NJ Change Management
Client Testimonials and Feedback
"Nicola understands my role in the organisation and the various challenges I bring to our discussions. She sees the issue both from the angle of the leaders involved, and my own OD role and purpose too. From her experience she suggests scenarios, nuggets of helpful pointers and empathy regarding the situations. In our most recent discussion I formed a clear plan regarding how to tackle an issue which we had been struggling with, and where to take this plan for gaining momentum and making progress. A seemingly simple question from Nicola shed completely new light on what I was attempting. I find Nicola warm and easy to talk to, understanding of HR/OD and know she draws on vast organisational experiences from which to offer thoughts and great questions. Thank you Nicola!"
Senior Leadership and OD Manager, University Sector
"When I started coaching with Nicola I felt lost with what was next for my career having worked in very similar roles for a lot of years. Working with Nicola enabled me to reflect on what I truly wanted, as a result of the coaching I've now got a new job I'd never of even considered previously. Nicola is a fantastic coach and will help you not only explore your goals, but achieve them too."
Senior OD Consultant, NHS Trust
"Nicola is a fantastic coach who really helped me grow in confidence as a senior leader and gave me the tools to successfully deal with some very difficult work situations. Her calming, objective approach and constructive challenge helped me to gain clarity and improve my communications, resulting in better outcomes for all. She is very personable, empathetic and professional – I would highly recommend her as coach to any organisation looking to invest in their workforce."
Director of Strategy and Policy, Charity Sector
"The focus of my coaching was to address performance and behavioural issues within my leadership team, and to explore how I could better influence strategic thinking at a senior level without appearing to be overly challenging. I was eager to change the organisation to enable it to improve its reputation and performance whilst navigating a significant reorganization and the COVID pandemic.
The key benefits are: More productive relationships; a faculty that is at the forefront of the university for growth, research quality and dimension; a key strategic platform. On a personal level, I am more relaxed and have had more time for others. I am managing my diary better and avoiding over working and my health is also in a better place.
The coaching with Nicola offered a confidential place to discuss aspects of work and life that would otherwise be a cause for worry or disappointment. This space provides a disipline to re-orient self but also be challenged to see it from a different perspective - that of others or simply from a less personal 'here and now' position.
Nicola has been very helpful in offering a listening ear, a challenge and alternative ideas and methods to consider. Reflecting back what she hears me saying is a helpful ‘mirroring’ mechanism and helping to look at the aims and challenges in a a different way has been most effective in areas of supporting communication with others, changing the nature of meetings, addressing change in the organisation and my planning for the future."
Executive Dean and Corporate Leader, University Sector
"Nicola was on my level from the start in terms of understanding the potential and method of application of a coaching intervention in our current particular situation. Nicola suggested structured methods of progressing as the project began and was very mindful of my budget and other constraints. Nicola balanced the client confidentiality, with the manager's aims and my commission very well, providing professional updates regularly. I appreciated Nicola's insight as she got to know parts of our organisation, and this helped me with ideas for other aspects of organisation development work required in the university. In summary I would say Nicola is professional, realistic and very easy to work with, and she gained great feedback from business managers she interacted with."
Learning and Development Manager, University Sector
"Nicola provided me with the management techniques and confidence to tackle a range of challenging cultural behaviours which were acting as barriers to change within the organisation.
Her mentoring and support enables me to tackle and resolve problems I had yet to encounter in my leadership career, and to introduce more helpful ways of thinking and collaborating across the business."
Senior Highways Operations Leader, Civil Engineering, Public Private Sector Alliance
“When setting up my business, the practical advice and emotional support from Nicola was absolutely invaluable. Nicola took great care in discovering exactly what it was that I was looking to achieve in the short, and medium, term and was able to advise on everything from marketing and brand image to approaching clients and building the foundations to having a successful, and sustainable, professional enterprise. Once the business was established, and flourishing, Nicola recognised the time had come to offer mentoring to ensure the longer term goals and aspirations were met. At this stage we not only looked at the business angle but also at the wider purpose and what it was that I was looking to achieve personally. This enabled me to put all the facets into perspective and to get the work and family balance right.
I cannot recommend Nicola highly enough and I sincerely believe that without her guidance my business would not have grown into the success it is today.”
Founding Director - Aviation Security Sector
"I worked with Nicola over a 12 month period. She supported me in a challenging role, through a tailored development program. The aim of the program was to grow my leadership presence, enabling me to have more impact & influence in the organisation, particularly at senior level. It was a privilege to work with Nicola. She is an attentive listener, always able too draw out new perspectives using a blend of coaching, mentoring and consultancy. As a result of working with Nicola, I approached unfamiliar situations with more confidence and received positive feedback from my manager and peers. I also took a fresh look at how I view my career and shaped the transition to a new and exciting role."
Senior IT Professional – Nuclear Industry
"Nicola coached me in 2014 during a period of transformation in my career and our time together was life changing for me. She enabled me to unearth and imagine possibilities for the future, then supported me to grow the confidence to make those possibilities a reality. I can honestly say that without her coaching I would not be where I am today. As a result of that experience, Nicola inspired me to work independently to focus my energy on meaningful work to support others to achieve the un-imaginable too!"
Independent Executive Coach and Leadership Development Consultant
"We appreciated the flexibility and availability to organize a mediation session quickly and how approachable and down to earth Nicola is. The services provided met my expectations as the organiser, and the participants were able to identify an agreeemnt for how they would work together in the future."
HR Business Partner, Technology Sector
“Nicola is a positive, high impact professional. She is confident to ask the hard questions in a way that seek to facilitate progress and learning. Nicola ensured we stayed focused on the change agenda and supported me in the design and programme governance and the creation and delivery of workshop sessions for the top 30 managers and the senior management team. Nicola also coached a number of senior managers and mentored and inspired our Programme Office staff”
Corporate Director - Change Consultancy and Coaching in Local Authority
“The process was sometimes unsettling, taking me out of my comfort zone - but carefully managed by Nicola to help me to move forward and to assist in making a shift in my life. Nicola has a knack of getting to the nub of the thing you are struggling with which you were unaware of, and then helping you to take action to address it and holding you to account! Nicola has a very professional yet approachable style which quickly enables her to identify the issue and enables you to move on.”
Senior HR Professional - Transition Coaching Programme
“With Nicola’s coaching I was able to identify the barriers I had built up in relation to my own leadership development. I unlocked a new level of confidence when preparing to deliver key messages to stakeholders.”
Senior HRBP - Leadership Coaching
“I have worked with Nicola on a variety of change management projects and leadership coaching programmes over a number of years. Nicola uses her ability to quickly understand the culture of an organisation, which allows her to identify opportunities for change and to build effective relationships with key stakeholders. She in an excellent coach and strategic thinker who has a pragmatic and professional approach, and consistently delivers positive outcomes.”
HR Director - Change Consultancy and Leadership Coaching in Nuclear Sector
“Nicola has provided individual and group performance coaching programmes for myself and senior colleagues. At a personal level, Nicola’s coaching has provided me with a confidential space to reflect on my role and actions, review the impact I feel I am having, and to consider wider work life balance issues.
As for other members of the team, Nicola’s coaching has covered issues around performance and wellbeing, personal resilience, dealing with stress in self and others and reactive behaviours. Nicola continues to provide valuable support to us as a senior team.”
Corporate Director - Leadership Coaching Programmes Strategic Alliance
"I felt I was provided with a great overview of what the process involved. Any questions I had were answered thoroughly and I felt confident in Nicola and her Co-Mediator to deliver."
HR Director, Private Sector
"Following a recommendation, I approached Nicola to seek support through a very challenging period in my career and a turning point in my life. Nicola took time to fully understand my situation and suggested an approach that allowed to address the changes I was facing whilst managing my health and wellbeing. Coaching in a natural environment really worked for me, it stimulated my thinking and brought a clarity to my mind that I did not think was possible."
Senior Executive – Chemical Industry
“Having worked with Nicola on a number of prestigious assignments, I can confidently state that not only is Nicola a consummate professional, she tirelessly strives to provide the best services and support to clients irrespective of the industry sector and size of the organisation. Nicola has a wealth of experience and ensures she fully understands issues before recommending workable solutions to facilitate the clients' needs.
Nicola has the ability to make people feel totally at ease through her style of engagement and ensures that the outcome of every assignment not only satisfies the needs of the business but also has a real and positive impact on the workforce”
Director - Training & Consultancy Company
“Nicola worked with our senior HR team to establish a Talent and Organisational Development strategy in large airline undergoing significant change. Nicola’s skilled coaching approach and invaluable mentoring expertise was fundamental to the team delivering a successful programme of impactful people initiatives to support the development of an inclusive and empowered culture, resulting in a significant improvement in engagement and leadership capability”
Group OD and Talent Manager
“Nicola was a highly valued member of our successful bid team for this high profile local government commission. She blended very well with the team, operating very effectively in a pressured and highly dynamic environment. Nicola challenged conventional thinking and maintained a real focus on outcomes, including those required for a positive customer/end user experience. She brought a natural curiosity for continuous improvement and good practice to the team, sharing her experience from other industries. She was very pragmatic in advising on how to land new behaviours into the commission to improve the bottom line.”
Bid Director - People Strategy Consultancy for Commercial Bid Team
“She has extensive experience of aligning organisational development solutions to meet evolving business needs where effectiveness and efficiencies are key drivers of change. Nicola is committed to building the capability of existing staff, often working in partnership with the team to ensure they are competent and confident to own and take projects forward.”
Group HR Director - OD Consultancy and Coaching in Airports and Airlines
“Nicola’s business experience and research expertise brought added value in helping us shape our thinking about growing a performance culture, introducing systems thinking and engaging employees.”
Corporate Director - Behavioural Consultancy in Strategic Alliance
