coaching

Coaching enables colleagues to develop their thinking and expertise in order to enhance their performance beyond its current position. Our trained network of coaches will work with you in a confidential partnership, drawing on a range of methods and techniques to support you. Our coaching is non-directive, so your coach won't tell you what to do, but will – 

• act as a sounding board;
• ask you relevant questions to encourage you to find your own solutions;
• challenge perceptions and belief systems, at work and in life; 
• help you to think about things in a different way to move forward to achieve a goal. 

But don't just take our word for it. This article by Katie Denyer (Executive and Leadership coach) explains the 5 things she wishes everyone knew about coaching.

A coach will operate in a non-directive style, to get you to come up with your own solutions. A mentor,on the other hand, would typically be more directive, offering advice and guidance based on their own experiences

The coaching focuses on topics and challenges chosen by you that have an impact on your ability to fulfil your role and responsibilities effectively. Coaching gives you an ideal opportunity to reflect, raise self-awareness and set your own direction. As the focus of coaching is enhanced performance there are also benefits for the wider organisation. 

Coaching can be of particular benefit to those who –  

• want to work out where to go next in their career;
• have undergone or are about to undergo a process of organisational change; 
• are new to our University or a role, particularly when moving into management; 
• want to discuss current wellbeing and work-life balance challenges;
• simply want to maximise performance.

Our University has a network of internal workplace coaches who are able to offer coaching. We are also part of a city-wide partnership and ‘trade’ coaches with Leeds City Council and Leeds NHS Trusts, so you could be matched with a coach from any of these organisations. All of our network coaches have undergone accredited training to equip them with the skills to coach effectively.  

The coaching is confidential and we also do our best to ensure there is no conflict of interest – however, if you are matched with someone you know, for example, please inform us and we will rematch you.

We ask that you set some coaching goals prior to your coaching that clarify what you hope to get out of it. We will then re-visit these goals/objectives after your coaching has finished.  

Our scheme typically proposes one individual meeting per month over a four-month period. This is open to individual discussions and agreement between you and your coach – essentially, it is whatever is reasonable and works for each individual partnership.  

You will be expected to commit time and effort to the development process. Your coach may be re-allocated if there has been no contact for three months without prior agreement.

Following your sessions you will be asked to revisit your coaching goals in order to evaluate the process. This evaluation process is crucial, giving you a chance to fully reflect and measure the impact the coaching has had. You will be asked for your feedback straight after your coaching ends and again after a three-month period, to assess the transfer of learning into the workplace and how any changes have been embedded and to identify any further development needs you may have. 

You can decide to share the feedback in this section with your coach - by doing this the coach has the opportunity to continually improve.

I’ve held many different roles during my career, including teaching, leading teams, and as an English Adviser for a local authority. It’s only relatively recently that I've discovered coaching and have been able to experience first-hand the transformative impact that it can have on confidence, personal development and wellbeing. I qualified as a coach in 2020 and now have the privilege of coaching individuals, helping them to explore what matters to them most - what gives them a sense of purpose, energy and fulfilment - in terms of their role and development. I’m also able to apply a coaching approach to much of the work I undertake in my current role, hopefully promoting the benefits of coaching to colleagues across Leeds Beckett University!

I’ve worked at Leeds Beckett University since 2009, starting as a Graduate Trainee following studying here. Having moved into the People & Organisational Development team in 2014 and experiencing the benefits of coaching first-hand, I then qualified as a coach in 2018. I now have the pleasure of coaching individuals on a one-to-one basis, as well as utilising and promoting the benefits of coaching on a daily basis in my current role. I love working with colleagues and giving them the time and space (with a few prompts along the way) to reflect and explore their options. I’ve seen coaching have a huge impact on individuals - giving them clarity on a situation, enhancing their confidence and helping them commit to their actions.

I qualified as a workplace coach in 2014 and have been coaching at Leeds Beckett University since then. My first degree was in sport and exercise science and I then went on to study sport and exercise psychology at doctoral level.

Qualifying as a workplace coach was a natural progression and the role complements my day to day work as a senior lecturer and as an applied practitioner. Coaching is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role and it is a pleasure to watch coachees develop in the time that we have together.

My background is in HR and learning and development across a number of different workplaces and sectors. I currently work in the People and OD team at Leeds Beckett, where a coaching approach threads through all the work we do. To supporting people-led initiatives such as LBU’s mentoring networks, our university’s PDR cycle, development webinars and colleague recognition schemes - I enjoy seeing how coaching techniques can add real value.

I am an ILM qualified coach and led the University’s ILM internal coaching programme in 2019/20. The coaching network at Leeds Beckett is a unique development opportunity for anyone who is looking for support, challenge and stretch to reach their potential.

I gain huge personal fulfilment coaching others; for me it’s seeing coachees have ‘lightbulb moments’ - when they discover a new perspective, idea or way forward. Helping coachees build on feedback they have received is also a passion of mine and is where I often see coaching adding real value. I like to think of myself as a positive, patient and thoughtful person who makes space to listen and understand others and I hope these traits transfer into my coaching style.

I have a background in HR and more specifically have developed my specialism in recruitment and development. This is driven by my passion for supporting individuals to grow, develop and fulfil their potential. I have worked across a range of different sectors including not-for-profit, manufacturing, retail and professional services. Here at Leeds Beckett, I work as part of our Employer Engagement Team, connecting our student and graduate talent with employers and supporting them as they progress their own career journeys.

I am an ILM qualified coach and have previously managed a team of internal coaches. The coaching programme here at Leeds Beckett is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who wants to challenge themselves to be the best that they can be, and to do so in a supportive environment. Look forward to supporting you to reach your goals!

I am an Academic Skills Tutor with Leeds Beckett Library, a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, previously working as an Academic Librarian, a mountain leader and for the Ministry of Defence.

I qualified as a coach in 2020, the role seeming like a natural fit with my work in the Library’s Academic Support Team. As a coach, I particularly enjoy helping clients explore fresh perspectives on familiar challenges. In practice, this focus can identify practical responses to specific issues, unlocking potential and improving wellbeing.

I previously worked for the NHS before joining Leeds Beckett in 2015. My role, based in the People & Organisational Development team, involves supporting our colleague wellbeing and E&I agendas. I have always had a passion for helping people to get the best from themselves and find happiness in their work and a work/life balance that works for them. Luckily my day job allows me to do this but qualifying as a coach in 2018 has really allowed me to follow this passion. It is an absolute joy to be able to meet with colleagues on a 1-2-1 basis and help them to explore their options. I view coaching as the opportunity to have breathing space away from a situation; to talk through possibilities and be listened to by someone impartial. Sometimes that can be enough to make a problem seem easier. My favourite part of coaching is when you ask a particular question or challenge a particular thought process and the person has a lightbulb moment. They may not have thought of something that way before or may have come to a specific realisation about a situation - those moments can be life changing!