might sell is one thing – getting grisly senior execs, as Anne has from an early stage, to slow down and create time to think in practice so that there are good stories to tell in the first place is quite another.
- My vote goes to her for the phenomenal work she has done around Time To Think and he impact this has had nationally and globally. I deeply admire individuals who do the work without seeking an accolade and I do believe there is a time when they need to be acknowledged for their contribution to the field.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Jackee Holder, leadership coach, coach trainer, coach supervisor and creative writing facilitator, and inter-faith minister
Judges’ comments included:
- She’s a breath of fresh air, refreshingly willing to stand up and speak out, about diversity among other issues, challenging and inviting us as individuals and as a profession to stop burying our heads in the sand when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
- A commitment to diversity and inclusion is core to Jackee’s coaching identity and practice and it greatly influences and impacts the diversity of perspective and understanding she brings to her work. One of the first black female coaches, she’s passionate about supporting organisations and the coaching profession to embrace diversity and inclusion, and has been championing the work of diversity and inclusion within the coaching profession for many years.
- She’s been willing to speak up about diversity during times when it’s been marginalised and ignored by much of the profession.
- Her grounded enthusiasm and presence, cheerful warmth and her genuine interest in those she is in conversation with are immediately apparent. Strong foundation of professional practice from youth and community work with young offenders and young people leaving care, in management and in leadership of a mentoring project matching local young black students with BBC newsreaders, producers and directors.
- Willing to take creative risks in coaching and training and from personal experience I know that she creates professional development spaces that say back to people that they matter as individuals, and that their history matters, as do the different strands of their diversity.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO COACHING SUPERVISION
Shortlist
• Louise Sheppard
• Michelle Lucas & Carol Whittaker
• Eve Turner
• Peter Welch, AOCS
• Edna Murdoch, CSA
WINNER:
Eve Turner
Judges’ comments included:
- I was fortunate to participate in their workshop at last year’s CAW conference. There is something about her that is simply generous. Generous with her knowledge, which has had a tremendous impact in the coaching supervision field and takes a variety of forms; and generous with her skills, experience, and time in her work for the coaching community and pro bono.
- A fantastic role model for the profession. Eve works tirelessly to promote good quality coaching supervision and supports the professional bodies to embrace best practice in coaching and mentoring.
- A powerhouse of intellect and energy in our profession! She constantly provides thought-leadership of the highest calibre in her research and writing e.g. on ethical practice.
- She Created the Global Supervisors Network, which is very popular, unbureaucratic, and the sessions are always well-attended (not easy to achieve when people are so busy and often don’t invest enough in their own CPD)!
- Enormous amount of work for coaching supervision: raising awareness, building community, facilitating high level CPD – all of these not as a business, but as a contribution to the field.
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Edna Murdoch, CSA
Judges’ comments included:
- Without doubt my vote goes to Edna for her outstanding contribution to the field of supervision. Her supervision has deeply impacted her supervisees and supervisors she trains through the CSA. She’s a thought leader, deeply reflective and a gorgeous soul to be around. She’s one of the coaching supervision pioneers who has put supervision on the map nationally and globally. I really hopes she wins this award as she so deserves it.
- There’s no question for me that this award should go Edna – no one has done more than her to develop coaching supervision – she’s been a true pioneer in this field.
- Even to have an award for this category owes something to those who went before, those who championed supervision from the early days. She is one of these – CSA is a leading training organisation and this together with her work and books in this area make her the one for me.
BEST THOUGHT ARTICLE/ARTICLE SERIES 2018
Shortlist
• ‘Breaking the silence’ by Liz Pick & Neil Atkinson
• ‘An artificial reality’ by Carol Braddick
• ‘The trusting kind’ by Eve Turner & Jonathan Passmore
• ‘The Real Business of Coaching’ column series by Ginny Baillie
• Series on supervisee-led research’ regular column by Louise Sheppard
WINNER:
‘Help or Hindrance’, ‘Fear, power and learning’ and ‘Pointing the way’: a three-part
series on supervisee-led research by Louise Sheppard
Judges’ comments included:
- Outstanding!
- I agree that the supervisee is an under-valued role in coaching and that the more we can highlight this, the further we can take the supervisor/supervisee relationship. I thought Louise’s research highlighted real possibilities here and hopefully made every coach think again about their supervision.
- Important contribution not only to practice but also to theory and the quality of coaching in principle.
- Great to have something evidence based and on such a bold topic.
- An excellent series of articles. Well researched, well written, valuable insights and developing the coach supervision arena.
- A timely piece of research that has wide ranging implications for the coaching
- profession.
JOINT HIGHLY COMMENDED:
by Liz Pick & Neil Atkinson
Judges’ comments included:
- Very practical article addresses critical issue of mental health and what coaches can & cannot do about it. Many coaches shy away from the issue, fearful of entering murky waters or crossing boundaries, yet with good contracting, clients can be suitably supported to manage the impact of their condition on their work performance, or of their work on their mental health.
- Really important area to tackle.
- Well written and a really important subject for the future of coaching. With 1 in 4 people affected by mental health we as coaches need to upscale and upskill to respond to the changing needs of our client groups and the organisational systems we work in.
- Brings to the attention an important issue for coaching and the future of coaching… easy to read and follow and made some important and significant points using simple language. Hope more articles follow on from this one.
- Provoked a lot of thought in me exploring the need for more psychologically minded coaches and recognising skills therapists to coach now bring to the industry…made me think about the need for a more psychologically minded assessment modelled on the assessments for the first session in counselling and therapy.
JOINT HIGHLY COMMENDED
By Eve Turner & Jonathan Passmore
- A timely piece of research that has wide ranging implications for the coaching profession.
- Great to have a solid evidential base for an article. Well written and researched as well as being clear and informative. It’s high standard reflects the work and contribution to the industry that both Eve and Jonathan have made over the years.
- I think that this article opens up an important debate to be had about ethical maturity and how supervisors can guide their supervisees through the ethical dilemmas encountered.
- The research needed has been identified by the authors and I know that this has led to further ongoing findings in this specific field.
- I applaud their efforts and diligence in pursuing these issues, beyond just the simplistic response of creating more codes to abide by.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2018
EDNA MURDOCH, CSA
- Edna has pioneered a whole hearted soulful ethical and integrative approach to coaching supervision where there was none before in this country and also globally.
- Has forged new ground and continues to forge new ground. A consummate visionary, practitioner, trainer, speaker, thinker and writer. The Diploma she codesigned and was Course Director for almost 13 years has received worldwide recognition and renown. Has inspired a new generation of coaching supervisors who in turn help to inspire, resource and nurture coaches working in complex systems the world over. A doyenne of supervision.
- One of Europe’s pioneers and leading thinkers on the world of supervision and supervision training. Has established a world class supervision training through the Coaching Supervision Academy along with Miriam Orissis. She role models from the inside out the heart and soul of, “Who you are is how you supervise.
- Passionate about all things connected and inter-related to supervision as it applies to the world of coaching. Her deep thinking, intuitive mind and passion for supervision is evident in the way she facilitates and teaches on the subject either through her work as a speaker or her writing and training. Acknowledging her contribution to the field of coaching supervision is well overdue and she has planted a legacy that will support the coaching profession as we move into the future and globalisation of coaching and supervision.
The awards process
The Coaching at Work team pulls together a shortlist of nominees in consultation with leaders and experts in the fields of coaching and mentoring, and suggestions from magazine readers. The shortlist is then shared with the Coaching at Work Editorial Advisory Board members who form the Awards Judging Panel, along with the Coaching at Work team. Those with the most votes win.
AWARDS CRITERIA
Best Article/Series 2017
• Well-written (e.g. clear, accessible, interesting, inspiring etc.)
• Helps to foster good/best practice in coaching/ mentoring
• Inspires new thinking and learning
• Generates debate
Internal Coaching/Mentoring Champion
• Championing coaching/mentoring within their organisation
• Raising standards and innovating within their organisation
• But also external-facing, contributing beyond the organisation to the wider
field, taking part in cross-organisational/body groups etc
External Coaching/Mentoring Champion
• Generous with their time, energy and thinking for the greater good of
coaching/mentoring, and those they serve
• Contributing to raising standards
• Innovating & challenging thinking
Contributions to Coaching Supervision
• Helping to promote and foster debate around supervision
• Challenging thinking in this field
• Contributing to its development
• Helping to raise standards
Lifetime Achievement Award
• A string of impactful achievements and contributions to the wider
profession over a lifetime- challenging thinking, helping to shape and
develop, raising standards, innovation, inspiration, walking the talk.
Coaching at Work is an independently owned magazine, which publishes bimonthly in a printed and digital format, in addition to monthly newsletters. It has been going since 2005. It also organizes events such as an annual conference and masterclasses. Its global LinkedIn group has more than 50,000 members.
Twitter: @CoachatWorkmag
For more information, or for quotes, contact Liz Hall, the editor, at:
liz@coaching-at-work.com
The Wisdom Tree Academy offers e-learning, including The Coaching Genome, a 12-week coaching mastery course, and training in Biometric Personality Mapping, and a forthcoming Cyberleading course.