James Clark - PCC
James first came to appreciate the value of coaching through his own personal experience of being coached. At the time (2000) James was serving on the board – and leading one of the business units – of FCO Services, a big public sector service organisation which was contemplating a radical transformation of its business, including a move to Agency status. As part of making himself as fit as possible to lead this transformation James began working with an executive coach. The experience was so valuable – in terms of the quality of his life, as well as the better results he was able to deliver for the business – that he undertook to train as a coach himself, initially with the simple aim of understanding the process, and giving himself the skills to support his own team in the same way … However, it grew from there!
After qualifying as a coach in 2005, in addition to weaving the coaching skills into his own leadership style James also worked to define and implement good coaching practice in the FCO more widely, which included designing and delivering coaching skills training for an internal cadre of coaches. In parallel, he enjoyed a successful diplomatic career, including periods living and working in the US, Luxembourg (as British Ambassador), Germany, Belgium and Egypt, as well as in the UK. As a senior diplomat, James gained experience in negotiation skills, economic & political reporting and analysis, trade & investment promotion, and media & communications work. James has also held leadership roles in corporate service delivery, building experience in leading organisations through change, and in communicating that change both internally and with customers.
With the FCO’s agreement, James also quite quickly began to gain private sector coaching and training experience; and formally established Clear Coaching & Consulting in 2007. Eventually the point came when James realised that he was enjoying the coaching so much – and had a gift for it – that he wanted to do it full-time. James left the diplomatic service in early 2010 to become a full time coach.
As a coach, James’s approach combines directness and challenge with lightness, warmth and humour.
Now based near Bath, James runs Clear Coaching & Consulting, serving coaching and training clients around the UK and internationally.
James is a credentialled member (PCC) of the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a certified member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). He is also an NLP Master Practitioner and qualified NLP coach, and is qualified to administer the Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI).