Sharon Wakeford
Sharon Wakeford is a certified corporate and executive coach based in Johannesburg. She works in partnership with executives and senior managers to enhance their professional and personal fulfilment.
Sharon’s strong desire to “make a difference” in peoples’ lives, is reflected in her professional background as well as her journey into coaching. She is guided by a firm belief in the potential of coaching to bring about fundamental shifts in the lives of coachees and impact positively on their relationships with the “self” and others, both inside and outside of their organisations.
Previous Background
Sharon’s formal background is in law but her experience of the adversarial nature of legal practice and the law’s limited ability to “see and hear” people or impact positively on their sense of self and their relationships, soon saw her moving into the area of alternative dispute resolution. As a specialist negotiator, mediator and facilitator she has focused her skills and energy on helping disputing parties to achieve outcomes which give a voice to their underlying needs and concerns.
In her practice as a mediator, Sharon increasingly sensed that more positive and sustainable change required a focus on the person as a human being rather than on the person simply as a party to a dispute or a mere employee in an organisation. Her desire to impact positively in this area and her broader passion for “making a difference” in people’s lives eventually led her to embark upon a more conscious coaching journey.
Coaching work and qualifications
Sharon practices as an integral coach, working in partnership with her clients to develop their self-awareness and to explore new ways of being and responding to situations. Fundamental to this approach is recognising the client as a human being and assisting him/her to access not only his/her cognitive self but also to connect with his/her emotional and physical self.
Sharon’s coaching qualifications and memberships include:
- Certified Associate Coach (Centre for Coaching which forms part of University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business);
- Member of the International Coach Federation (US) and International Coach Federation Gauteng Chapter; and
- Accredited Enneagram practitioner.
What Sharon brings to coaching
- Passion and commitment to helping people unlock their potential;
- Specialist knowledge, skills and experience in managing inter-personal and organisational conflict;
- Experience in working in culturally diverse environments, both within South Africa and internationally (Africa, Asia and the Pacific); and
- Constant self-reflection and a deep commitment to her own growth and development as a human being and coach.
Client testimonials
“I was starting to question the meaning and value of life... Sharon provided a sounding board for me. I found a ‘quiet’ space where I could talk and Sharon listened. I had not realised before how important it was for me to sit and be heard. I was listened to and not judged. I could be myself. I did not have to hide anything or to formulate words which were pleasing to others. It was liberating for me to say what I needed to say and for me to be open and honest. Coaching made me realise that I am a human being, that I am skin and bones and that I do not have to prove anything to anyone.”
Senior Manager, pharmaceutical industry
“What surprised me about the coaching, was how quickly thoughts and words started flowing because of the way that Sharon structured the question. The environment was focused on discovering information and leading me towards finding the answers myself as opposed to trying to mould my thoughts to a preconceived answer. After the coaching, I was a lot more clear in my mind of how and where my own thoughts and behaviour were impacting my life negatively, and I could proactively manage it using techniques I had learned. I feel more confident in and comfortable with myself, which impacts positively on how others perceive me too.”
Audit Manager, financial services industry |
