TESTIMONIALS / CASE STUDIES

Having worked with a diverse range of clients, we are pleased to provide both testimonials and case studies detailing personal responses to our approach and the outcomes we have achieved for businesses.

“Megan is an outstanding facilitator and coach. She brings positive energy, clear and insightful observations and immediately helps people to talk about the things that matter. Megan is straightforward, direct and balances empathy with challenge.”
Mike, Managing Director

“Fiona understands the complex issues leaders face in the corporate world and through her warm, supportive, compassionate yet challenging coaching, I have developed myself into a much more effective leader.”
Natasha, Strategic Manager 

“Megan’s coaching has given me the clarity and motivation I needed to move towards my goals.  She quickly identifies where you need to be challenged and does so with encouragement. Working with her has boosted my confidence and given me greater accountability.”
Laura, participant

“Fiona’s work focuses on both the individual and the system. She is a skilled coach, facilitator and consultant who readily spots the systemic issues and opportunities. She brings energy, insight and warmth to her work.  She is straight forward, responsive and easy to work with – and crucially she is driven to achieve change and as a result is focused on delivering the very best work.”
Ruth, Head of Talent

Executive Coaching Programme – Social Finance Company

Client Background

This UK based social finance company, founded in 2017, uses innovative finance tools to increase access to healthcare products in underserved communities, mainly in Africa and Asia. The organisation’s employees bring diverse skills and experience requiring them to work together closely to maximise efficiency and impact.

The Magus Development Programme

Due to rapid growth the client invested in an Executive Coaching Programme with us to support its top 9 leaders, including the CEO over a period of around 18 months. The programme included initial and periodic 3-way meetings between the coachee, their manager and the coach. Existing data was used, including 360 feedback reports and performance appraisals together with psychometric assessments: Myers Briggs Type Indicator & Leadership Development Profiles. Anonymised themes devised for the client provided invaluable organisational development data.

Coaching discussion topics included:

  • Working on relationship ‘bumps’ – ironing out challenging situations with critical individuals/stakeholders
  • Getting a sense of ‘who am I as a leader?’ and how this translates in practice
  • Having the messy, difficult conversations when performance targets aren’t reached
  • Identifying priority tasks where everything seems to be important
  • Quickly getting up to speed in a new role, in a new organisation
  • Exploring specific situations where feelings become a barrier to optimum performance
  • Managing ‘imposter syndrome’ – the nagging sense that one day you’ll be ‘found out’ for not being as good at your job as people think you are.

Outcomes

The coaching programme has been highly successful and has made a significant difference to the effectiveness of the leaders and the performance of the organisation overall.

Team Effectiveness and Leading in Complexity – Insurance organisation

Client Background

This insurance organisation tasked us with increasing the effectiveness of their Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Given the sector-wide changes the UK insurance industry is facing, the SLT needs to collaborate more across the business by strengthening cross-functional relationships, deepening their knowledge of other areas. This ensures individuals ‘step up’ to take a broader view and interest in all aspects of the business, understanding the part they have to play in being accountable for the company’s overall performance.

The Magus Development Programme

We delivered a 9-month leadership development programme which included working with the SLT and the Executive Committee (ExCo). The programme needed to integrate with existing initiatives to provide a seamless participant experience. The organisation had, for example, recently invested in an emotional intelligence psychometric assessment (EIP) for all managers – the EIP reports were used in the initial coaching sessions and provided a valuable foundation. The top 25 leaders & CEO participated.

The programme components consisted of the following:

  • Monthly whole group SLT meetings to broaden understanding of the business and introduce key frameworks to tackle big challenges with many moving and inter-connected parts
  • Individual practice and ‘experiments’ e.g. having a go at something without knowing it will be successful & trying something new
  • Small group work to consolidate reflection and learning: an opportunity to learn from colleagues and understand where any blind spots or blockages may be
  • Executive Coaching one-to-one and tailored to the individual, freeing latent energy and potential
  • Relationship building activities between cross-functional ExCo and SLT members as well as within ExCo and SLT.

Outcomes

Evidence from the ongoing relationships and quality of work outcomes proves that the programme has been successful and will be sustainable. The programme evaluation demonstrated its success with the following improvements:

  • challenging, supporting and collaborating across SLT
  • effectiveness as a line manager
  • engagement and working relationships across ExCo, SLT and the entire business

Magus Development worked in partnership with Niteo Development to deliver this programme.

“Can I take this opportunity to personally thank you both for all the help and support you offered me during the programme. It’s been invaluable.”

Leadership Development Programme – International automotive company

Client Background

This international automotive company commissioned a leadership development programme from us for senior leaders of the future.

The Magus Development programme

We designed this 9-month programme to increase individuals’ confidence and capability to lead in a world of rapid change and complexity with tangible changes needing to be evident from the first touchpoint. Individuals completed an emotional intelligence diagnostic tool (EQ-i) as part of the on-boarding process and as a foundation to build self-awareness. They also worked with designated mentors and their line managers to support their learning journey. A key programme objective was to shift from the current ‘command and control’ leadership approach to a ‘visionary and empowering’ model of leadership. A desired outcome of this leadership shift was to unlock discretionary effort within the organisation to allow the business to ‘grow without growing’.

The programme modules included the following:

  • Self-awareness and leadership: what are my unique strengths as a leader and how do I embody these?
  • Engaging others: how well do I connect with and influence those in my team and across the organisation whom I have no formal power over?
  • Change and complexity: how to continue motivating others in the face of constant change and employing new approaches for big, messy, intertwined issues with unknown solutions
  • Corporate Social Responsibility project (delivered internally): demonstrating leadership skills in an out-of-work environment
  • Sustainability: activities to keep the focus on leadership of the future whilst business continues at a relentless pace and not reverting back to ‘what we know’

Outcomes

The programme was so successful that we delivered it for 50 leaders, across several cohorts and over 4 years. The reputation of the programme across the business was so strong that it created stiff internal competition for participants to be accepted onto each cohort.

Major UK retail and investment bank – Women in Leadership Programme

Client Background

This UK bank needed to urgently address the gender imbalance in its senior leadership team. They commissioned a ‘Women in Leadership’ programme with Niteo Development which has now been running for several years. We have been involved for the last 3 years delivering a number of different cohorts during this time.

The Magus Development Programme

The programme is evidence based and particularly focused on known issues facing women in the workplace such as: building self-confidence, the importance of networking when it’s not seen as part of the day job but critical to securing new roles and seeking out sponsorship. We define sponsorship as those who advocate for women – rather than those who advise through mentoring – as we know women are over-mentored and under-sponsored. Participants valued the power of sharing their experiences with other women and through this process, realising that others shared very similar experiences.

The programme format was structured as follows:

Each cohort consisted of ten women from across the business internationally participating in a combination of group workshops and individual one-to-one coaching. In recent times, the programme has pivoted from three-modules of face-to-face delivery to six shorter sessions delivered virtually.

Outcomes

A key measure of programme success has been progression of the female participants including the number of promotions to senior positions within the bank.

“Now that I view networking in a different way, I am able to effortlessly re-connect with people who I haven’t been in touch with for a long time and I am amazed at the positive response I have had”

“The team connected so well that, despite the relatively short time, we covered so many useful topics that I gained a much better understanding of the challenges we, as women often face in the workplace.”