I help you find your own answers. It takes more time. But a solution you've reached yourself is one you understand, believe in, and are far more likely to follow through on. In my experience, it's the most effective approach — almost every time.
I had a similar problem once. Here's what I did — and what I'd do differently. Useful when you need a shortcut, or want to learn from someone who's been in a similar position. The risk is that my answer is shaped by my experience, not yours.
Give me the problem. I'll research it, think it through, and come back with a recommendation. Efficient, and useful for specific decisions. But it's my answer — you're implementing someone else's solution, which makes it harder to fully own.
Coaching is the backbone of everything I do. The goal is never to tell you what to do — it's to help you get clearer on what you actually think, what matters most, and what's getting in the way. From there, the path tends to become obvious.
But real situations rarely fit neatly into a single mode. When it's useful, I'll draw on mentoring — bringing my own experience to bear — or shift into a more consultative mode for specific decisions. The approach follows the need, not a formula.
There's no typical client. But there are recurring situations — moments where an outside perspective, and someone to think alongside, makes a real difference.
Career direction, where you work, how you work. You know something needs to shift — but the size of the change, and the fear of getting it wrong, makes it hard to move.
You're considering selling a business, stepping back, or moving on. You want to do it well — on your terms, at the right time, for the right reasons.
Something has shifted — personally, professionally, or both — and your old way of working no longer fits. You need to work out what does.
You're building something. The challenges are getting more complex — strategy, people, culture, decisions under pressure. You want a thinking partner who's been in the room.
Something isn't working in how the team operates — communication, trust, performance, or dynamics. You want to address it properly, not paper over it.
Peers, stakeholders, or people above you. The relationship is costing you energy, influence, or results — and you want to change that.
You're effective, but it doesn't feel sustainable. You want to be better with your time, your energy, and your attention — before something breaks.
The mire of competing demands, unclear priorities, or just the creeping feeling that you're moving but not going anywhere. You need clarity, and someone to help you find it.
We start with a discovery conversation — not a sales pitch, just an honest look at where you are and where you want to be. From there I'll get a fuller sense of the current situation, what you're trying to achieve, and what's getting in the way.
Sessions are typically 90 minutes, by video call or in person — whichever works. Between sessions, you have access to me for a message or quick call if something comes up and you don't want to wait. Some of the most useful conversations happen in the gaps.
When the problem warrants it, there's the option of a day at the farm in Sussex — proper thinking space, away from the desk and the diary. Fire, fresh air, and enough room to think something through properly.
We begin with a two-session trial. If it's working, we continue. If not, no hard feelings. After the trial, either side can end the engagement with a month's notice.
Sometimes the work isn't one-to-one. A leadership team needs to make a decision together. A group needs to surface what it actually thinks. A new direction needs to be owned, not just announced.
I design and run sessions that help teams think — not just discuss. The difference is structure. Good facilitation creates the conditions for honest conversation and clear outcomes, without anyone feeling managed or manipulated.
Sessions range from a single afternoon to a multi-day offsite. Some happen at the farm in Sussex — space, fire, and enough distance from the office to think differently. I work with leadership teams, founding teams, and groups going through change.
"Al has a rare ability to help you think more clearly without ever telling you what to think. I came in circles; I left with a plan I actually believed in."
Founder, creative consultancy"I'd tried other coaches. The difference with Al is that he understands the real pressures of running a business — he's not working from a framework, he's working from experience."
MD, technology business"Genuinely one of the best investments I've made in myself. The work goes deeper than I expected, and the results have been more practical than I hoped."
Co-founder, B Corp