Posts from the ‘People & Organisational Development’ Category
Learning & Development Faciltation
I worked for over ten years delivering the counsellor and advanced counsellor training within EY as part of an associate team. We were one of only a couple of providers that the organisation had used for that length of time in the UK. This work involved performance management, relationship building, coaching and difficult conversations training. The advanced programme including greater complexity including neurodiversity, careers and mental health.
We worked at senior levels in the organisation and I have facilitated Partner, Director, Senior Manager and Manager groups as well as some more junior staff just starting out in people management. Many of these audiences were globally diverse but based in the UK. I was particularly actively involved with the Advisory business when it was re-starting within the firm, facilitating the partner group around Firm process and their decisions on people management.
I specialise in people development and particularly training in behavioural change, strengths based wellbeing and ‘soft skills’. I can design or design and deliver courses for you that can be either delivered in person or remotely through your digital learning strategy facilitating just in time or real time learning for your employees.
I have a particular expertise in designing and delivering training in the following areas:
- Coaching & advanced listening and questioning skills
- Strengths based careers development
- Integrated wellbeing, development and performance conversations
- Performance development conversations including positive and constructive feedback
- Dealing with challenging, conflict and difficult conversations
- Mindfulness and compassion
- Dealing with change and transitions
- Leading change and transitions
- Resilience and mental flourishing
- Employee wellbeing training- incl stress management,
- Healthy manager and healthy workplace
- Happiness and wellbeing (incl PERMA)
Case studies
I worked collaboratively with a specialist in procurement to design a modular programme focused around strategic category management. The course was designed so that attendees learnt the key technical skills while being interwoven with key soft skills.
As part of the wider change programme I ran for Herbert Smith I designed five 90-120 minute skills booster sessions focused around increasing key soft skills that the support population were particularly requesting 
I worked for over ten years delivering the counsellor and advanced counsellor training within EY. We were one of only a couple of providers that the organisation had used for that length of time in the UK. This work involved perfomance management, relationship building, coaching and difficult conversations training. The advanced programme including greater complexity including neurodiversity, careers and mental health.
We worked with London TravelWatch at a time of large change helping both the staff and managers process and deal with the impact of a large downsize. We worked with them to deliver two all staff workshops around understanding and dealing with change and ensuring consistency of approach in the new organisation going forward. This latter piece of work focusing on developing the organisations values and understanding how they are lived day to day.
Thanks for delivering such a light touch but powerful workshop yesterday. It did just what I hoped
Chief Executive London TravelWatch
Change management
Over a 12-18 month month period I designed and assembled a team of 5 consultants, to deliver a large cross departmental change programme “Good to Excellent’ across support services with the focus on building a sense of community and customer service for internal and external clients. The design had 4 phases including workshops and skills boosters.
To read more about the programme and its design please click : Herbert Smith Good to excellent Programme This was written by the OD department at Herbert Smith for an award submission.
Top Team Development
Prior to Herbert Smith’s merger, I worked over a period of seven years with the Information and Systems department. During that time I worked with them to build a sense of team within the Leadership team, each sub team within the department, across the overall department and also inter relationships between the department and other departments they worked closely with. Work included
- Consulting, designing and facilitating tailored nine yearly top team leadership offsites and 1:1 coaching
- Designing and facilitating intra departmental team events
- Designing and facilitating a series of tailored department wide team leader management development
- Designing and facilitating an all department conference
We needed a facilitator to help us in the critical task of coalescing the senior management team. Heather did exactly that and lived up to out high expectations.
Group Chief Information Officer, Herbert Smith LLP (now retired)
Learning & Development design and facilitation
As part of the wider change programme I ran for Herbert Smith I designed five 90-120 minute skills booster sessions focused around increasing key soft skills that the support population were particularly requesting
mindtrip reflections of ideas, thoughts, hints and tips and book recommendations focused around building a flourishing work environment.
As one of my new offerings for 2014 I will be providing creativity and art based workshops and events for teams and groups. So if you fancy getting a bit messy and doing something different to come up with some new ideas or solve your organisational challenges or just to spend time as team, then this could be for you!
In my organisational work, I hear a number of comments about wanting to be more innovative and creative either individually or with the work that the group is doing. Using art based techniques alongside my facilitation and event design skills I can work with your group:
- To start to see things around themselves differently
- To help them come up with some new ideas
- To tap in to the intuitive part of themselves that may hold some more unique ideas than traditional approaches
- To work on something both individually and together to help see interconnections and build a sense of team spirit
- To loosen up and have some fun!
As some of you know I have been painting for 14 years and have my own studio and participate in open studios and have a few exhibitions coming up this year (see www.heatherrachel.co.uk)
All materials will be provided and no artistic skills are required- the focus is on the process of the creation! You will also have some strong visual reminders to take back with you to the office, if you so wish.
So if you fancy taking a different approach to solving some of your organisational challenges and coming up with some innovative ideas for the future then please do give me a call on 07801 246113 or e-mail me
I can’t quite believe that I have reached a major milestone of 10 years with my business, mindtrip- where did the time go!
It has certainly been an interesting few years with changes in what clients have been demanding over the years. In the early years, my focus was very much around team development and top team development along with tailored training events and leadership development. To find out more about what I offer please have a look here and here.
In 2006, I won a great opportunity to run a large change programme across the support services within Herbert Smith. This programme lasted 18 months and was very much focused on building relationships and creating a ‘joined up’ support services to the legal professionals within the firm. To find out more as to what I can do for you around change management have a look here
With the advent of moving towards the recession in the UK in late 2007, my work began to shift more towards coaching and dealing with change and transition which is still my focus today. In addition to this, I have a strong interest in wellbeing and positive staff engagement and I believe this will start to build further over the next few years with us moving slowly out of our recessive climate and into growth. To see more about what I can help with have a look here and for a bit more information about my approach take a look here
As part of my own development and keeping myself fresh with new ideas and thoughts for working with my clients, my focus in recent years has been looking at a more integrated and holistic offering bringing in mindfulness and compassion based approaches as well as walking and art into my wider development offerings for clients.
So if you are thinking about something for you staff and Organisation or for something personally for you do give me a call on 07801 246113 I probably have just the thing you need!
Wishing you a Very Happy and Peaceful Christmas and a Joyful 2014!
“The aim of life is self development. To realise one’s nature perfectly-that is what each of us is here for” Oscar Wilde
Central to my positive psychology approach to Organisational Development and Coaching, is looking at whether an individual is flourishing in their work and their wider life. By focusing on helping an individual explore their strengths and helping align these with their work there can be a win/win in terms of an individual’s happiness and wellbeing as well as an increase in individual and organisational productivity.
An interesting article, written by Dr Bridget Juniper and promoted by Action for Happiness, about the downfalls of traditional productivity orientated employee engagement measurement, argues the case for employee wellbeing becoming more central in workplace productivity measures and quotes
…the top 10 drivers of employee engagement, identified by Towers Watson – ISR, show that, of 75 possible areas, the one that was rated the most important was the extent to which employees believed that their senior management had a sincere interest in their wellbeing.
The research goes on to ask employees whether or not they think their senior management actually exhibit this behaviour, with only 39% believing this to be the case. By contrast, the second driver relates to employee development, which is more often associated with conventional engagement measures.
In these times of uncertainty and strain, even more consideration needs to be given to employee wellbeing both for the benefit of the individual but also for organisations and society as a whole. By creating leadership strategies and working practices that help to enhance wellbeing, we will be helping all of us to remain resourceful, happy, healthy and productive.