Despite enjoying her role as Global Head of Operational Excellence and Training, after 20 years working in that field, Rachel was ready for a new challenge. She loved the company she worked for and the people she worked with, but often wondered what opportunities may await her a little further down the line.  

Not one to rest on her laurels, Rachel decided to put some wheels into motion and prepare to make a career transition in the next couple of years.  

Having researched her options, she saw becoming a Non-Executive Director as a possible avenue for exposure to new networks and contacts who could launch her portfolio career.  

So, confident that becoming a NED was the best route her, Rachel signed up to an online hub for professionals looking to accelerate their portfolio careers. The site utilised the information in her profile to find her a suitable Executive Coach from their network. 

Having already had career coaching and having mentored colleagues herself, Rachel understood that coaching was a partnership; she knew just how important it was to be paired with the right coach for her. Thankfully, she found that coach in Paul Starbuck.  

The Coaching: 

Rachel signed up for 6 coaching sessions with Paul, to take place over a 6-month period.  

“Paul instantly put me at ease and took the time to understand me and my situation. His sessions weren’t fluffy and general; they were entirely focussed on me and completely bespoke.”  

Initially, they spent a good deal of time understanding what Rachel’s goals were and identifying the skill and knowledge gaps between where she currently was, and where she wanted to be. 

“Paul’s questioning made me think differently about myself, my prospects, and the direction I wanted to go in. There was a lot of reflecting.”  

After a period of guided self-discovery, a plan was formulated for Rachel to work on any identified gaps in her knowledge or experience, which would be of benefit to developing her portfolio career.  

Rachel freely admits that she’d previously been guilty of putting her own development on the backburner. Being no stranger to coaching, however, she also knew that she would get out what she put in; to turn up to a session without completing the work set, would just be a waste of everybody’s time.  

“Paul held me accountable to working on myself. Where I’d put things off previously, he wouldn’t let me off the hook. He does take you out of your comfort zone, but he’s encouraging; not at all pushy.”   

The Curveball: 

Working with Paul, Rachel was making brilliant progress against her goals, but halfway through her 6 sessions, she was thrown a curveball: the company she worked for offered her a newly created role – The Head of People, Strategy and Execution.  

It turned out to be great timing; the new role would not only accelerate her career internally but would also help her to bridge gaps in her knowledge and experience -which would only be of benefit to future transitions.    

As a result, Paul’s coaching focus was shifted to be about helping Rachel close at her old role and prepare for her first 100 days in the new role.   

Together, they spent time re-establishing goals and Paul helped Rachel to become clearer about what needed to be done and at what stage. 

There were several challenges identified, most notably was that her new role was completely new to the company and relied very significantly on her ability to influence others. There was also a great deal of expectation attached to it; it was a role that had the potential to make a real difference to the organisation and Rachel was very aware of that responsibility. 

Paul supported Rachel and together, they built a cohesive plan which prepared her for the new role and worked to bolster her underlying levels of confidence.  

“If you’re thinking about working with Paul, do it. He is action orientated and tailors each session to you. I’m looking forward to working with him again.” 

Today, Rachel is enjoying her new role and looking to invest her time in more coaching in the future.  

A Word from Paul: 

“Rachel always worked hard on the actions between sessions to develop the skills, insights, thinking and plans she needed to become highly successful in her new role.  

As a coach, I’m always working on the client in front of me, and I must be flexible in my approach. In this case, the challenges Rachel was facing changed halfway through the assignment. Thankfully, we were able to successfully navigate this change together, resulting in the client doing brilliantly in her new role.”