What's the Challenge

It's almost a proverb: the outstanding technical specialist promoted into a management job - and doesn't deliver.

You don't want that to be true for you (or in your business).

What makes the difference? Preparation. Purposeful professional and personal development focused on building the people skills, insight and strategic thinking that make such a powerful partnership with technical and industry knowledge, expertise and experience.

Your technical skills got you here, but they alone won't cut the mustard in the Big Job. It's all about people.

Some people cross the threshold well. They are effective, and they run happy, successful, productive teams. Clients love them and what they do.

Others, as we've all seen, not so good.

Training is essential, of course, but the real shift comes from in-person, one-to-one support through coaching and mentoring.

Why it Matters

If you're a Career Professional, it's important to play a long game. Plan that by the time you are promoted into a job you can already do what it takes - and make it so.

In today's high-pressure business world it's easy to stay focused on today and lose sight of what you need to learn and experience to prepare you for what comes next.

Those who invest in themselves, who plan and prepare, are best positioned for that next step — and who are most likely to hit the ground running. To make a powerful first impression as a safe and skilled pair of hands from the word go.

Why Us

Our coaching work draws together personal change, group dynamics, speaking, networking, speaker training, creativity, strategic thinking, business management, business development, communication skills training and professional networking to give you not only the skills you need, but the confidence to use them to further your career.

With twenty years blue-chip business experience, and twenty years coaching and training business professionals across consulting, accounting, law and engineering, we also bring plenty of life, business and professional experience.

What We Do

Our One-to-One work with clients is highly individual, and always responsive to the client's situation, dreams, goals, circumstances, opportunities and challenges.

Each session is very much client-led. Our aim is always to make it a process of self-discovery supported not only by the coach's skill and experience in helping the client explore their own desires, concerns and challenges but also by decades of real-world business and life experience.

To that end, you'll experience four complimentary styles in combination:

• Goal-centered coaching: setting clear personal and professional goals, agreeing specific actions and activities, and keeping the client accountable for taking action.
• Mentoring: sharing the lessons of specific real-world professional or personal experience with the client, and helping put them into practice.
• Cognitive-behavioural coaching: working with the client's habitual patterns of thinking and behaviour, helpful and unhelpful, to build more behavioural flexibility and give the client a wider repertoire of responses to real-world situations.
• Person-centered coaching: working with the client to explore inner beliefs and values that might be holding them back, and building new ones that will better inspire them forward.

The work is based on the non-judgemental presupposition that everyone is always doing the best they can, given the resources they have available, even though it might not be best serving them or others - a principle sometimes known as 'unconditional positive regard'. The aim of the work is to expand the range of available resources, and support the client as they bring them in to play in real life.

The emphasis will change from session to session, and indeed within each session, depending on the flow of the dialogue, always supporting the client in timely progress towards their personal and professional goals.

Coaching can be both exciting and inspirational, and challenging and uncomfortable. A strong foundation of trust and personal rapport is essential between coach and client, which can take time to build.

It also demands openness and honesty from the client, only possible where their coach overtly holds them in unconditional positive regard.

Personal and professional change take time. Some sessions may seem slow and heavy going. Others may see tremendous breakthroughs. Others may be thoughtful and reflective. Each plays its part. Systemic change comes with commitment and persistence over time, even (especially) when progress seems slow.

And it can be transformational and incredibly rewarding.

What it Means for You

Mentoring within your firm is essential for industry knowledge, technical skills and how the firm works. But also having access to an independent, external coach has many benefits.

First, of course, they have no influence in your annual review! That makes for a much more open conversation.

Second, they bring experiences from a wide range of fields

And, most importantly, their only job is to be on your side. No matter how busy things get, your coach's priority is supporting you.

How It Works

Most coaching engagements start with a three-month programme of one-hour coaching calls, most often starting weekly. The frequency of calls will be reviewed periodically to ensure the best fit for you, the client.

Most coaching is done over Microsoft Teams, but we can work in-person as well.

What To Do Next

The next step is to speak on the phone to discuss your situation, explore how we might be able to help, and make a plan.

Moving forward, we'll schedule a one-hour Teams call where we can go into more depth, agree how the coaching engagement will work, agree a schedule, and get underway.

Always happy to chat if you want to know more - just give us a call on 020 3397 4407 or email jim@jimpirrie.com.