Andy Copeland

I hold a BA (Hons) degree in English from Oxford Brookes University and am an Ashridge accredited coach. I am licenced to use several psychometrics, including Firo -B, MBTI, Hogan HPI/HPS/HDI, Lumina Spark and 360° feedback tools.

I live in Hertfordshire, UK, with my wife and 2 children. Other interests include playing football and playing guitar.

Background

Previously holding a leadership position at Ashridge Executive Education, as well as an operational role in delivering education using technology, I combine a pragmatic style with strong theoretical knowledge. I started my own independent consultancy and coaching practice in 2016.

Industry Experience

Working within Financial Services, Healthcare, Energy, Transport, Retail, Food Packaging and Education industries as well as with Public Sector and not for profit clients, I bring a range of industry experience to my work.

Recent Successes Include:

While working with UK government staff during the Covid crisis, I coached a senior official around their challenges related to influencing in complex environments. By working through some suitable intervention techniques and strategies, they were enabled to use their skills, knowledge and experience in order to have measurable impact and influence in critical meetings with the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Developing confidence after feedback from line managers and peers about ‘leadership presence’.
Working with a client in Asia who was one of the first female factory managers in a leading food packaging company in order to develop ways of leading and managing that both felt ‘right’ and took in to account some complex cultural assumptions.
After a particularly provocative 360 feedback report, challenging a successful HR leader that their development would be best served by looking at their strengths of: always being in control and being strongly task/outcome focussed and the impact these had on those whom they work with. Developing ways of maintaining those strengths, while at the same time stretching the capability to be more collaborative and relational when required. This led to dramatically improved performance, not just personally but for their whole team.
Supporting the ‘reconnection’ of a dysfunctional Global Leadership Team. In this situation, there were clear elements of disconnection, silo thinking and passive behaviour. I worked to take the team back to their purpose and shared values. Through a careful process of trust building, open conversation and pragmatic actions, the team managed to shift from disconnection to true collaboration.
Enabling high performance. This team were working ‘well’, but they recognised that they were not quite hitting their potential when working together. Meetings had become stale and they felt that they were ‘going through the motions’ together. By looking at the stages of team development, performance metrics, as well as developing a team charter (which included the key elements of how the team support, challenge and hold each other to account), the team identified the actions and behaviours of a high performing team. Through cycles of observation, (I observed team meetings over a 6 month period), the team were able to live the actions and behaviours that they had identified and dramatically changed their energy and performance.

My approach

“Using strong listening skills, alongside organisational and theoretical knowledge, I aim to help my clients understand their role in the organisation, develop their understanding of their own leadership style and to discover new approaches and behaviours that allow them to succeed.”