Devon-based school of coaching and mentoring celebrates its 10th anniversary
Wise Goose Limited based in Chagford, Devon; celebrates its 10th milestone anniversary with the announcement of its certification as a B Corporation (B Corp).
Helen Sieroda, Director, and founder of Wise Goose School of Coaching comments, “B Corp is an international movement; with the ‘B’ standing for ‘Benefit’ to people, communities, and the planet. We are a ‘for-profit company, but it’s all about moving away from profit as the main yardstick for business success and moving towards more sustainable business models that give equal importance to how we make our money, treat our associates, students, wider communities, and the planet.”
Helen is an APECS (Association of Professional Executive Coaches and Supervisors) accredited Master Executive coach with 30 years of experience in Sweden and the UK. She set up Wise Goose in Chagford in 2012, developing and delivering training programmes that today are held in Devon, London, and Scotland.
She says, “I set up Wise Goose a decade ago because I believed in the power of coaching. It’s not just making a difference in one person’s life but knowing how small steps create ripples that impact their teams at work, their families, and wider communities. Because of this ripple effect, I see coaches as powerful change agents, having the capacity to make a huge difference. I also wanted to train a new generation of coaches; trusted ‘thinking partners’ equipped to help leaders navigate the gap between good intentions about business as a force for good, and everyday complex, real-world dilemmas.”
Helen adds, “Being certified as a B Corp, joining a growing group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit, is ‘the icing on the cake’ in celebrating our significant anniversary.” She explains, “The certification process is demanding, and applicants are required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 to certify, with 100 seen as outstanding. Wise Goose achieved an impressive 122.3, which is an amazing score, especially for a first application. It’s a tremendous achievement we can build on to grow our excellent reputation and have an even greater impact.”
Wise Goose is now part of a community of 5,000+ businesses certified as B Corps globally. The community represents a broad cross-section of industries and sizes, including well-known brands such as The Guardian, innocent, Patagonia, Finisterre, Riverford Organic, The Body Shop, and organic food pioneers Abel & Cole. Wise Goose is proud to join this movement of like-minded businesses committed to leveraging business as a force for good.
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, says, “We are pleased to have B Corps of all shapes and sizes as part of our community – from start-ups to multinationals and across many different industries. Business is a powerful force and B Corps demonstrates that you can do good in any sector. Welcoming Wise Goose is an exciting moment because they have an opportunity to lead the way within the coaching industry. Their commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and really help spread the idea that we can redefine success in business to be as much about people and planet as it is about profit”
After many years of holding her individual accreditation through ICF (International Coach Federation), Helen decided to switch APECS (Association for Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision). Following an in-depth application process, she was accredited this year as a ‘Master Executive Coach. She is now stepping up to become part of the APECS Accreditation team and is looking forward to supporting APECS candidates on their certification and accreditation journeys.
The B Corp certification, APECS accreditation; the rolling three-year Association for Coaching Training Programme Reaccreditation, and Institute of Leadership and Management re-certification, all fell in 2022 for the coaching and mentoring company. “It's been quite a year for Wise Goose! Hard work but very worthwhile,” reveals Helen. “These external accreditations show we meet important benchmarks and add credibility and build confidence in our organisation. In the case of B Corp, it shows the world we are ‘walking the talk’ when it comes to our values. However, it’s our internal commitment to ongoing learning at Wise Goose that’s most important to me and the team.”
She clarifies, “The world has changed since coaching was first established. Today the traditional, linear career path is fading rapidly. Speed of change, globalisation, a call for greater accountability, and a move towards ethical, purposeful, and responsible business practice are just a few of the factors that have dramatically shifted the landscape of work over the last decade. All these elements require a new approach to coaching that moves beyond ‘plan and implement’ methods towards more emergent, creative ‘test and learn’ processes.”
“The idea of serving worthwhile purposes is central to my work,” states Helen. “Yes, creating individual success for clients is vitally important and to be celebrated, but holding this in a wider context and redefining success takes the work to a whole new level and deepens its relevance: A vision of coaching as serving something far deeper and wider in organisations, communities, and society.”
To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Wise Goose has created a grove of trees with @treesforlifeuk to support rewilding of the Scottish Highlands and restoration of the globally unique Caledonian Forest. Helen explains, “I’ve known the work of ‘Trees for Life’ since it was founded by Alan Watson in 1989, I met him at Findhorn when the project was just a seed of an idea, way ahead of its time. Given this connection with our training programmes in this area of Scotland, I love the thought of supporting their work while marking a business milestone for Wise Goose. With this in mind, we will be growing a grove by planting a tree for every Wise Goose student.”
