back            Windmills Programme for Coaching – Case Studies Director of a housing association When the housing association was facing closure, this client needed time to reflect on her next steps. Coaching support helped her to pause, review and reflect on what the experience with the organisation had given her and how she wished to use this to move forward. She identified her prime skills, the components of her ideal job, developed her CV and improved her interview skills. She then identified individuals for her support network and developed a set of actions to secure a new role when her organisation closed. HR regional manager in the public sector It was a long time since this client had focused on her own development rather than that of others and she wished to look at her whole life rather than just work. She worked through activities in the Windmills Approach to Working Learning Playing and Giving, identifying what was important to her and how much of this she currently had. Through subsequent coaching sessions she identified ways of increasing this. She also worked on creating more of a win:win at work by taking opportunities to get involved in projects and issues she felt passionate about and which closely matched her skills and payoffs. self-employed HR consultant This client used the coaching support offered by the Windmills team to make the transition from corporate employee to self-employment. Her coach helped her develop a vision incorporating her life's priorities and identify the key actions that could make this a reality. She also worked on making the remaining time with her current employer as constructive as possible for both sides and left feeling satisfied and motivated. She is now living her dream very successfully. Managing director of new software company This client needed time out to reflect on progress towards his objectives as he had set up his own business after two challenging years spent seeking funding. With three new members of staff, he was also keen to explore ways of creating the right culture for the organisation as well as developing contingency plans in case of failure. With coaching support he was able to pause, review and reflect on what the experience of building the company had given him and using the Windmills Approach to Working Learning Playing and Giving proved a rewarding experience. Working through the process gave him sense of achievement and excitement as he realised how far he had come over the past ten years and made him keen to create ways to move the company forward. WLPG also confirmed things he needed to do and brought some longer-term aims more into the present as he realised that there were things that could be started now – such as setting up his own charity at the same time as the business. Owner of a new SME For a long time this client had wanted to become self-employed, and the time seemed right when the chemical company he worked for offered him redundancy. Coaching helped him explore the work/life blend that was right for him and his family during his first year of business. He used the WLPG process to look at the whole of his life and to use his time more effectively so he could give equally to his family and business. With an office at home it was vital to set boundaries and prioritise what was most important —working through the activities allowed him to look at his working, learning, playing and giving in turn. Subsequent coaching sessions helped him find ways of enhancing his family life while moving the business forward and created realistic timescales. The process also gave him new ideas for getting involved in his local community which brought him a real sense of satisfaction. Senior manager in the public sector This client was facing a possible change in her job role due to an organisational restructure and needed to identify what really mattered to her so she could have a more informed discussion with her manager. In addition she was very keen to get a blend of working, learning, playing and giving that was right for her as her children were growing up and voluntary commitments were also making demands on her time. The sessions explored her ongoing concern that she might need further education or qualifications and had the benefit of helping her recognise that she already has the necessary skills and knowledge for her field. She now realises it is simply about having the confidence and self belief to put herself forward for more challenging higher-level roles. Project manager in Higher Education While employed on a fixed-term project, this client was working in her spare time on her own small business. She wanted to use coaching as a process to work out if she really could work full time for herself by branching out into a new area related to her current role and that would use skills from previous careers-based jobs. The coaching, along with exercises from WLPG, enabled her to identify what was really essential for her and create a realistic picture of what full time self-employment would involve. This client is still working for an organisation but is researching how to move closer to her vision of self-employment. She has also developed a clear plan of how to attain what she wants. Manager in the public sector As an NLP practitioner herself, this client recognised the importance of having the opportunity to reflect about work and issues that impact on life. Although working hard in a job she enjoyed, she wanted to consider her next steps as she was still 10 years from retirement. The coaching process helped her consider options and generate ideas for dealing with work and home scenarios. As she felt she was not good at planning, it also encouraged her to think through future options in a pragmatic and flexible way. The result was that she was successfully able to influence her manager about her future role because she now had a clear picture of what she wanted and how she could achieve more of a win:win at work. back