About Your Coach
Helping You To Flourish Authentically
I’m Joe Lenton and I’m the coach here at Focused Professional. I have over 25 years of experience working with individuals in different contexts. My main coaching specialism is strengths coaching, which is based on findings in positive psychology. I have MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and am neurodivergent (autistic). Living with characteristics that are disabling in our society can be a challenge and I have found that looking at strengths has helped me enormously. I have also experienced how it can help others too, so I am keen to share the benefits of strengths discovery and use.
Instead of feeling trapped or sidelined by a deficit based perspective, strengths and character strengths can be an energising, positive way forward. I am keen to help others to discover and work with their strengths and find new ways to flourish that suit their personality.
My Background & Interests
The little green icons at the top of the page hint at my varied background. I started out as a linguist and then became a professional musician (guitarist). After developing MS my music career came to an end and I used photography therapeutically to help me through the difficult times. This then grew into a business where I worked for local, national and international brands as an advertising photographer. I am now a qualified judge and mentor with The Society of Photographers and help with their international print competition, online competitions and qualification assessments. My interest in language has persisted throughout and I see music and photography as means of communication as well as art forms.
I am definitely a nerd and love to study things in depth. There’s always more than one book on the go and I dip in and out of playing chess too. So, I’m a kind of blend of the arts and sciences in one. My wife Birgit is from Germany and I mustn’t forget our 2 cats – Ozzy & Sharon – with whom we share our home in Norfolk.
My Approach to Helping You
Your coaching sessions are all about discovering what is best for you. I use a variety of tools and techniques from positive psychology and other sources, but unlike many other coaches I am not wedded to a particular approach or tool. I do not believe in one-size-fits-all methods or templates. Sessions are guided by you and what is helpful for you. Together we help you to look for answers and different questions to ask. My approach is to work as a facilitator who can help you find your own way – I will not tell you what to do or impose another way of thinking. I can’t stand it when people want to put me in a box, so I won’t try to do that to you either!
As your coach I am firmly committed to helping you without judgement to find your own way to flourish.
My Values as Your Coach
My values are very important to me. They inform how I interact with people, what I say and how I make decisions.
Here are my top 5:
Authenticity – I aim to be authentically myself and to help others to be authentic to their true self. Each person is unique and and their true self is uniquely valuable.
Honesty – I don’t make false claims and I won’t pretend to be someone or make out that I can help with something that is outside of my expertise.
Ethics – I believe in an ethical approach to coaching that respects and values people, their right to privacy, safety, protection under law and self-expression.
Curiosity – I aim to keep an open mind, seeking to listen and discover. Everyone’s story is unique and I value the chance to work with people.
Growth – How we are today or have been in the past doesn’t have to define who we are or what we do in the future. We can all grow and change.
(Values graphic created using an online personal values tool.)
Trained to Help & to Understand
I have undergone and am currently spending a lot of time with further training in aspects of psychology, positive psychology and coaching. As well as having experience of being neurodivergent I have studied courses to help me understand better and continue to engage with the developments in knowledge of neurodiversity.
Using My Strengths to Enable You
Love of learning is one of my top strengths that energises me when I engage with it. This is especially true when I can bring in some of my other strengths of having an open, curious mind to appreciate and evaluate a range of opinions and ideas. So, ongoing training and development is very important to me both from a professional point of view and also for being true to myself. It helps me to stay sharp and to ensure that we can benefit from up to date scientifically backed tools, while also keeping me working with my strengths and being authentically myself.
There are 3 key areas that I am always learning about:
- Positive Psychology
- Neurodiversity
- Coaching
Yes, I have done official courses on these topics. But I believe that there is always more to learn and room for improvement. So I continue to educate myself and move beyond my current understanding and experience. That way I can continue to offer the best of myself to you as your coach. My personal ethos of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) is also part of the standards of the Association for Coaching that I am committed to and seek to maintain.
I am also committed to ongoing self-reflection and having coaching/supervision from others. By cultivating self-awareness and listening to feedback I can continue to learn how to cater better for each individual according to their needs and personality. I am always a work in progress.
The focus of coaching is the present and future. We do not normally explore the past as this would move more into the realms of therapy, which is outside of my expertise. It is a confidential safe space to explore questions, work towards change, gain self-understanding and confidence, and more. Please get in touch for a free initial meeting to find out more.
