Case studies

'Mike' was in his mid-fifties. He had a successful career in a large corporate and his kids were going through university or working. He had gone through his potential retirement finances with a financial advisor, and was comfortable, but knew he wasn't ready for traditional retirement. He wanted to shift the balance and focus of his life, and was looking for me to help him develop his strategy and tactics. We worked through what Mike (really) wanted, his options, his risk appetite, his success criteria and a plan of experiments and actions. As a result, Mike was able to take advantage of a redundancy scheme to set himself up in a new part-time position working to support high-potential start-ups and volunteering as a trustee with a local charity. He was able to travel for fun - rather than taking vacations as recovery from work, and re-discovered the joy of slow reading!

Teamspace

A public sector team were implementing a difficult policy in a high pressure environment. The team was about 30 people, with 5 senior managers (plus the lead). Over three years I worked 1:1 with the managers, giving them space and support to decompress, think strategically and build resilience. I ran team coaching events for the senior team, building cross-team collaboration and mitigating the risk of silo working. I also led two 'whole team' events to build in-person connections and rapport - so vital in a remote-working environment. For a negligible proportion of the overall staffing budget, I provided a vital safe-space for the managers to explore and tackle personal and professional challenges and keep pushing through when things were tough.”

Small business, big potential

A small, founder-led, high-growth technical business (30 employees) had two high potential members of staff that they wanted to develop, but no HR function or capacity as the business was developing so rapidly. I worked with the founder and 'Maria' to provide coaching and mentoring to stretch her and develop her capabilities. This great assignment brought me into the organisation, working with the founder and Maria as a trusted partner to provide the dedicated space and perspective away from the frenetic business to work strategically and learn more about management practice.

Unstuck

'Mark' was a communications specialist in his late forties. He was very well-regarded but was in a rut and had been unsuccessful in securing progression into a broader managerial position. He was felt frustrated, demotivated and stuck, and was considering resigning. Over three sessions we worked through what Mark really wanted, his blockers and how to address them, his options and a plan of action. Following the coaching he applied for and was successful in securing a new leadership position in his organisation.