Recommendations

Steve’s coaching has definitely helped me regain my confidence. Not only that, the sessions managed to help me to understand why I had lost my confidence in the first place.

Steve’s coaching has enabled me to understand more about myself as a leader and helped me to develop my skills, encouraging me to have faith in myself and my abilities.

He has the ability to carefully steer each session with the perfect balance of reflection and compassion, ensuring you feel comfortable and listened to.

He is a really genuine guy and I am grateful he has been part of this journey with me, providing me with the tools to become the leader I want to be.

I would most certainly recommend Steve as a coach and look forward to catching up with him for a final reflection in due course.

I’ll be forever grateful to Steve for his support and wisdom during a challenging time. His comforting but honest style was helpful in allowing me to see and take control of things and shift my mindset.

Steve is a very skilled coach, carefully but purposefully navigating you through each session and is great at helping you reflect.

Throughout my sessions with him, I felt supported and listened to; (it’s a great skill to be able to ‘actively listen’ to people and Steve is adept at it) and he helped me to regain my confidence through reminding me of the things I do well.

I also bagged an exciting new job as a result of my renewed confidence and without Steve’s coaching, I know I might not have the self-assurance to take the leap of faith and push myself out of my comfort zone.

One of the nicest things Steve said to me during my coaching was that I was very authentic, something which is also very true of Steve and his approach and values is reflective of that.

I’d happily (and have already) recommend Steve to anyone!

Steve’s refreshing, clear, no-nonsense support sets him apart.  He understood me right from the start and really ‘got’ what mattered to me – which is very reassuring when you’re going in circles in your mind!

Steve and our sessions were focused, friendly, and well-organised.  Compared with other coaches, my experience was:

*There’s good continuity and progression between sessions
*He really cares about you and your success
*He doesn’t play games – if he sees something obvious that you’re not seeing, he’ll say
*His observations and suggestions always moved things on productively.

Highly recommended – come to his LinkedIn for the content, and stay for the coaching!

Steve has a superb knowledge of all aspects of the charity sector all the way through from volunteering to Chairing the Board of Trustees.

He is generous with sharing his knowledge and expertise and does so in such a way that you really remember what he says – and the humour that accompanies it.

Steve has just led a strategy development session for us and in a short space of time enabled us to see so many aspects and make decisions that no amount of work over the previous 8 months had achieved.

Thanks, Steve, you are thoroughly recommended!

Steve gave a presentation on Working Together at a recent Stronger Kent Communities event.  He was engaging, funny and very informative – he gave loads of good ideas for people to take away. I’d definitely recommend him.

I reached out to Steve for coaching during the lockdown as I had previously come across several of his brilliant LinkedIn posts (If you haven’t come across them already, I urge you to do so, they’re guaranteed to raise a smile!).

Our introductory conversation generated plenty of self-reflection before we even got into the coaching discussions and being able to benefit from Steve’s vast knowledge and experience was invaluable.

Steve’s ‘real’ understanding of the sector with all its opportunities and challenges was evident, and it was a great relief not having to explain some things in detail as Steve clearly understood and ‘got it’ having been there himself. It helped that the sessions also came delivered with an amazing sense of humour!

I learned a lot about myself and admittedly it was not always easy. There were some difficult conversations to be had and reflections to face up to, yet Steve handled those sessions with compassion and sensitivity whilst being challenging and not afraid to ask those tricky questions.

Coaching with Steve was a great investment and an absolute joy. I would totally recommend working with Steve if you get the opportunity.

Steve and I did some coaching sessions soon after I took on a new role as a charity Chief Executive.

I am so glad we connected!  What I appreciated about my sessions with Steve was his ability to ask sharp questions to get to the heart of an issue.

He also has a sense of ‘been there, seen it, done it’ with regard to the charity CEO role, which was a tremendous support for someone in my position.

I felt comfortable being fully open and honest with Steve and (although it’s a cliche), he did create that ‘safe space’ for the coaching work to happen.

Steve also has a wicked sense of humour (in a good way), that both puts you at ease, but also challenges you.

Arriving at the end of 2022, and stepping into 2023, I have some clarity on my goals for the short & middle term.

I look forward to keeping up with Steve’s LinkedIn posts, which are also equally insightful and good humoured.

Working with Steve is transformational!  

Becoming CEO of a VCSE Sector infrastructure organisation at the beginning of the pandemic led to some complex issues and challenges.  Coaching with Steve gave me the space for me to reflect, problem-solve and become confident in my abilities to lead the organisation.  The sessions were productive, thought-provoking and inspiring. 

Being an experienced VCSE Sector leader and ambassador, Steve intuitively knows the challenges faced by charity CEOs and helps them to reflect and see the significant impact they make.

Steve coaches with care, kindness and not a small amount of humour and role models positive behaviours.  He unlocks the potential in those he coaches leading to immediate results but also long-term change for individuals and, in turn, organisations.

It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Steve. Always a learning experience and our sessions leave a lasting impact for me both professionally and personally.

Steve tells you what you need to hear, even if it's not always what you want to hear!  He's supported me through some major changes at work and increased my confidence in my own abilities as a leader.

Steve combines real insightfulness and warmth with the rare ability to show you where (and help you plan how) you need to develop.

This highly thoughtful and skilled approach and his real depth of understanding of the role of the charity CEO (and great use of humour!) means coaching with him is the right balance of action orientated, reflective and supportive.

I worked with Steve in my first year as a new CEO and found his support, insight and challenge an absolute lifeline in navigating the complexities of small charity leadership, in particular leading for change. Cannot recommend him highly enough!

Steve has used his skills and experience to develop senior leaders to improve their impact in our charity.  His pragmatic and iterative approach encourages quick progress and a balanced and measured response to every type of challenge.

Steve’s outlook on leadership is refreshing and based on realistic outcomes with authenticity high on the agenda.  I would recommend every senior leader or CEO in the Third Sector to have a session with Steve!

Steve facilitated our board away day at North Kent Mind.  He delivered a dynamic, entertaining and thought-provoking day.  Steve gave his time before, during and after the day.  I felt it was of excellent value and our board came away with concrete actions and plans.  His facilitation is first class and Steve is a very likeable, approachable consultant, who makes people at all levels feel at ease.

Coaching with Steve has helped to restore my confidence following a challenging few months in a previous role and develop my leadership skills and style as I transition into being a first-time charity Chief Executive.

Steve has provided the perfect balance of insightful and honest critical reflection and supportive encouragement.  Our coaching sessions have enabled me to feel more self-assured in leading ‘my way’, and also encourage my colleagues to recognise and develop their own leaderships skills.

Steve’s input has enabled me to learn more about myself as a person, and as a leader, at a crucial time in my career, to grow from his wisdom and guidance and feel better prepared for the challenges that I’m likely to face in my role as a charity CEO.

Steve delivered two sessions for us at our NHS Charities Together national conference; one on Terrific Terminology and one on Marvellous Methodology.  Feedback from attendees was particularly positive on the Terrific Terminology session.

Steve really engaged the room, pitching the session at the right level, and managing to get a lot of information across in a short space of time – with a good level of humour and a confident, relaxed style.

The planning and development process wasn’t without its challenges, but Steve turned up and delivered, creating a good foundation for further conversations on impact!  I am looking forward to working together on a webinar later in the year.

Steve worked with us recently as a facilitator on our Learn, Test, Change series for local trustees.

I find Steve so thoughtful and curious, just as you’d hope a great facilitator to be – he really wants to get the best from working together.

Steve’s knowledge of our work and the wider sector helped greatly and he brought a sense of perspective and humour to some difficult circumstances. I look forward to when we can work together again.

We really enjoyed our Values Workshop with Steve, he’s a brilliant facilitator and trainer.

Not only was it fun with amazing colourful sticky notes, pens and string but it felt as if everyone’s views and, most importantly, values were listened to and validated.  That’s no mean feat with such a large group and range of people!

This is what I was really keen to achieve when briefing Steve and I really felt like he spent the time listening to me.  The other great thing is that he adapted his plan on the day to meet the additional needs within the group, so we really appreciated that.

I highly recommend Steve and look forward to working with him again soon.

We commissioned Steve to undertake an organisational review.  He presented his recommendations in a manner that enabled us to see what was required to make the next steps; and also reflect on how to be more focussed in our actions.  In short Steve’s skills and critical insight were just what we needed at that time.

If any of my contacts within the charity sector are thinking about coaching for themselves or for their teams, then I can not recommend Steve Allman highly enough.

His knowledge of our sector and the challenges its leaders face is second to none but his style, approach, skills, insight and personality create a really powerful environment that challenges and supports in absolute equal measure.

I really value the time I get to spend with him and I know that I’m a better leader and person for it.

Steve delivered a workshop on impact for Getting on Board’s Festival of Trusteeship.  He knows his stuff and has a lovely, helpful, practical approach.  He is a pleasure to work with and his experience of working with hundreds of organisations shines through.

Steve is an exceptional communicator.  He was confident and respectful in arranging interviews with young activists.  I found him very easy to work with as he understood exactly what we were trying to achieve.

My goals are becoming achievable. My reality is less foggy. The options are clearer and my will to work towards my dream of ultimate career fulfilment has been invigorated!

I approached Steve for some career guidance and coaching as I was lost and unfulfilled in my career but didn’t know why.  Steve listened to my values and helped me to discover and explore my motivations, pairing those with job options that I’m qualified for.

I only spent a few hours with Steve as these sessions provided me with more than enough value to be able to re-evaluate my position.  I left my time with Steve feeling re-energised and motivated.  I found a new role quickly that aligned with my motivations.

We found our experience of merging three organisations into one, complex, challenging and at times very bumpy!  However, having our hand held by Steve inspired confidence in our ability to achieve it.  He helped us give a voice to our merger vision and guided us through a roadmap of milestones.  Furthermore, his understanding of the voluntary sector, his professionalism and approachable and calm manner gave us full confidence in him.

I worked with Steve in his capacity as a facilitator for Home-Start UK.  The work took place over 3 months and had a focus on trustee, governance and succession planning.  

Steve supported the structure of the work-plan and supported participants in the main group and breakout groups.  He made suggestions and proposed ideas to aid conversations and discussions and was at all times flexible when participants had issues they need to explore in-depth.

Steve has an in-depth understanding of the charity sector and of Home-Start.  At all times Steve was personable, accessible, flexible and professional and I would recommend him for similar work.

Steve has been amazing to work with throughout our time together.  Very rare to find such a human touch.

Steve ran an excellent workshop on evaluating outcomes; a crucial subject but often very dry.  Steve brought evaluation to life with some great examples and good humour.  He is clearly a very experienced trainer and facilitator and enabled everyone to contribute and most importantly to think about what they currently do and how they can do things better.  Highly recommended.

Steve's approach towards our beneficiaries was friendly and empathetic, yet tenacious - his response rates were impressive and we're delighted with the result, which is a comprehensive and impactful report, evidenced with powerful qualitative and quantitative information.  We've recently secured further funding from the Big Lottery Fund and Steve's report undoubtedly helped us achieve this.