Wise Goose School of Coaching based in Devon offers a range of high-quality services, including 1:1 and team coaching, accredited training programmes and bespoke courses tailored to meet the specific needs and challenges of organisations.  

Wise Goose’s founder Helen Sieroda shares with Glen King the importance of applying a coaching approach to wellbeing in the workplace… 

It’s often thought that coaches are only called in where there’s conflict, a dysfunctional workforce or high level of sickness.  Forward-thinking organisations however, use a coaching approach to build stronger high performing teams, bring out the best in their people and create an engaged workforce.  

Helen explains: “Today’s executives and their teams usually work in high pressure environments, working long hours, taking work home, skimping on holiday time and powering through when sick. Sadly, this can become unmanageable leading to poor performance, stress-related issues, burn–out, and working hard just to survive in their job.  It’s not healthy for the individual, the team or the company.  Organisations are increasingly understanding the importance of wellbeing in the workplace, linking it to company culture to create mutual trust and respect.  From an employer’s point of view, a happy workforce is more productive, it’s easier to attract, engage and retain talent, while avoiding the costs of absenteeism, presenteeism and high staff turnover – this ethos reaps dividends.” 

She adds: “There’s a lot more however, that could be done by many leaders and managers to recognise signs of stress, address unhealthy working habits and create empowered and engaged employees who feel valued and supported to succeed.  At Wise Goose we’ve identified how a good coaching style from a manager helps tackle difficult conversations when things aren’t going well, get employees fully engaged, be more effective in helping people to flourish and be themselves, as opposed to just trying to fit into a role – it’s incredibly powerful!”   

“Coaching gives people the support, tools and resources they need to become their best versions of themselves, taking a proactive approach to their performance and wellbeing.  Sometimes we get entrenched in work patterns and ways of doing things that sap our energy and don’t give us what we need to be as productive as we can be.  It’s just about stopping and asking the right questions in order to find the best solutions. Coaching skills help people become more resourceful, creative, able to solve problems and thrive in their workplace.”  Helen concludes: “In a nutshell it’s really emphasising clear honest communication, collaboration and engagement.” 

If you are a leader or manager who wants to create a more positive and resilient workplace here are three things to think about: 

• Are you leading by example? How well are you managing your own stress levels, do you have unhealthy work habits that need to be tackled?  
• How clear are the goals and objectives you set for staff and do these give a sense of how they are contributing to the bigger picture? Stress levels soar when we aren’t sure about what’s expected of us and can’t see the purpose of our contribution.   
• How aware are you of stress in your organisation? Often stress is hidden.  What ways do you have to ‘take the temperature’? A powerful way to promote wellbeing is to introduce regular 1:1 ‘coaching style’ meetings between staff and line managers where this and other areas are  discussed, and including specific behaviours that need to stop, start or continue in order to build resilience and wellbeing. 

Catherine Rees who lives and works in Exeter trained with Wise Goose. She said: “I actually sought help from Helen when suffering with major stress at work. In my field of education, coaching and supervision isn’t widely available and I believe strongly that it should be.  Finding the pressure of the job overwhelming I was recommended to Helen who helped me plan a way forward that was manageable. If she hadn’t, I think I would have crashed and burned!  The journey has been incredible.  It’s really helped me through a transition of re-evaluating my work; what mattered most at a time when my children were leaving home and to get a better life balance.” Catherine continues: “Although I’ve always used coaching a lot in work, I’d never had formal training and qualifying as a coach definitely improved the kind of conversations I have with people, how I hold meetings, making sure everyone had a voice in the way the school was run.  It’s also opened new doors because I’ve started to coach people in different organisations, not just the education sector, and it’s a real joy seeing how my skills can apply in any business as well as for individuals.”     

All Wise Goose programmes have undergone a rigorous accreditation process through the Association for Coaching.  They also have a list of quality assured coaches. If you’d like to find out more  www.wisegoose.co.uk  

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Devon Life