The Client
Name: Kim
Job Title: Senior Leader
Type of Coaching: One to one leadership coaching
The Challenge:
Kim had recently navigated an exceptionally difficult professional situation. She was forced to raise a formal complaint about a senior leader and colleague due to their inappropriate behaviour, including bullying and neglect of duties.
Her actions demonstrated integrity and her commitment to doing the right thing. Yet this courageous decision came with both personal and professional risks because she had to continue to work alongside the individual during the investigation, all the while managing the large workload and responsibilities of her own leadership role.
Kim described feeling overwhelmed and traumatised by the whole experience.
“I really needed some support to process the experience. I was unsure as to my place in the organisation anymore and going forward what I wanted for my career.”
When Kim’s employer offered support, she specifically requested coaching. She was clear on what she wanted from coaching which was a strong personal connection and someone who would “challenge her in the right way”.
Immediately after her chemistry call with Denise, Kim knew she had found the connection she was looking for. She said, “I felt that she [Denise] just got me straight away.”
The coaching:
Coaching provided a space for Kim to work through her feelings in a constructive way.
Before the first session, Denise had Kim complete an in-depth questionnaire which encouraged Kim to do some initial processing and reflection.
Throughout the coaching journey, Denise applied a range of tools and techniques tailored to Kim’s preferences. Kim remarked, “She clearly knows her stuff and was able to use a range of tools that I responded to.”
One of the most impactful tools for Kim was the mind management tool, The Chimp Model. Although Kim was already familiar with the theory, she said, “Denise presented it in a way which really brought it to life far better than when I had read the book because we were able to articulate how it was playing out in real time in my particular situation.”
Using The Chimp Model helped Kim to reframe what she had been through with greater understanding and recognise the integrity and strength she had brought to a very difficult challenge.
Denise also introduced some somatic exercises. Although initially a little sceptical, Kim found them to be “really brilliant”. They became a valuable part of the process and helped her manage both the professional challenges and the personal anxiety she was experiencing.
Kim described experiencing several ‘wow moments’ during her coaching with Denise. Moments that had a profound impact. One such moment came when Kim felt able to clearly articulate and understand the personal toll of what she had endured, as it helped her “move on into the right space for the future.”
The Outcome
After six months of coaching:
- Kim gained deeper self-understanding, self-awareness and self-compassion. Coaching enabled her to step back, reframe her experiences and step forward with clarity. As Kim said, “it just really resonated and helped me to move on into the right space.”
- Coaching gave Kim practical tools to help with managing her anxiety and during the coaching process, she also had a powerful realisation (a ‘wow moment’) which was that her anxiety was no longer a defining part of who she was.
- One of Kim’s key goals was to decide whether to stay with her organisation or leave. By the second to last coaching session, Kim had made the decision to stay. With a new supportive team and boss, she now feels optimistic and secure.
- By the end of the coaching engagement, Kim moved from feeling traumatised and uncertain about her future to feeling positive and proud of how she managed a very challenging period of her life. “I’ve come to terms with what was an awful period in my life but I am facing forward and feeling really positive. And I feel proud of what I did during that time.”
The Feedback
“From such a traumatic, horrible, dark place 12 months ago to where I am now… you would not know that I was the same person in the same organisation.
“Coaching is a life-changing experience. Denise is an absolute expert in her field. She is warm and full of empathy and is able to guide you to get the best out of the sessions.
“I had quite a few wow moments. Every session that we had there was a moment. It was all part of me going on a larger journey. She asked the right questions.”
