A leader seeking clarity to enable clear decision making
Issue
Melissa holds both an employed role as a Learning and Development Manager with an Independent Brewer and Pub Company and also runs her own coaching and facilitation business.
During the global pandemic in 2020, Melissa developed a sense of confusion – a feeling of disconnect from her employer after some Furlough and working from home for some time, and she was unsure of how, if and when, to take her freelance coaching business forward. She had many questions which she was struggling to answer by herself. She was scared of making a decision based on the extraordinary circumstances happening at the time.
Melissa had a pre-existing relationship with Clare having worked with her in several different capacities. Clare’s flexible and adaptive style appealed, Melissa knew she was looking for a ‘thinking partner’ an experienced coach who would give space to think, a coach who would ask thought-provoking and challenging questions, and importantly – a coach who would let her take the coaching to where she needed to go. There was no preconceived agenda.
What we did
Melissa has developed a strong connection with Clare, there are trust and respect in the coaching relationship. “Clare maintains enough distance from the problem and remains independent from the challenge. She doesn’t judge, nor does she have the answer, or give an impression of having the answer which you have to find!”
Clare creates an incredibly safe space and has the courage to offer different ways of looking at things, for example, she uses movement and use of objects in her coaching, this helped unlock a different way of thinking for Melissa which she found invaluable.
Outcome
The pair arrived at a metaphor, akin to being in a relationship that is breaking down – something that helped Melissa make sense of where she was at with her employer.
“We’ve been through a rough patch; I’ve been in the relationship so long and it’s so rewarding, I need to give it time to repair.”
Melissa has since returned to work with a positive mindset to reconnect, build relationships within the organisation and to do good work. She has a renewed sense of energy. She’s becoming much more confident in recognising what she wants and needs from her working life. She’s becoming much more comfortable at allowing that to emerge, and to allow things to take their course.
And for her approach to her freelance coaching business – well, the pressure has been let off and Melissa is comfortable that the business will emerge, as and when it needs to.
To summarise Melissa says, “I am reminded of the importance of quality conversations with someone who has the level of coaching expertise that Clare has. I don’t believe you can do the quality of thinking that Clare enables, on your own.”
[Melissa was a coaching client of Clare’s during the global pandemic period in 2020/2021.]
Chief Operating Officer wanting to develop as a leader
Issue
How to develop his own leadership capabilities to enable the senior management team to take on more responsibilities to take the organisation further.
What we did
- Clarified the expectations of his stakeholders, regarding his role and responsibilities, and his goals for the year
- Identified everything on his plate, and what/how he could delegate some of that work to grow the senior managers and to free his time to take on more strategic work
- Figured out how he could authentically lead, chair meetings, delegate, give feedback, manage performance
Outcome
He became very aware of his blind spots around leading others and challenged himself to develop these skills. He developed the capacity of the senior management team to lead their teams to collectively achieve the vision of the organisation. This freed up his time for more strategic priorities, commensurate with his pay grade. This saved the organisation an estimated £30,000 in salary costs. He achieved more in six months than he had originally planned to accomplish in nine months, another estimated £30,000 saving, and was then able to focus on a new growth curve for himself and the business.
Testimonial
“I was Chief Operating Officer of an international NGO which was going through fast growth and significant change, both for the organisation as for my own role. Through my monthly conversations with Clare, I was challenged and questioned on my leadership style and methods as well as on my short, medium and long term career ambitions. Clare’s coaching helped me to identify my leadership development areas and how to address them. Also, through role-plays, we practised and developed my responses to individual leadership situations in a safe environment. Through our conversations, I also got a much clearer view of my career ambitions and perspectives. I can highly recommend Clare’s personal, friendly, open but still challenging coaching style which has helped me a lot.” – Maarten Rooney, COO, Youth Business International
Management committee member who needed to temper her emotions
Issue
Managing her emotional outbursts, for the benefit of her relationships with her team and her peers.
What we did
- Identified the pressure points that caused the emotional flare-ups.
- Used a number of pictorial methods to help her to see what was going on, and to reframe.
- Worked on and followed through a plan for each of these pressure points.
- These actions also addressed three other goals that she wanted to focus on – prioritization, procrastination and collaboration.
Outcomes
According to her boss, she had matured in her interactions with her team and her peers, as demonstrated:
- Instead of remaining frustrated and annoyed with a team member for under-performance, she made the decision to commence a performance improvement plan. She managed this with integrity and compassion.
- She also made a decision to swap the roles of two team members, each of whom would be a better fit for the others’ role. This addressed a performance issue in one case and a motivational issue in the other and saved her at least 6 weeks of frustration trying to figure out the way forward. We estimate the 6 weeks time saving equates to a £14,000 cost-saving; not to mention the higher motivation and productivity the job swap led to; and savings in re-recruitment costs of £500,000.
Her boss saw this as an investment in her future at the company, allowing her to be authentic, balancing her strong convictions with an adult way of conducting herself.
Senior Manager wanting to create her ideal life
Issue
After some great successes when starting in a new company and a new country, she was feeling overwhelmed and constrained by a job description that wasn’t entirely playing to her strengths, and a life that didn’t feel like “home”. She wanted to figure out what her ideal life would look like and then to create it.
What we did
- Identified her strengths and the environment within which she was at her best
- Worked through the overwhelm, laying down new wellbeing habits and re-prioritising work projects
- Enabled her to have courageous conversations with her boss about her needs and desires, such that she could restructure her role to fit her strengths and passions, and do what she loved every day
- Figured out what would make her new house and partnership feel like she was creating home
Outcome
- She is in a role that plays to her strengths and has a life that feels well lived
- She is able to express her needs constructively, whether that is at work or at home
- She feels newly committed to her role
Testimonial
“Working with Clare was a pivotal support in keeping me grounded & focused through a challenging few months. I was able to quickly realize how I could adapt my mindset and communication style and have the courage to express my ambitions and needs in a way that felt constructive.
This enabled important shifts in my professional and personal life. Clare was a great listener, playful and challenging, often bringing new and enlightening approaches to our coaching conversations. Thank you Clare”.
