The Client
Who: Chris, an early career researcher working in a university
Type of coaching: One-to-one coaching
Length of programme: Three months
Outcomes: Felt calmer and more in control over her work, created more space for strategic thinking, improved energy levels, gained clarity on her next career move, developed greater emotional regulation
The Challenge
Chris had reached a stage in her career where she felt stuck and frustrated. She was feeling unsupported by her manager whose rather abrasive style had begun to undermine her confidence and belief in her own abilities.
She wanted to use the coaching space to gain clarity on her next career move and to explore ways to better manage her working relationship with her manager and to manage and prioritise her workload.
The pre-coaching reflection that Denise invites all clients to complete before their first coaching session helped Chris prioritise her focus for the coaching sessions and set meaningful goals for the programme.
The Coaching
Over the course of the three-month coaching programme, Chris came to feel much calmer and more in control. She created space for more strategic thinking and felt much less overwhelmed.
In the first session, having a space to speak openly and without judgment was immediately powerful – helping her feel lighter and validated.
Using science-based models, Denise helped Chris understand how the brain responds to people displaying abrasive behaviours. This helped Chris to more deeply understand her own reactions and better regulate her emotional state.
Together they used the Urgent Important matrix model and explored practical strategies for saying no. These tools helped Chris to prioritise tasks and push back on non-urgent commitments therefore protecting her time.
The Coaching Relationship
Chris found Denise to be approachable and friendly. She said Denise kept the coaching light and easeful which made her feel comfortable to be vulnerable. She never felt judged or a need to hold back so it meant that they were able to get to the heart of the challenges quickly.
Denise offered a good balance between emotional support and practical strategies. Reassurance and validation of what she was feeling helped Chris process her feelings and then move forward into action.
The coaching relationship is a partnership which requires focus and commitment from both the coach and the client. Chris worked hard between sessions, always taking away things to try from each session and following through by taking action. She used journalling to capture her coaching journey which helped to highlight her progress and deepen her learning.
Outcomes
By the end of the programme, Chris described herself as feeling calmer with more ability to think strategically.
The strategies she learned for “saying no” meant she was no longer overcommitting and it gave her the feeling of having more control over her work – rather than it controlling her! She felt a lot less overwhelmed with much more capacity.
More space in her day had a positive impact on her energy levels and more self-awareness of the progress she had been making. It also allowed for more creative and innovative thinking particularly when it came to planning her next career steps.
She finished coaching with clarity on her next career move. She had applied for a lectureship role, and was planning to take some time out for a sabbatical.
