Meet Vicky
Coaching unlocks personal potential and paves the way for accelerated growth and achievement.
Vicky Crane
Leadership coach, trainer and improvement consultant
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I live in the wonderful county of Yorkshire in the seaside town of Scarborough, although I do spend a considerable amount of time in Leeds for work and with family and friends. A teleportation system instead of the A64 would be great, but I love being by the sea so a small cost overall.
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Over the past 10 years, I have been running my own improvement consultancy business. I love both the challenge and the flexibility. Variety is important to me, and being my own boss allows me to pursue interesting projects and areas of professional fascination.
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My work regularly includes working with senior leaders to analyse data, audit and review current performance, facilitate strategic thinking, provide leadership training and coaching, and work with teams on problem solving. I therefore bring to coaching and facilitation an understanding of the challenges of continuous improvement and variables in performance, particularly in education settings.
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I have over twenty years of experience in designing effective courses from single sessions to year-long programmes. I benefit from extensive computing skills that enable me to create unique, high-quality materials for both face-to-face and online learning. I love a splash of colour, so my resources tend to stand out. Course content typically draws on my top 5 Clifton strengths of achiever, learner, futuristic, strategic and restorative - leading to challenging courses that are orientated in action. Leaders attending courses have achieved success through a focus on deep thinking - conceptually, practically, personally.
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Before moving into self employment, I held a series of leadership roles within local government. This included strategic leadership, financial management, contracting, leading a team of specialists, monitoring of performance, quality assurance and reporting. I am therefore able to draw on my own leadership experience in partnering with clients and understand the challenges that come with operating at a senior level and in a large organisation.
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Earlier in my career, as a qualified teacher I held teaching and leadership positions in schools and this was the start of a route that has always had at its heart helping others to unlock their potential and grow in confidence and capability. My successes in supporting others with career development feeds into my ability to coach leaders who are transitioning to senior roles. ​​
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I have a range of teaching and leadership qualifications, and to add to this I have completed the Institute of Leadership and Management Level 7 Executive Coaching and Mentoring qualification. One of my top 5 Clifton Strengths is 'learner' and I thrive on developing and deepening my knowledge on a wide range of professional topics, and in harnessing research in the work I undertake with leaders.
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I am a member of the Association for Coaching.
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Qualifications and training:
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ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching and Mentoring (completed with the West of England University).
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Train the trainer : Facilitation training for Specialist Leaders in Education and accredited to provide SLE induction training, National College for School Leadership.
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NCSL Leading Pathways, National College for School Leadership.
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NCSL Leading from the Middle, National College for School Leadership.
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D32 & D33 Assessor Awards, Bradford College.
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BA (Hons) Degree in Education and Technology with Business Studies and Qualified Teacher Status (Class I), Leeds University.
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A levels in Business, Government and Politics, Computing.
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9 GCSEs including English and Mathematics.
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Keeping up to date is important:
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I spend a significant percentage of my time reading research and accessing key texts on coaching and leadership subjects. One of my top 5 Clifton Strengths is 'learner' and this is one of the reasons I love the my job. As well as the vast amount of professional reading I undertake, and my own action research, I also regularly attend workshops, seminars and training delivered by others. ​​
How my skills can benefit you
Before we dive into coaching sessions, I take time to get to know you, your organisation, and what matters most to you. Clients I have worked with tell me how much they appreciated this and how it ensured the programme of coaching was exactly what they needed. "I found the contracting sessions really helpful to discuss and ensure the goals I wanted were the correct ones. This was something I haven't really done before and certainly not to the degree we did. The time spent on ensuring the goals were correct really helped shape the coaching and were used regularly through the coaching by Vicky to help me reflect on what had been achieved. The sessions exactly matched my priorities and again I think this was due to the clarity of the contracting session." I undertake a variety of desktop exercises to help understand your organisation, and some clients arrange an on-site visit.
With strong strategic and analytical skills, I support clients in exploring complex issues in depth. My ability to listen deeply and distill key themes helps clients clarify their thinking, make meaningful connections, and uncover new insights.
My clients tell me that I create a safe space for them to share. They leave sessions feeling heard, uplifted, and confident, and often report many benefits from coaching. One client described the experience as 'empowering' — as the word that best captured how it felt. Clients often tell me that, as trust builds over time and they feel increasingly comfortable bringing sensitive issues into our sessions. One client shared that they were able to talk openly about a recent HR difficulty, knowing they wouldn’t be judged — only met with genuine understanding, support, and the opportunity to plan out a successful way forward.
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What's my style and approach?
My style of coaching is a blend of different approaches and I partner with you to find the structure of sessions that works best for you.
One of the approaches I have found works particularly well with senior and executive leaders is framed around narratives. The role of the leader is one that is filled with many stories, many of which are being currently played out and some that have yet to happen. In coaching, you can explore the stories that are important to you right now and the narratives that will be important to you in the future. You can learn more about yourself, and how you interact with the world around you, and through exploring your stories in coaching sessions you can be more in control of what the next chapter looks like. Many of my clients find elements of narrative coaching to be most beneficial for them in exploring issues in depth, enabling them to tackle the type of complex issues that leaders at executive and senior level grapple with. My passion for this approach stems from the transformational shifts I’ve seen clients achieve, and I’m consistently struck by how powerfully it supports well-being.
In addition, I often work with clients on their values and their strengths, offering the opportunity to unpack and work with assessments such as the VIA 24 strengths and the Gallup CliftonStrengths Finder. If this is something that would benefit you, we can find the right type of assessment to meet your needs. Working with strengths falls under the umbrella of positive psychology and I draw from this field of coaching to help clients make the best use of their many talents and inner resources. Through coaching, you can truly unlock your potential and discover the approach that helps you overcome challenges you haven’t been able to resolve before. I use a wide variety of tools and methods to ensure your time in coaching is beneficial to you and at the end of every session we review how we've worked together and consider any changes you want to make.
As a member of the Association for Coaching, I abide by best practice principles and agree to adhere to the elements and principles of the Code of Ethics, as set out on the AC website: Link
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I am committed to maintaining and promoting excellent practice and ethical principles in coaching.
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The Code aligns with the content and requirements set out in the AC's Professional Charter for Coaching and Mentoring. The Charter, drafted in accordance with European law, is registered on the dedicated European Union database, which lists self-regulation initiatives in Europe.
The Code is intended as a guidance document rather than a legally binding one that in detail spells out what a member can and cannot do. The Code sets the expectation of best practice in coaching, mentoring, and supervision promoting the development of professional excellence. Its purpose is to:
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Provide appropriate guidelines, accountability, and standards of conduct for all AC members.
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Set out how our members are expected to act, behave and perform when working with coachees, mentees, supervisees (from now on to be called ‘clients’) and interacting with fellow practitioners, sponsors, stakeholders, and other professionals.
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Be used as a basis of any complaints or disciplinary hearings and actions within the respective bodies’ complaints procedures.