Sustainability & Values in Action: Our Policy

Wise Goose Limited was created to take the interconnected challenges of wellbeing, social justice, and environmental destruction seriously within the field of coaching. We wanted to find a way of using our expertise in coaching, action inquiry, systemic thinking, and personal development to raise self-awareness and help coaches initiate conversations that include these wider issues.

We attract clients and students from businesses of all sizes, they come seeking meaningful work with relevance to the wider community. We aim to teach coaches skills and build their confidence to help individuals and organisations stretch thinking and close the gap between ideals about purposeful business, ‘making the world a better place’ and current reality in order to support delivery of extraordinary outcomes.

Our programmes are at the leading edge of a ‘pro-business pro-future’ vision of coaching. We hold conventional personal, performance and executive coaching approaches in a wider context – transforming the way we see ourselves and our place in the world, discovering a deeper more spacious context for work and life, contributing to a better world.

Here at Wise Goose we agree with WEFs statement ‘business as usual is no longer adequate for the challenges of 21^st Century’, and take a broad, long-term perspective towards creating profit through our business activities. Sustainability and ethical practice are integrated into our purposes and embedded in the services we provide. We use ‘Brundtland’s’ definition of sustainability, ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

As a micro business we actively promote good business in areas where we have influence, both in our internal operations and through wider stakeholders. We believe even the smallest businesses can play a role in improving quality of life, contributing to flourishing communities and planet.  As a small business we can often respond and adapt faster to the change than larger organisations with complicated supply chains. 

This policy is intended to be a living document, its purpose is to clarify our commitment towards ethical and environmentally sound practices both internally and externally. It begins with our values and how we put these into practice.

Internal/Environmental Impact

Wise Goose endeavors to optimize efficiency in our resource use and minimize environmental impact, in terms of CO2 emissions from transportation, energy consumption, and resource use/waste management. While it is not realistic for us to measure all our carbon impact due to the nature of our home-based office space, we actively take the following environmental considerations into account in decision making.

Travel:

• Reduce Flying: Journeys to Europe within a 500 mile radius will normally will be taken by train.
• For essential trips where alternatives are cost prohibitive, we use economy class (as it maximises the number of passengers that each flight can carry.) In last eight years we have reduced flights from 10 – 15 flights a year to 1- 3 or fewer.
• Reduce travel: avoid physically travelling to meetings where alternatives such as zoom or teams are available and practical.
• Due to our location on Dartmoor the opportunities to walk and/or use public transport are impractical. To counter this we work from home as much as possible.
• Record emissions for business travel to monitor our impact.

Energy:

• Energy supplier: We use Octopus 100% renewable electricity
• Insulation: Loft fully insulated
• Lighting: All bulbs are energy-saving.
• Appliances: Switched off when not in use.

Resource Use/Waste Management:

• Zero to landfill: we have conducted an internal audit of waste. We compost, recycle office consumables, reuse and donate to ‘Proper Job CIC’ local community reuse centre.
• Prevention: Purchase pre-loved office furniture where feasible or buy as environmentally sustainable as possible. Paper: we use as little paper as possible and reduce usage by double-siding. We use black and white ink rather than colour whenever possible.
• Reuse: Where necessary, we use recycled or FSC certified paper Encourage use of re-usable coffee cups etc. by trainers and students.
• Recycle: We have clear systems for recycling glass, paper, cardboard, tin, disposable plastic, batteries, printer cartridges etc. Compost all organic waste.
• Water use is minimal, we have measured water use.
• Use social media to advocate for SDGs and support/celebrate ‘good business’ practices of stakeholders and wider community.
• Offset remaining ‘invisible’ carbon footprint of consumption, necessary travel. We do this informally through our @treesforlifeuk Wise Goose Grove.

Purchasing/Procurement

Wise Goose is committed to minimise the social, environmental and ethical impacts of its supply chain.

We seek to purchase goods and services that minimise negative and enhance positive impacts on the environment and society whilst meeting our business requirements. We incorporate social, environmental and ethical considerations into all purchasing decisions, endeavoring to make a positive contribution to the environment and society. We purchase fair-trade and organic beverages from local suppliers and BCorp Origin Coffee.

Helen Sieroda as Director provides oversight with particular emphasis on:

• Encouraging continuous improvement.
• Measuring and monitoring the application of policies
• Conducting an environmental, social and ethical assessment of our key suppliers
• Sourcing local and sustainable suppliers to reduce carbon footprint.
• Working collaboratively with suppliers to improve environmental, social and ethical standards
• Protecting the confidentiality of information entrusted to us.
• Recognising and celebrating the supplier’s own standard where they are working to environmental, social and ethical standards

Reviewing and revising policies takes place on a biennial cycle (every 2 years.)

Main Facilitator/Training Service suppliers:

Our major procurement is of professional services and support. The coaching, facilitation and training services Wise Goose provides are often delivered by our Director supported by a pool of suppliers – our ‘associates’. We have actively chosen associates with track records in environmental, social and ethical performance with a preference for those from under represented communities (see biographies below). Our Advisory Board includes an ‘in house’ ethicist who advises, supports and challenges our director and provides support to students and graduates. This is, to our knowledge, unique in the field of coaching.

• Since 2013: Helen Sieroda is founder and director of Wise Goose School of Coaching, and co-founder Wise Thinking Partners. She is an Association of Professional Executive Coaches and Supervisors (APECS) accredited Master Executive coach.
• Since 2014 Diane Pitt: (in house ethicist) has been teaching Medical Ethics at postgraduate level for over fifteen years and has held research posts at the University of Hull in Philosophy and Bioethics while working on PhD research.
• Since 2017 Diana Whitmore: founder and director three successful educational charities over a thirty–five year period. Currently Director of the Ecologia Youth Trust and runs Growing2gether for young people, a resilience- based youth mentoring programme, which raises self-esteem, aspiration and educational attainment whilst re-engaging ‘at risk’ young people with their communities. 
• Since 2019 Dr Sybille Schiffmann Director Deostara part of team, collaboratively designed MSc in Management for a Sustainable Future with Marjon University Plymouth and consultant working principally with leaders in health and social care sectors, who are committed to creating broader and more purposeful impact, in line with their values. Her doctoral thesis explores deep participation and shared leadership, she is co-founder Wise Thinking Partners.
• Since 2019 Mary Culhane: digital marketing manager, has worked on projects raising environmental awareness, helping marginalised people to find their voice, promoting well-being for teenagers and supporting and developing community projects. Including local coordinator for Red Tent, to support and empower women and a local environmental group and social media for Dreadnought Southwest.
• Since 2023 Gary King & Lee Curtis: Gary is a psychologist and director of the consultancy Create Flow, where he facilitates leadership programmes focussed on positive change and sustainability. He has a literal degree in adventure with rich experiences in expeditions, helping shape and drive his interest in psychology, experiential learning, facilitating and coaching in nature. Lee has worked in the Creative industry in London for over 25 years as an artist, designer, creative director, mentor and coach. Art and culture are a core value for Lee. Appreciation of excellence and beauty is a main character strength. Creativity is at the centre of his life – Lee is always seeking the new and looking for inspiration.
• We also call on the other Training and Coaching suppliers as needed: Jonathan Gosling, Emeritus Professor of Leadership at Exeter University, visiting scholar at other universities including Bled, McGill, Monash, Renmin and UWE. He has taught and researched leadership for over 30 years and is now an independent academic and consultant at Pelumbra.com. He represented UK Universities at the Rio+20 UN Sustainability summit and contributes to the ‘greening’ of management education, e.g. as co-author of the text book Sustainable Business: a one planet approach and co-founder of One Planet Education Networks (OPEN). He received the ILA’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ in 2021. Miriam Gosling Gage; is a director of Pelumbra Ltd. She designs and facilitates leadership programmes and conferences for universities such as McGill (visiting professor), The RoundTables for Experienced Managers and The International Leadership Association. Miriam campaigns for Womens Equality Party and is co-founder Wise Thinking Partners.  Catherine Rees; is also co-founder of Wise Thinking Partners, she is a coach, coach supervisor and a former head teacher who now advises schools in Exeter and beyond and is a Green Councillor. Charles Wookey Trustee and Soulla Kyriacou COO Blueprint for Better Business: an independent charity whose purpose is to create a better society through better business. Blueprint helps business to be inspired and guided by a purpose that benefits society and respects people and planet.

Training Venue Suppliers:

• London supplier: Global Generation, an educational charity Founded in 2004, which works together with local children and young people, businesses, residents and families in Camden, Islington and Southwark to create healthy, integrated and environmentally responsible communities. Our work connects people of all ages to nature in the middle of the city.
• Devon Supplier: The Barefoot Barn, a small privately owned space used by the local community.

Giving

We undertake voluntary work with the local community and /or environmental organisations and make donations ‘in kind’ to seek to offset carbon emissions from our activities.

• Give 10% of profit in pro bono in kind donation of training spaces worth £1,575 and £4,775 to charity and 5% bursary places to social enterprise or other individuals working in social/environmental field who can make good use of a coaching style into their teams/organizational culture.
• on a case by case basis, offer bursaries to other candidates who cannot pay full fee
• offer 20% reduction in fees to graduates of MSc Responsibility in Business Practice (University of Bath)  & Sustainability and Responsibility (Ashridge.)
• offer 20% reduction in fees to certified BCorps
• Provide ‘pro bono’ coaching and mentoring to charities where resources permit.

Business Responsibilities:

 Wise Goose strives to be stable and profitable, applying good business practice while resisting pressure to see economic growth as sole value and driver of success.

 All operations comply with recognized good professional coaching practice, as stated in our Code of Conduct and Association for Coaching (AC) Global Code of Ethics. All our students become members of the AC and subscribe to this code of ethics. We encourage them to maintain membership as graduates. In addition the Director  is an accredited master coach and also subscribes to APECS code of ethics.

Quality Assurance/Trainer Enhancement:

Quality assurance at Wise Goose is designed to enhance the quality of all training and facilitation roles related to the programme.  It helps raise standards, provide support, increase work satisfaction and enhance professionalism and expertise. Our quality assurance vision is to provide both a nurturing and developmental support mechanism for ongoing reflexivity, training and personal development to our trainers. This policy is built upon:

• A commitment to high standards of professional accountability
• A commitment to working to evoke the potential of all who work with Wise Goose.
• A balance of self assessment, peer appraisal and a supportive and dialogue with senior management.
• An aspiration to balance a compassionate recognition of human fallibility with a rigorous commitment to achieving excellence and improving quality.

Our aim is to provide a space to explore, grow and learn in order to fulfil our mission to deliver a high quality coaching training programmes. Wise Goose is committed to ensuring the quality assurance process is carried out fairly in line with 2010 Equalities Act. All quality assurers will:

• execute the role with professionalism, integrity and courtesy
• evaluate objectively
• report accurately and fairly
• respect the confidentiality of the information gained and within the groups observed
• The Director monitors the process, outcomes and effectiveness of quality assurance arrangements.

Wider Community Membership

• AC (Association for Coaching) Member
• APECS (Association of Professional Executive Coaches & Supervisors) membership
• Climate Coaching Alliance CCA
• Eco Leadership Institute
• Inner Development Goals Network
  

Ethical Marketing

At Wise Goose, we are committed to ethical marketing practices that build trust, foster genuine connections, and create a positive impact. This includes and goes beyond GDPR and legal compliance. Our policy is guided by the following principles:

1. Genuine Engagement

• Interact with our audience sincerely and meaningfully.
• View clients and students as individuals with unique needs and aspirations.

2. Two-Way Communication

• Encourage open dialogue and feedback.
• Create platforms for discussion and actively listen to our clients.

3. Transparent Practices

• Be clear about our coaching methods, pricing, and expectations.
• Avoid making exaggerated claims or promises.
• Share authentic stories that highlight our values and impact.
• Use real-life examples and testimonials to illustrate our services.
• Promote ethical behaviour and avoid greenwashing.

4. Community Building

• Foster a supportive environment where stakeholders feel connected and valued.
• Respect the basic human dignity of stakeholders
• Organize regular events, online groups, and collaborative projects.

5. Education and Expertise

• Share knowledge that addresses the needs of our audience through social media, blogs, articles, webinars, and workshops.

6. Demonstrating Expertise

• Clearly communicate our areas of expertise and how they align with client needs.
• Showcase specialized knowledge to attract clients seeking specific solutions.

7. Authenticity

• Build our brand on genuine strengths and achievements.
• Avoid inflated claims and focus on delivering real value.

By following these principles, Wise Goose aims to create a marketing strategy that is both effective and ethical, fostering lasting relationships with our clients and contributing to a better world. We will evaluate the effectiveness of this on an ongoing basis, to ensure that it remains effective and reflects best practice. For more detail about the values and principles underpinning our approach to marketing see our post on this topic.