On my first day in every new job, I always stop for a moment and look up at the building I’m about to enter. I take a deep breath and ask myself – how can I make a real impact here? Eleven years on almost to the day since I started at Sky, I now find myself as a Group Head and I owe a lot of this to Tony.
Tony and I worked together since the early days of my career at Sky. He has always been a brilliant career coach – astute, approachable, and instinctive of how to get the best out of someone. He has an incredible ability to really listen and then ask you just the exact questions that you need to work through a challenge or a problem – something which has proven invaluable to me over the years. I always walk away from our conversations feeling inspired and feel that fire again to take action in whatever it is I’m trying to achieve. What I love about working with Tony is the sheer level care, commitment and dedication that he puts into everything he does. That’s not only true of his work, but of the duty of care and high respect he shows to those around him, no matter what their level.
Over my years at Sky, I’ve been faced with some real challenges as a people manager and at times have felt at a bit of a crossroads. If I ever had a sensitive issue and I wasn’t sure quite who to reach out to, Tony not only noticed that I could do with some help and reached out to me himself but gave up time in his diary to coach me through it. He was in tune enough to notice when I really needed help. This comes very naturally to Tony.
More specifically, I worked with Tony closer on the Stepping into Management course he designed, and I’ve never been on a course like it. It was hands down the best I’ve done during my whole career. We covered everything you would need to be a great leader – from time management, to how to public speak, negotiation skills and your personal brand. I still use each of these things to this day. The things we were taught were heavily practical, easy to remember and apply and incredibly well thought through. I still credit the course for getting me my promotion shortly after to a Group Head.
If you ever have the chance to work with Tony, don’t hesitate. He is a unique find as a career coach and someone I will always continue to reach out to during my career.