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Strengthening
career ownership.
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How targeted coaching increased confidence, improved career conversations and generated organisational insight.
The context.
A UK national publisher was evolving its approach to career development, introducing greater transparency and encouraging employees to take more ownership of their careers.
While new processes and opportunities were being introduced, many employees were still unsure how to navigate career conversations, articulate their value or think confidently about their next steps.
The challenge.
The publisher was evolving its approach to career development, creating greater transparency and encouraging employees to take a more active role in shaping their careers.
While new opportunities and processes were being introduced, many employees were still working out how to navigate them in practice.
Across the coaching conversations, common themes emerged:
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People were navigating changing roles, expectations and career opportunities
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Many wanted greater clarity about their next steps and future direction
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Strong performers found it difficult to articulate their value and contribution
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Some lacked confidence when discussing aspirations, progression or development
This wasn't a capability issue.
People were already delivering and contributing successfully.
What many needed was space to reflect, build confidence and think more clearly about how to navigate their careers and position themselves for future opportunities.
The approach.
To support employees ahead of career conversations, the publisher introduced optional career coaching sessions.
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36 employees participated across four days
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Sessions were 30 minutes, practical and focused
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Coaching was designed to complement, not replace, manager-led career conversations
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Places filled quickly, with a waiting list created
The sessions helped individuals:
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Clarify direction and next steps
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Build confidence
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Articulate their value and contribution
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Navigate change and evolving expectations
Alongside the coaching, anonymised themes were captured to identify broader patterns across the organisation while fully protecting individual confidentiality.
The impact.
The coaching created value at two levels.
For individuals.
Participants reported:
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Greater confidence entering career conversations
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Increased clarity around career direction
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Stronger ownership of development and progression
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Improved ability to articulate strengths and aspirations
Confidence scores increased from 2.6 to 4.25 out of 5.
Overall satisfaction reached 4.67 out of 5, with a recommendation score of 9.33 out of 10.
For the organisation.
The coaching provided valuable insight into employee experience, helping the organisation:
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Identify common barriers to career development
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Understand where employees were getting stuck
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Inform future people initiatives
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Support more targeted interventions over time
The result was a clearer understanding of workforce experience and stronger alignment between organisational intent and employee action.
Client perspective.
"What really stood out was Becky's ability to translate individual coaching conversations into meaningful insight for the business. Without ever compromising confidentiality, she identified clear themes and patterns that have been valuable in shaping our thinking and next steps.
The demand for sessions was high, the feedback was consistently excellent, and Becky exceeded our expectations in both delivery and overall impact."
Director of People & Culture