Paula Sheridan | Group Coaching

Leaders in transition

Leading airline, Lufthansa, offered management coaching to two of their team leaders. The purpose was to enhance their leadership and management skills so they could become more effective in this ever-changing business environment.

Our brief was to focus on change and performance management, so they could inspire and motivate their teams to perform effectively and achieve their business goals.

One of those nominated was Paula Sheridan, head of sales for the UK, Ireland and Iceland. After our initial discussions, we agreed that, in order to inspire and motivate her team, our coaching sessions needed to focus on helping her to:

• Establish specific goals
• Feel comfortable in delegating to her team members
• Understand her emotional responses so she could deal with difficult situations in a more coherent way
• Become more efficient, by stepping away from the detail
• Develop a strategy for encouraging her team to take on more responsibility
• Feel more confident, have self-belief and recognise her successes.

What we did

Having first shown Paula how to set clear and achievable goals, we discussed her reluctance to delegate tasks to her team members. Once these basic managerial disciplines were established, we put into practice a range of ways to help her manage difficult conversations with colleagues and facilitate the sharing of different views and opinions. Using Nancy Kline’s Time to Think methodology, we looked at the importance of making sure everyone in the team has the chance to speak up and have their voice heard.

When communicating with teams, it’s important to be able to convey a vision – one that all members of the team can buy in to. We examined the elements required to do this effectively, so team members are inspired and can see how they contribute towards the company’s success.

How it worked

We had one-to-one coaching sessions in London, and also joint sessions with Paula’s colleague. In addition, they visited UCan Training’s offices in Surrey for a walk and talk session.

They benefited from having time away from the office, walking, talking and then eating. It does wonders for the soul to be able to think beyond the barriers and confines of the workplace, and really uncover what it is that motivates, and demotivates, you.

The benefits and outcome

Benefits to the individual

One-to-one coaching leads to greater self-awareness and confidence. It develops leadership, management and people skills in a safe and controlled environment, leading to better decision-making and understanding of the needs of others. Individuals are better able to handle challenging situations at work.

Benefits to the business

UCan Training specialises in coaching people from all walks of life and at every level within an organisation. Group and one-to-one training and coaching is the most powerful way to create sustained behavioural change. Our clients all have different goals and visions, and we design and deliver programmes that are just right for them, in line with their business objectives.

“Learning how to set achievable targets and goals has been one of the biggest helps and I’m now able to delegate a huge amount of tasks that I was previously doing myself. I’ve become more confident, learnt to think outside the box and I am making better decisions.”

Paula Sheridan

By investing in the development of your people, you will be improving the long-term effectiveness and profitability of your organisation. For more details of the programmes offered by UCan Training, or to discuss your coaching requirements, contact melissa@ucantraining.com