I work with individuals, leaders and teams who want to understand something better, work through a challenge or explore what might be possible.
You don't always need to have the answers, or even know exactly what you're looking for. Sometimes having the space to think, talk things through and see things differently can make all the difference.
Understanding yourself. Working better with others. Finding your own way forward.
Stepping into something new
Taking on new responsibilities, finding your feet or developing your own leadership style.
As an Individual you may be…
At a career crossroads
Wondering what you really want next even when things look successful from the outside.
Feeling unsettled or stuck
Sensing that something needs to change, without being completely sure what that might be.
You don't need to know exactly what you need before we talk - working that out together can be a good place to start.
Wanting to understand yourself
Exploring what motivates you, your strengthens, what drains you, and the impact you have on others.
Looking to grow and develop
Building on your strengths and developing in a way that fits who you are.
Navigating a difficult situation
Facing a challenging situation or relationship at work and needing space to think it through.
Bringing different people together
Wanting to understand and value the different personalities, strengths and ways of working in your team.
Going through change
Needing to reconnect, understand what people need and find a way forward together.
As a Team you may be…
Working well, but capable of more
Looking to continue to strengthen relationships, build greater trust and find better ways of work together.
Missing important conversations
Finding that some things go unsaid, or that certain voices are heard more than others.
Finding collaboration difficult
Experiencing tensions or frustrations, even though everyone is capable and committed.
Building for continued growth
Exploring what makes your team effective, and creating more of the conditions that help everyone thrive.
How I can help you
There is no single way of working together. What we do depends on you, what you want to understand or change, and what would genuinely be useful.
Here are five ways that I can help.
PUFFIN AWARENESS
Understand yourself and others better
Using tools such as Insights Discovery and Motivational Maps, we can explore how you naturally work, communicate and respond to others, what makes you tick, what motivates you, what sits in you blind spot, and what might be getting in your way.
This can be useful for individuals or as a starting point for teams who want to understand and value their differences.
Explore Puffin Awareness →
PUFFIN DEVELOPMENT
Support as you work through something or develop
A longer coaching or mentoring relationship, shaped around you rather than a standard programme.
This might be about leadership, confidence, relationships, career choices, personal effectiveness or simply working out what you want next. I bring coaching where that helps, but I'm also happy to share my own experience and perspective when that would be useful.
Explore Puffin Development →m
That's absolutely fine. You don't need to choose a service before getting in touch.
A conversation about what is going on and what might help is often the best place to start.
PUFFIN THINKING
Somewhere to think about something that matters right now
A focused space around a question, challenge, decision or situation you want to explore. This might be one conversation, or a small number of sessions.
You don't need a development programme or a long series of coaching sessions. Sometimes a good conversation, some challenge and a different perspective are enough to help you see what is going on more clearly.
Explore Puffin Thinking →
PUFFIN TEAMS
Helping different people work better together
Bespoke work with teams to build understanding, strengthen relationships and make better use of the different people within them.
That might involve a workshop, individual conversations, Insights Discovery, team coaching or a combination of approaches. The starting point is always what is happening in your team and what would genuinely make a difference.
Explore Puffin Teams →
PUFFIN PERSPECTIVE
Understanding what's happening across your organisation
Sometimes an organisation needs to understand what's really going on before deciding what to change. Through conversations, structured interviews and thoughtful analysis, I help uncover pwatterns, explore different perspectives and identify opportunities for improvement.
The outcome is a clearer picture of what's happening, what might be getting in the way and practical options for moving forward.
Explore Puffin Perspective →
Not sure which PUFFIN approach?
How we might work together
Coaching
Thoughtful conversations that unlock insight and support growth.
Insights Discovery
Understanding the colour energies that shape how we think, feel and behave.
Mentoring
Sharing experience, perspective and practical guidance.
Motivational Maps
Understanding what drives us, and where our energy is best used.
Facilitation
Creating space for people to contribute, listen and move forward.
Workshops
Practical, interactive sessions for individuals or teams.
Why work with me?
I bring a lot of experience to what I do, but I don't come with a fixed formula for how you should lead, work or live your professional life.
I've spent more than 30 years working in professional environments, much of it leading people, teams and businesses. I've experienced many of the challenges I now help others think through, and I've learned as much from the things I've found difficult as the things that came naturally.
That experience matters, but so does how we work together.
✦ I'll listen and be curious
I'll take time to understand you, your situation and what matters to you before jumping to solutions.
✦ I'll recognise and value what makes you different
I'll help you understand your strengths, preferences and motivations, rather than expecting you to fit someone else's mould.
✦ I'll create a safe space to be honest
You won't need to have everything worked out, say the right thing or pretend things are fine when they're not.
✦ I’ll challenge you when it helps
Support doesn't mean simply agreeing. I'll ask questions, notice things and sometimes offer a different perspective.
✦ I'll bring my experience, but I won't assume your answer
I'll share my experience and perspective when useful, while helping you find what works for you.
✦ I'll be myself too
Warm, straightforward and thoughtful, with some humour along the way. This is a human relationship, not a process being done to you.
The aim isn't to turn you into somebody different. It's to help you understand more, make choices with greater confidence and find what works for you.
A little about me
From specialist to leadership
I've spent more than 30 years working in professional and consulting environments. I started out as an operational research modeller, health economist and technical specialist - and over time that career took me into leading people, teams and businesses, including senior executive and Board roles.
There was no grand plan - just a willingness to learn, grow and see where things might lead.
What I began to notice
Along the way, I learned a great deal about myself, about leadership and about working with people who see the world differently. I also discovered that some of the most rewarding moments came from helping others think things through - whether about their careers, relationships, leadership or difficult decisions.
For years, I thought of those conversations as something I did alongside my 'proper' job. Eventually, I realised they were an important part of what I brought.
My focus
When I thought about what I wanted to focus on at this stage of my career, I realised I didn't need to invent something new. I wanted to make more space for something I'd been doing for years, and something I knew mattered to me.
That's what led me to creating Beard Insights.
I get to concentrate on helping individuals and teams understand themselves and each other a little better, navigate challenges and work out what might come next.
What others say
Perhaps the best way to understand what it is like to work with me is to hear from people who already have.
“He wasn’t just teaching me leadership skills, but doing this in a way which took account of what was important to me.”
Carl, Senior Director, AXIS Consultancy
“He understands people and how to help them understand their own working habits, how to work with others and therefore how to build a highly functioning team.”
Ann-Marie, VP, Lumanity
“Steve created a welcoming and open environment where everyone felt comfortable exploring their strengths, communication styles, and areas for growth.”
Maria, Co-founder / CEO, HEOR Value Hub
“Steve has years of rich experience to draw from, and brings a thorough, considered and measured perspective to all he does.”
Brenda, Founder / CEO, AXIS
“The penny dropped that we had very different motivators, allowing me to quickly pivot, reframe the relationship and expand / challenge my own perceptions / behaviours.”
Christie, CEO & Founder
Different people. Different situations. What matters is helping each person or team find what works for them.
“Steve has years of rich experience to draw from, and brings a thorough, considered and measured perspective to all he does.”
Brenda, Founder / CEO, AXIS
Read more client experiences →
Shall we have a conversation?
If something you've read here has struck a chord, perhaps the next step is simply a conversation.
You don't need to know exactly what you need, or have everything worked out before you get in touch - we can talk about what’s on your mind and see whether I might be able to help.
I deliberately limit the amount of work I take on, so I have the time and space to give the people and teams I work with the attention they deserve.
