How I Work
I help people focus their attention on what matters, giving them boundaried time to think things through, for themselves. I help people focus their thinking so they can make better decisions and have better outcomes.
My work as a Time To Think Consultant, Coach and Facilitator is based on the framework developed by Nancy Kline known as the Thinking Environment.
Having initially trained as an Executive Coach, I decided to specialise in the Thinking Environment approach, and became an accredited Time to Think Coach and Facilitator in 2020. I coach individuals on a 1-1 basis and also work with teams and groups, creating a Thinking Environment in which people can focus their attention, discover fresh thinking and breakthrough what’s holding them back. Using this transformative approach helps people generate new ideas and solutions collaboratively and can light the spark of innovation.
In 2024, I qualified as a Time to Think Consultant. I offer a range of accredited Thinking Environment Programmes in person in Ireland, and also can provide customised solutions for teams and organisations, in person or online.
What I offer as a Coach
I’m a coach who has worked as a senior leader, who understands the personal and professional challenges of being in the middle of a complex and changing environment. I can provide you with the time and space and focussed attention in which to think things through, so you can reach your own answers to the questions you’re grappling with, so you can make better decisions for yourself and make progress towards better outcomes.
If you are operating at a senior level, you may feel constrained in who you can talk to in a confidential and non-judgemental way. My experience of working at a senior level and my own experience of changing career direction enable me to offer you a supportive and non-judgemental space in which you can explore and consider your options, so you can make better decisions for yourself.
What I offer as a Facilitator
I have extensive experience of working as a senior leader and managing challenges, especially when faced with competing demands. I understand the pressures of time and expectations that face senior managers and leaders. After a career in a range of senior corporate and operational roles, I have worked as an Organisational Consultant and have insight into the complexity and ambiguity that faces senior leaders .
I can work with you and your team to create a structured and focussed environment in which to think about and plan for change, an environment where people can think creatively, challenge their assumptions and can shift perspectives. As well as delivering practical outcomes from structured sessions, having an opportunity to experience the Thinking Environment approach and processes will provide and your team with skills you can apply in both your personal life and your professional life.
What I offer as a Teacher of Thinking Environment accredited Programmes?
I run the Foundation (2-day) Programme and the Thinking Partnership (3-day) Programme, in Ireland. These are for small groups, in-person.
I also offer the Transforming Meetings Programme, in-person or online, for teams or groups of peers.
What is the Thinking Environment?
At the heart of the Thinking Environment ® are Nancy Kline’s observations that
“the quality of everything we do depends upon the quality of the thinking we do first” and that “what helps us do our best thinking is how we are treated by others when we are thinking”.
In her profound work, Nancy Kline (the founder of Time To Think Ltd.) has identified a way of being, a way for people to think with courage, with imagination, with rigour and with grace. A way to create a culture of independent thinking, to discover fresh thinking, for ourselves and for others. For leaders, this offers a way to encourage creativity and problem solving, to transform how people interact and to build leadership capacity.
In supporting people to do their best independent thinking, Time To Think has identified ten behaviours or conditions that can help create the environment that encourages and supports independent thinking. The conditions (known as The Ten Components™) are: Attention, Equality, Ease, Appreciation, Encouragement, Feelings, Information, Difference, Incisive Questions, and Place. While each component is powerful individually, the presence of all ten working together gives this approach its transformative impact. You can read more about the Ten Components in this article.
What are the Building Blocks of the Thinking Environment?
The “Building Blocks” are the tools we can use to create a Thinking Environment in meetings or interactions.
They are different ways to offer people the opportunity to think well and to listen well together, using the ten components. The four tools are: Thinking Pairs, Dialogue, Rounds and Open Discussion. These tools are included in the “Build a Thinking Environment Programme” and the Transforming Meetings programme.