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Blackpool and The Fylde College (B&FC) is a further and higher education college in Lancashire, England. Facilities include four main campuses across the Fylde Coast, all of which have recently undergone or are undergoing major redevelopment.
THE OBJECTIVES
To raise the individual and collective awareness of the management forum team; receive individualised feedback for each team member and understand and appreciate different leadership styles to further develop productive relationships and to deliver greater overall performance.
Using a mix of 1-2-1 leadership coaching sessions with a Xenonex Executive Coach, analysing individual and team DISC psychometrics and a 360-feedback report, maximise the individual and collective performance of the leadership team
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BESPOKE COACHING PROGRAMME
Xenonex has worked with B&FC, supporting them with coaching and leadership development programmes since 2018. Due to our specialist knowledge, pre-existing relationships, and extensive examination of the current context, we were able to develop a bespoke coaching programme that aligned with the organisational goals.
Leaders experienced multiple coaching sessions to gain a greater perspective on effectively leading others, their personal impact, levels of emotional intelligence and maximising their communication style. They took part in DISC profiling and through coaching, they gained a better understanding of their personalities, and how they may interact with others in the workplace. They also submitted a 360 review to gain a greater perspective of themselves and the perception that others have of them within the workplace including their skills, strengths, and development areas.
In addition, leaders were able to access four highly experiential workshops to undergo specific development in coaching skills, wellbeing, critical conversations, and developmental conversations.
Executive leaders also took part in DISC reports and received one-on-one feedback coaching sessions.
HOW DID IT GO?
Xenonex has helped the leadership team at B&FC by challenging their processes and generating new ways of thinking and building relationships. As a result of Xenonex’s training, the leadership team have learned new ways to make each other happier, more engaged, and perform better.
One participant noted that the sessions gave them “very useful tips to make the work environment happier”.
Another team member noted that the Xenonex tutor “had an excellent delivery style and was very engaging, with lots of content and ideas. I enjoyed the session pace and it was led extremely well. Lots of takeaways to use practically personally and professionally.”
Throughout these sessions and workshops, the B&FC team felt they “enjoyed the time to explore and try out new skills” and that “both trainers/facilitators were insightful, supportive and helpful.” Ultimately, the management team felt that their time learning from Xenonex was “very insightful, deep, probing and generated values-driven discussions” and that it was “a valuable investment by our organisation to ensure our management team performs to its full potential.”
THE OUTCOMES
Xenonex received outstanding feedback across the board. They referenced that the programme has helped the management team at B&FC to create a new perspective, and even those that were initially sceptical quickly managed to dive in and enjoy developing new skills. Participants felt that they gained valuable insights that developed them on a professional and personal level.
Here are a few examples of the positive ways in which the B&FC team found their experience and how they feel moving forward:
“Overall, a very positive experience, which provided me with a completely different perspective and viewpoint of issues and challenges to aid decision making.”
“I was initially sceptical, but the trainer quickly established a rapport and structured the conversation around issues that were important to myself and the team over the next 12 months and beyond.”
“Excellent, insightful coaching, which has positively developed me on both professional and personal levels.”
“I have been far more cognisant of the progress I have made over time; it has helped me focus my energy in certain areas and be mindful of feedback received on my progress in these areas.”
“Excellent - found it very insightful and got to learn about myself which is not something we regularly do. Found it has directly helped me cope with what were previously difficult relationships at work.”
“Enjoyable experience being able to look in at me a little to see how my attitudes and actions may affect others”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefitted from my coaching sessions and a safe environment created by the trainer allowed me to explore and deepen my understanding of leadership, qualities and traits. The sessions gave me food for thought and future development.”
CONCLUSION
Following on from the success of the one-on-one coaching programme and team workshops, the executive team are now focused on how to strategically develop and embed a coaching culture across the entire organisation so that the impact can be felt at all levels.
We are looking forward to working with B&FC on the next stage of this journey.