What’s Next Coaching helps companies and individuals achieve success when they have big, new or important opportunities in the business world. Most of my clients have significant goals to achieve and more than a few challenges to address. Clients come to me for a fresh perspective – to ensure they’re doing the right things, in the right ways, to achieve the right results.
After becoming an ACCA member in 1994, I moved to the US where I spent a number of years working in retail and distribution. Returning to Ireland, I worked in the rapidly evolving telecoms sector for over 20 years. I bring a combination of real commercial understanding and people management to help individuals achieve success with career guidance and planning.
As a business adviser, coach and mentor, I partner to validate strategies, develop implementation plans, address challenges and mitigate weaknesses. I focus on leadership, communication and alignment. My goal is always to accelerate progress and achieve real and lasting results.
The greatest success often comes when you create and work with a network of colleagues
The new working world demands a different standard of leadership from all of us, and coaching has a surprising value at this time. The pandemic has caused a lack of clarity about team roles, as well as fading interpersonal connections and overwhelming workloads, all of which lead to low morale. People look to leaders for cues at a time of dramatic change. If a leader communicates stress and helplessness, this has an adverse effect on the team. I support leaders to create clarity around short-term goals, and focus on the controllables as they work to build a bridge between remote team members and remote clients.
In this environment, the traditional coaching theme of business and career development may be less important. The primary focus of coaching during the pandemic is wellbeing, resilient leadership and virtual leadership ensuring businesses can respond quickly to changing circumstances and mitigating the impact of negative new stories. In terms of coaching formats, the new preferred style is dynamic and ‘bite-sized’ – regular coaching moments rather than longer sessions.
The pandemic has made me rethink how I spend my time and re-evaluate my life goals. Despite the concerns and the difficulties faced over the past 15 months I’ve managed to find positives and embrace a different way of working.
The most important business lesson I have learned is how valuable connections with other people are. Whether it’s with a professional colleague, friend or family member, each relationship you build with another person adds another layer of support to what you’re building for yourself. There is much you can create by working alone, but the greatest success often comes when you create and work with a network of colleagues. Each person in your network is a valuable member of your team and adds invaluable quality to your life. Making connections with others a priority is an important lesson that can improve every aspect of your life both in and out of work.
