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Shining a light on people and their potential

From learning and development, to coaching, to HR – there’s a solution to help businesses succeed while supporting their teams to thrive.

Sandra Howarth

About me

Sandra Howarth

With more than 20 years of experience as a skilled HR professional, I take pride in my innovative approach to help businesses achieve sustainable results.

Excellent communication and understanding people are my strengths, and I deliver dynamic leadership, management, engagement, and customer‑focused solutions.

Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to work with some incredible blue-chip clients, from the BBC to a global law firm and even a high-growth veterinary franchise chain. This diverse exposure has only ignited my passion for pushing the boundaries of traditional HR practices and offering a fresh perspective.

Staying curious about the latest people management trends is vital to me. I bring new thinking to my clients, constantly seeking ways to improve company culture and positively impact business outcomes. For me, HR is as crucial as sales or production, especially as we navigate the post-pandemic working environment.

I can help you boost employee experience, team morale, leadership skills, and adaptability. These are crucial factors for HR in driving business success. Every day presents an opportunity to learn and provide the right people solutions to achieve your objectives.

To find out more, please get in touch.

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My services

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Coaching is unlocking people’s potential to maximise their own performance.

Sir John Whitmore

Career and leadership coaching

Sandra is passionate about developing people and enabling them to fulfil their potential. With vast experience of career and leadership coaching, Sandra can help team members and leaders improve their performance and set clear goals for their future. This includes getting the best from their teams, enriching their resilience or working with individuals to take the next steps in their career.

  • European Mentoring and Coaching Council Accredited Coach.
  • A licensed practitioner of the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ) assessment tool
  • Mental toughness describes the mindset that every person adopts in everything they do. It is closely related to qualities such as character, resilience and grit.

Sandra is accredited to use the MTQ Assessment Tool, which can be used in coaching.

The MTQ Plus assessment is a high-quality and reputable psychometric tool that measures mental toughness. This is the mindset that every person adopts in everything they do and is closely related to qualities such as character, resilience and grit.

Published research and case studies from around the world show that mental toughness is a major factor in:

  • Performance – explaining up to 25% of the variation in performance of individuals
  • Positive Behavior – more engaged, more positive, more “can do”
  • Wellbeing – more contentment, better stress management, resilience and less prone to bullying
  • Aspirations – more ambitious, prepared to challenge and manage more risk

The MTQ Plus tool explores how we think, which is a key driver for the development of behaviour change and attributes. It can be assessed in terms of four Cs – Control, Commitment, Challenge and Confidence.

The MTQ Plus psychometric tool (developed from research carried out under the direction of Professor Peter Clough of Manchester Metropolitan University) measures these qualities, and is appropriate to many coaching styles.

I was recommended Sandra by a colleague, as I was exploring coaching for my role as senior lead. My goals were to increase my contribution at board meetings and improve communication with my team. Sandra tailored the coaching sessions to my communication style and values. Her well‑considered and open guidance enabled me to set and achieve weekly actions, which contributed to my goals.

I have diverse experience in training – including customised requests, facilitation skills, accredited training, and 360-degree feedback tools such as Insights Discovery, Myers Briggs and Wave Performance 360. For more information, please get in touch.

Insights Discovery

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Insights Discovery is a powerful tool for self-awareness and understanding others in the workplace. Based on the psychology of Carl Jung, it uses a simple four-color model – Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green and Cool Blue – to help individuals grasp their style, strengths, and the value they bring to the team. With personal profiles and engaging activities, participants gain self-awareness and flexibility in dealing with others' preferences.

Who’s it for?

Insights Discovery is suitable for all levels and provides the foundation of self-awareness needed for success – whether in personal development, teamwork, or leadership. It fosters a common language, connecting colleagues across boundaries and facilitating feedback conversations.

If you require support in teamwork, leadership, change, sales, service, or employee engagement, Insights Discovery can assist you on this journey.

Try the free Insights Discovery teaser test and then contact me to find out more.

The four colour energies

Sunshine Yellow

Involve me

Natural traits: sociable, dynamic, enthusiastic

Focus: collaboration

Stressors: slow paced, no interactions or fun

Motivated: shared vision

Cool Blue

Give me details

Natural traits: cautious, precise, questioning

Focus: efficiency

Stressors: lack of information, structure or logic

Motivated: orderliness

Earth Green

Show me you care

Natural traits: caring, encouraging, patient

Focus: goodwill

Stressors: unfair, violation of values

Motivated: fairness

Fiery Red

Be brief, be bright, be gone

Natural traits: competitive, determined, purposeful

Focus: results

Stressors: loss of control

Motivated: actions


Here’s an example of the benefits of using Insights Discovery for leadership development

  • Self-awareness: Insights Discovery helps leaders gain a deep understanding of their own strengths, weaknesses and preferences. This self-awareness is crucial for effective leadership as it enables leaders to recognise how their behaviour and communication style impact others.
  • Understanding others: The tool goes beyond self-awareness, and helps leaders understand the preferences and behaviours of others. By recognising the diverse styles and energies of team members, leaders can tailor their approach and communication to build stronger relationships and foster collaboration.
  • Communication and empathy: Insights Discovery enhances leaders’ communication skills and empathy by providing a common language to discuss individual preferences and differences. This shared understanding facilitates effective communication, reduces misunderstandings, and encourages empathy and respect among team members.
  • Flexibility and adaptability: The tool promotes flexibility and adaptability in leadership by emphasising that no single “right” or “wrong” style exists. Leaders learn to appreciate and leverage the strengths of different personality types, adapting their leadership approach to meet the needs of individuals and the team as a whole.
  • Conflict resolution and team dynamics: Insights Discovery helps leaders navigate conflicts and manage team dynamics by providing insights into how different individuals approach and handle situations. This understanding enables leaders to address conflicts constructively, build cohesive teams, and create an inclusive and supportive work environment.

Overall, Insights Discovery equips leaders with the knowledge and skills to lead with emotional intelligence, understand and connect with their team members, and create a positive and productive work culture.

As an expanding senior leadership team, we aim to ensure we are communicating effectively with each other and the organisation. Sandra is very personable and delivered our training in a engaging, clear and professional style. The training was well-received by all our senior leads, and we are noticing the benefits in our board meetings and daily communication.

Director of People Experience

Sandra very effectively managed and delivered an engaging Insights Training day for our wider management team. Our team had a mix of familiarities with Insights and HR training in general, and Sandra did an excellent job in bringing us all together and delivering the key messages and learnings in an enjoyable and positive way.

Director of Operations



Myers Briggs Type Indicator

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a widely used and heavily researched personality profiling tool in the world.

Based on the pioneering work of Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung, MBTI training helps people develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the differences between themselves and others. This understanding is then used to develop more effective and collaborative staff in your organisation, who recognise the strengths and unique differences of the individuals that they work with.

Benefits of MBTI Training?

One of the main benefits of MBTI training – especially in the workplace – is that it helps to reduce the risk of conflict by promoting a positive and constructive view of the differences between individuals.

The MBTI tool can also help people to improve their communication skills and build cohesive relationships with those around them. Harnessing the power of proven self-assessment techniques, help people build on their communication strengths and identify opportunities for personal growth.


Saville Consulting WAVE Performance 360

Deepen your insight and drive powerful development conversations with Wave Performance 360. This dynamic multi-rater tool combines self-perception and feedback from colleagues to improve self-awareness and reveal potential blind spots.

Ratings are measured against the key characteristics for successful workplace performance, giving real meaning to feedback and development actions.

My HR approach prioritises simplicity and common sense over unnecessary bureaucracy and complicated processes. I believe in finding practical solutions that align with your organisation’s goals.

At SH People Consulting, my primary goal is to provide you with the necessary tools and support to feel confident and capable in managing all aspects of your people-related matters. Whether it’s developing a new people strategy, implementing innovative approaches to career development, or crafting policies, I have the expertise and resources to assist you every step of the way.

In addition, I bring a wealth of expertise in managing employee relations cases, including disciplinary actions, grievances and redundancies. I understand that these situations can be sensitive and complex, which is why I am here to guide you through the processes involved and help you make informed decisions.

You can rely on me to offer the support and guidance needed to navigate HR challenges, but always with a human touch.

Sandra is brilliant at what she does. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about HR, but more than that she’s supportive, creative, positive, fun and at the same time challenging. I cannot recommend her highly enough. A joy to work with.

TV Executive

Sandra is an outstanding HR professional. Her advice is always first rate. Her work combines a clear understanding of strategic aims, formal policies, and established custom and practice. But on top of all of that, she has an acute understanding of human psychology and motivation that comes from a very high level of emotional intelligence. She has absolute integrity. These are just the qualities anyone would want in any high-level leadership or human resources. I’d recommend Sandra to anyone.

BBC Senior Leader


Contact

To find out more, or for an informal discussion, please get in touch.