Type ‘Coach’ into Linkedin and you’ll get an avalanche of results (~7M). It’s one of those broad terms that can mean a multitude of things. So why do we call our coaches, coaches? And what exactly do they do?
Let’s explore the multi-faceted life of a coach at &us.
That one small word ‘coach’ has to work very hard to capture how broad and wide reaching the role is. As the quote from the late, great, Prince suggests in the title above, they’re more akin to guides who get us through the complexity and confusion of work and life, and in particular the uncertainty and discomfort that comes with adapting your mindset to working on complex problems at fast pace and with a lot of transparency. All of which is the foundation for any company-wide culture transformation.
There’s a multi-layered aspect to our coaches’ work, and they are brilliantly mentally ambidextrous. Both disciplined and focussed on the work; so too flexible and human, keeping their teams united, motivated and in action. They act as a navigator, supporting and nudging work and behaviours forward. You might conclude they’re part counsellor, part cheerleader, and yet another part strategist, and most definitely both thinkers and doers; kind of like a transformation swiss army knife! They’re not only adept at many skills, roles and styles of innovation, but know exactly which part of their toolkit to apply in the context of any given situation or team.
Perhaps most of all, being a coach requires you to be deeply human.
Curious, open and flexible, prepared to challenge and ask why, with a relentless desire to find answers in the complexity of an organisation and its people, and also with deep empathy for how hard the work of change can be.
To really understand what they do, we asked our coaching team to give us some insight into their world, and share their experience of their work.
What type of projects do you work on?
“Multi year transformation programmes and shorter projects that involve teams experimenting with agile ways of working on a tangible product or service they want to innovate.”
“Varies from company-wide cultural transformations, employee experience design and go-to-market roadmapping to learning & development strategies and creating new products and services.”
What’s the best bit about your job?
“Shifting people’s mindsets and seeing them start to talk and act differently.”
“Watching clients get out of their own way and step up to lead their work and their teams with newfound energy, pace and purpose.”
“People I work with, both at &us and all our clients.”
How would you describe coaching at &us?
“Taking clients on a journey of learning, upskilling and questioning their current way of working.”
“Coaching is about transforming organisations to be more adaptive/ innovative/ responsive/ future fit.”
“We blend consulting, facilitation and coaching to upskill teams and get them to transform their culture of work.”
What’s best thing about your colleagues at &us?
“Understanding we’re all just human and fallible.”
“Energy, passion for doing the right thing for our clients.”
“Creating good trouble with them is loads of fun!”
What makes a good coach at &us?
“Someone who can empathize AND create new behaviours in people.”
“Deep empathy and insight skills, great planning, brilliant strategic and making skills, ability to make people feel at ease.”
“A profound fascination with the world at large.“
“Ability to design and take a client on a learning journey as you work with them on their business challenge.”
Why do you like being a coach at &us?
“We’re creating something new”
“I love seeing shifts in others, working with others collaboratively, drawing out ambitious visions and designing pathways to achieve them”
“I can use so many of my hats (skillsets) on any given day.”
“We’re on a journey to inventing the future of work.”
How do you describe what you do to your mum?
“I help businesses change their working culture so that their teams work more effectively with each other and with their customers. “
“I get people to work together better, faster and with more impact.”
How about you &us? visit our careers hub.