FEATURE
WORDS : SARAH WALKER PICTURES : CHRIS BOOTH
MAD WORLD
Wonder woman Claire explains why leaders are MAD – and how executive coaching can help !
Wonder Woman fan Claire Walton is building on the success of her best-selling book Super Neuro You with a superhero-worthy mission to make a real difference to Teesside businesses and the wider community .
Claire , an executive coach from Ingleby Barwick , draws on her experience working with global and UK big brand names – as well as her love of superheroes – in her work .
Over seven years , she has built her unique brand , Leaders are MAD – meaning “ Making A Difference ”.
Previously an executive HR director in organisations outside Teesside , Claire understandably attracted clients from her global network .
But more recently , she has focused on opportunities to make a difference locally and has helped several local clients , including Karl Pemberton , CEO of Active Financial , and Sharon Lane , of Tees Components .
During the launch of her book , Claire donated the first few days of royalties from Kindle sales to Middlesbrough domestic violence charity My Sister ’ s Place , which attracted some positive local PR .
Claire said : “ I enjoyed connecting with fabulous people like the Assist Network and realised there are so many leaders and businesses on Teesside that would really benefit from my work .
“ When working with my clients , I help them understand the ripple impact of any small change they make in their performance – not just impact for themselves and the immediate teams they lead , but right out into the community .”
With this attitude , coupled with her work
Calm – Claire has thought about everything in her office space , from the colour scheme to the relaxing aroma .
for My Sister ’ s Place , it ’ s little wonder that Claire has been nominated in the 2022 Northern Power Women Awards as a “ Person with Purpose ”.
During the pandemic , Claire gave her time freely to run a series of group coaching sessions , with all money raised going to My Sister ’ s Place .
She has also given up sugary treats for a year for the same charity and is collecting donations at leadersaremad . co . uk / charitywork .
Claire says : “ I try to be a person with purpose . I ’ m always looking at ways in which I can make a difference .
“ I used my book to tell the fictitious story of Laura , who experiences common challenges of my coaching clients , as I wanted to make the lessons in Laura ’ s journey accessible to a wider range of people .”
Super Neuro You addresses how leaders can draw on nine superpowers and how we “ often get in the way of ourselves and our power ”.
The title comes from the neuroscience
underpinning the approaches and techniques Claire applies with her clients to enable them to achieve more success for less stress .
Using her love of superheroes keeps everything light , which works well with “ exhausted ” leaders who are more creative in their thinking and more energised when having fun with life ’ s challenges .
Claire is now inviting clients to her calm and uplifting office space , as well as visiting their premises and offering online coaching .
Clients react positively to her new coaching space , as she has cleverly thought out everything from the colour scheme and the inclusion of plants and flowers , to the relaxing aroma .
“ I want this to be a space that helps the coaching process for people and here , you don ’ t have to worry about being overheard through thin office walls ,” she said .
The new office is a good example of how Claire works tirelessly to provide exactly what her clients need .
48 | Tees Business