People First. Always.

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More than 25 years ago, while working in the financial sector, I was seconded to the role of a Trainer for a national project and never looked back. I’d found my passion!

Since then I’ve worked across learning and development, organisational development, change management and business transformation, in Edinburgh and across the UK. Whatever the job title, the common thread has always been improving performance: individual, team and organisational.

Along the way, challenges with my own physical  and mental health caused me to rethink my priorities. I’ve seen occasions where organisation performance came at the expense of the people expected to deliver it. My mantra became:  “remember it’s about people not resources” 

I eventually said goodbye to corporate life and established Kathleen Harkins Consulting, specialising in leadership, team and people development, with wellbeing at the core. 

Central to my coaching and facilitation approach is giving people the time, space and opportunity to think. I combine warmth and empathy with honest challenge, helping people understand what may be getting in the way and find practical ways forward.