International Lifestyle PR, Branding and Marketing Agency
International Lifestyle PR, Branding and Marketing Agency
The Client: International Lifestyle PR, Branding and Marketing Agency, New York City.
The Brief: Individual coaching for senior executives alongside a program of team development workshops to help integrate new team members, developing ‘soft’ skills and creating inspiration.
The Company: 150 + staff in London, New York and LA. After a 2018 merger with a similarly sized, West Coast-based agency - the company asked me to give individual executive coaching to newly hired senior managers and to run a program of training/development workshops to enhance team integration.
To date I’ve run 3 workshops - Communication, Public-Speaking & Pitching and Confidence.
The company directors and Head of HR asked for my help to coach two senior team members who were struggling with increased demands and expectations due to the merger.
Coaching clients:
Client 1: Senior Executive leading a team of 5.
Task: improving prioritization and learning to give critical feedback to team.
My client struggled with prioritizing due to increasing work expectations as well as finding it hard to give appropriate (including critical feedback) to her co-workers and his team of 5.
We worked together over 8 weekly 50 minute sessions. I taught my client meaningful communication skills - being able to acknowledge and express his feelings, how to listen and show empathy and being able to put himself in someone else’s shoes when giving feedback.
I set tasks each week with for interactions with his team and for de-briefing and reflection/learning in follow-up sessions. I used role-play, empathic interactions with his difficulties and assertiveness skills training using a combination of body work, journal keeping, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and mindfulness.
Results
From the Head of HR his team felt they were being heard and responded to in new and more work-appropriate ways.
My client told me he felt more confidence in being able to express himself, being able to give clearer instructions and better able to relate to his team.
We had a one-off session three months after our work ended to ensure these improvements were ‘bedded in’ and on going. Happily, they were.
Client 2
Head of Finance. Presenting issue: assertiveness, learning to say ‘No’ and setting boundaries with stressed co-workers.
My client and I worked with over two intensive (1.5 hour) sessions offering role-play, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) techniques and a program of ‘real life’ tasks between each session to practice new skills and strategies.
As the support and insights required were specific, I felt two longer sessions would work best for her. These longer, intensive sessions appealed to my client and were better able to work around her busy schedule.
Results
My client felt ‘listened to for the first time’ since joining the company in 2015. She enjoyed our sessions which she said were ‘engaging, informative and fun’. She found the role-play and the between sessions tasks she described as ‘really helpful’. She had been struggling to say ‘No’ both at work and in her personal life.
It was 'hugely helpful’, she said and that she could risk changing her communication style knowing she had the support of the follow-up session with me.
Team Development
The company directors and myself felt my workshops on the Communication, Public-Speaking & Pitching and Confidence would be the most useful for the company to roll out now.
Because of the ever-urgent need to present and pitch to clients and internally, improving public speaking was added too.
Both two hour workshops were attended by over 60 people in the New York office. My workshops integrate latest research in business psychology, neuroscience, philosophy and coaching as well as paired work, group discussion and role-play. Sessions usually run for 2 hours.
Results
Feedback was positive and enthusiastic. Comments such as ‘can we have more of this, please!’, ‘I didn’t realize communication was a skill I can get better at’ and, ‘it was good to work with people I don’t normally come across in my day-to-day role’.
I have an ongoing relationship with this company to provide individual coaching and team development sessions when required. The company lets me know about staff changes and structural changes that may need my support and help with coaching or workshops.
An anticipated office move in the next 6 months and taking on new staff in the coming months will mean my support will needed again soon.
Feedback from the directors - my personal background in media, journalism, publishing and creative, this company feels by working with me they have an expert on hand who is sensitive to the pressures and expectations specific to their industry.
“David’s workshops were surprising, stimulating and hugely fun - which is not what I was expecting to say! The feedback from the team has been incredible. It’s great to have David on board and to work with him and his unique team development program again.”