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A glimpse into unlocking limitless high performance

Our second ever live stream was hosted by one of our leading faculty members, Barbara Dewast (coach, facilitator, published author and more), to explore transforming cultures in organizations. She was joined by special guests Lucy Paterson, Senior Director of Johnson and Johnson, and Tiffany Gaskell MD & Co-founder of Performance Consultants.

When Sir John Whitmore founded Performance Consultants 40 years ago he set our mission as that of unlocking the limitless potential of people in organizations. It was Sir John’s vision which led to the creation of the GROW model, still the most used model in coaching today as well as writing the definitive book on the subject: “Coaching for Performance”.

Our mission today has not changed much: 

“Inspire a new radically human philosophy of work, globally.  
Maximizing performance, learning and enjoyment to unlock the potential of 3.3 billion working people.”

How can you introduce a coaching culture in your organization?

We heard from Lucy Paterson about the variety of roles she’s held over her accomplished career and how this led to a passion for coaching. She has completed her BRONZE certification and is currently working towards her silver credential.

Lucy has seen aspects of all the cultures of the Performance Curve, from impulsive to interdependent. In terms of what makes a difference in changing a culture, she sees it as being multi-faceted, influenced by:

  • How long a leader has been in their role
  • How willing they are to adapt
  • How strongly their team is calling for change
The Performance Curve

Change not only comes from the “top”, but also from within the team itself – team members showing willingness to experience leadership in a different way, with a different mindset. Openness and vulnerability were key in achieving this.

Most valuable lesson learnt

Raising leaders’ awareness, and for them to recognise the benefits of change can take time, particularly in complex organisations with multiple layers of leadership and leaders who have been in position for many years. Lucy pointed out that it takes as long to change a culture as it took to create it in the first place. She recommended meeting people where they are, taking them on their own journey and allowing them the time and space to practice.

“It takes slightly longer, but the results of that pay in dividends year after year”

Lucy Paterson, Senior Director of Johnson and Johnson
performance consulting leadership-development-consulting
transformational leadership development program

Join one of our webinars to find out about a coaching leadership style

Coaching can positively impact mindset and behavior

Tiffany Gaskell’s coaching journey began on the trading floor of Credit Suisse in London. It was the year 2000, and she had just handed in her notice. A friend called and recounted a story of a businesswoman who owned a small shoe shop, and who wanted to grow. Through working with a coach, within 5 years she had expanded to 57 shops across the US!

The impact of coaching on people, performance and planet was immense. As a member of a top-performing team bringing in 70% of group profits, Tiffany had the realisation that most leaders didn’t know how to lead! The story of coaching resonated so strongly that she felt a draw towards mindset and behaviour change: the Performance Curve was taking shape in her mind.

How do you create an interdependent culture?

Having trained as a coach, Tiffany saw so much potential, and she joined forces with Sir John Whitmore and David Brown in 2004 and Performance Consultants became Performance Consultants International. The surprising results from a culture survey in 2012 brought the lightbulb moment that they had inadvertently recreated some of the behaviours from the impulsive banking culture!

What is a coaching culture all about?

Sir John Whitmore used to say that coaching is about awareness and responsibility.

Tiffany talked about how awareness gives us choice. Even with Coronavirus, you could go into it with fear, or you could go into it trusting – yourself and your team – and come through together. In the midst of a nightmare, it presented our company with an extraordinary growth opportunity.

“It’s all about constantly checking in and recalibrating… and the work never stops!”

Tiffany Gaskell, MD & Co-Founder of Performance Consultants

She also added learning from different perspectives, moving away from the “blame” culture which takes away from our ability to innovate and learn from our mistakes. Lastly, Tiffany highlighted feedback is key to an interdependent culture – showing up as our authentic selves and having a normal conversation with curiosity: she recommended you gather yourself together, trust the other person and share your perspective.

“Fear is the greater interference.”

Tiffany Gaskell, MD & Co-Founder of Performance Consultants

So what is next for you? You could start by watching the webinar to hear about these journeys of unlocking human potential. The next part is up to you.

If you would like to do this work with your team, you can contact us to discuss your requirements at [email protected]

meeting your needs

How can you bring executive coaching into your organization?

Sir John and his colleagues at Performance Consultants were the first to take coaching into the workplace and coined the term “performance coaching” in the early 1980s. We continue to lead the field in performance improvement through coaching leadership training.

Select one of the options shown. Or get in touch and one of our world-class leadership development consultants will work with you to create a tailored programme that meets your specific needs.

  • Attend a Coaching Course – experience the benefits of coaching first hand. See our Global Training Calendar to find the right course for you
  • Transformational Leader Pathway – learn how to be a leader–coach with a coaching leadership style that creates a culture of high performance for you, your team and entire organization
  • Performance Coach Certification – become a coach or take your coaching skills to the next level so that you can practise transformational leadership coaching
  • Individual Coaching (1:1) – take your leadership to the next level with a tailored, fast-track professional development coaching programme
  • Team Development – unlock the next level of potential in your team with team coaching