SWiFT (Senior Women in – or Formerly in – UK rail or Transport and their male allies) has hosted its first Executive Coaching session from two expert panellists with much experience in training senior leaders.
Richard Phillips, a renowned and charismatic global communicator and personal performance advisor, together with Lorraine Flower, Manging Director of azzur limited and experienced Executive Coach, led the session which was held at the Smith Centre at the Science Museum.
Richard talked about his role as an advisor in personal communication and his work to support leaders with this. He detailed the importance of a creating the impression of confidence through, body language, choreography and vocal tone. He highlighted that coaching should be geared towards an individual finding their own authenticity and their “true selves”.
Drawing on her experience as an Executive coach, Lorraine shared her views on what it means to be a senior leader, from being impactful to understanding the vulnerabilities and exposure of the position. She shared insights about the important of clarity of purpose, accessing full potential and releasing inner power. She highlighted the value in coaching, explaining that it is a treat and resource, but also is a workout, where you can bring challenges and not be judged.
Speaking after the event, Richard said: “Coaching always has been and always will be a fundamental part of reaching your potential as a leader. This evening at the science museum confirmed that fact.
“On a wet cloud dark windy night all these people turned out to dig deeper into the question of coaching for leaders and the discussion proved how important the important the subject is.
“Any form of coaching can feel like self indulgence but it shouldn’t – spending valuable time on yourself means everyone is a winner.”
Lorraine said: “Coaching is so important as a developmental option because it puts us in contact with our own inner resources. The corporate world is quite masculine by nature across industries so events like this evening are hugely important in to supporting women move into more senior roles and helping male allies become more open to feminine ways of leading.
“Diversity is high on corporate agendas and there needs to be an active approach to considering how more feminine qualities make for even more inclusive environments. These qualities of being fluid, open and listening to the thoughts ideas of others are vital for a more balanced boardroom.”
Shamit Weinberger Gaiger, Managing Director for West Coast Partnership Development, who is the SWiFT lead and Women in Rail (WR) Trustee, said: “Our first Executive Coaching was a huge success, and thank you to Richard and Lorraine for such a challenging and informative discussion. They both shared the latest thinking and fantastic insights in what it means to be a good senior leader and the values to making a personal impact.
“This event brought the curtain down on a fantastic year for SWiFT and I’d like to end by saying a big thank you to everyone that has supported us. I know that we will grow from strength to strength and we have some exciting events in diary for 2024 – with new members always welcome to join.”
SWiFT has a number of ‘An Evening With…’ events planned for next year. For details on how to become a member visit: https://swift.womeninrail.org/
Photo credit: SWiFT
