Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching is a process that helps and supports people manage their own learning in order to maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be Eric Parsloe

Mentoring is off-line help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking European Mentoring Centre

Junior partner promoted

The initial brief was to improve a number of soft skills of this lawyer to support enhanced client relationships. Through a coaching programme, this internationally-acclaimed expert lawyer progressed to a senior partner position. We worked on successful business development strategies, resolving team development challenges and a number of management challenges.

Accountant grows a new business

Having started on business development coaching – which was successful in building a large client portfolio – this client went on to establish their own niche accountancy practice. The coaching programme then addressed numerous challenges including time management, prioritisation, client development and future business planning.

Business development with a team of young lawyers

After some initial introductory training courses, a team of young lawyers entered a programme of one-to-one coaching in order to help them develop and implement personal business development plans. All those in the programme developed significantly better client relationship skills and met their new business development targets.

New Managing Partner steps up

A fee-earning departmental head was promoted to managing partner of a firm that had just undergone a period of rapid and fundamental change. The coaching programme was designed to allow the individual time to assess and reflect on the various new challenges the firm faced and to adjust to the demands of the new position. It enabled to new MD to set priorities for action and to identify areas for self-development.

New Senior Partner evolves into new role

Moving into a less hands-on but more inspirational leadership and spokesperson role for the firm required a different set of skills and also an objective and ‘safe’ sounding board for the discussion of new approaches and plans.

Junior Marketing Manager progresses

The departure of a marketing director left only a junior and inexperienced manager in charge. Rather than recruiting a replacement director, the firm asked me to provide in-depth coaching and mentoring to the individual so that they learned rapidly how to manage the marketing function, plan future activities, liaise with the heads of fee-earning departments and develop their skills and knowledge in a time efficient way. The marketing manager made incredible progress over a relatively short amount of time (remarked upon by her line director as well as many others in the organisation) and developed significantly as an individual.

Senior Clerks into Managing Directors

A leading set of barristers asked me to undertake a year long training programme to help their senior clerk develop all the relevant management skills – business planning, financial management, human resource management, client development, marketing, new business development and international sales. The programme was so successful that it was then rolled out to the next level of management.

Returning Business Development Manager

I was asked to coach and mentor a business development manager who was due to return from maternity leave into a different management role. The programme started two months before her actual return and continued until she had made the transition successfully.

New Managing Director leads strategic change

A consultant was elected Managing Director of a small consultancy that was facing a number of challenges. In addition to managing the strategic review process to set a new course for the business, I coached the MD through the Board negotiations and people issues required to obtain commitment to and implementation of an ambitious new business plan.

Litigator personal development

An exceptionally bright litigator in a highly specialist and ground breaking area sought assistance in dealing with a number of sensitive internal and demanding external issues and was pleased with the coaching results achieved within a short timescale.

Office Head exceeds all targets

The partner in charge of a new office sought help in getting the venture off to a good start. His one-to-one coaching programme – with an emphasis on profile raising, creative positioning and new business development – was subsequently adapted for the other five members of the team and the new office surpassed all its targets in a very short space of time.

Property director navigates business and personal crises

The super-busy and highly successful Executive Director of a leading property firm sought assistance in managing a complex web of high level professional and work commitments whilst balancing some extremely demanding personal circumstances.