06: Coaching Careers

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer with Deborah Barleggs, Peter Fennah, Dr Richard Kwiatkowski discuss the breadth of coaching careers from narrative, practical, emotional and cognitive perspectives, drawing on a range of coaching psychology and career-specific theories. Today’s panel of experts offers guidance, suggestions and resources for both experienced career coaches and those interested in exploring this field.  We examine:

• What topics come up regularly in career coaching conversations? 
• What is the difference between career change and transition?
• What do we mean by personalised career coaching in fast-changing and complex times?
• What are the three types of client that career coaches usually work with and how are they
• different?
• How does career coaching benefit culturally-diverse postgraduate students?
• What theories and frameworks are in a career coach’s toolkit?
• What are the different approaches that can be used for succession planning, career
• advancement and changing career
• How is technology impacting career coaching?

Career coaching is a well-established field with a substantial evidence base. It spans constructing CVs, impression management, preparing for peak performance and how to come down from a specific peak performance moment.
We also discuss navigating organisational politics and C-suite challenges and pressures such as needing to perform 24/7, managing strong egos and connecting with an internal and external wider audience.

Our guests today are:

Deborah Barleggs is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Coaching Psychologist. She works as a career and leadership coach and talent management adviser with a number of corporate clients across financial services, construction, energy and professional services supporting career pathway and talent development programmes.  

During two decades of coaching and consulting experience across private, public and third sectors, she held leadership roles in three consultancy practices, including Head of Psychology at Arup Consulting, and a Director of Zircon Management Consulting. Before launching her second career in occupational psychology, Deborah had a varied career in administration and leadership.  She worked within the corporate hospitality, marketing, events and publishing sectors, culminating in a UK Management Executive position for an international publisher. She can personally identify with the challenging and yet deeply rewarding experience of making a significant career change.

Peter Fennah is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist and Chartered Organisational Psychologist with expertise in career and leadership transition, and supporting individuals and teams as they face uncertainty, developed over 24 years of working in roles including management consultant and Disability Occupational Psychologist in the Civil Service. In his coaching practice, Peter partners with middle managers to senior global leaders, including new-to-role CEOs, Public Sector Director Generals and military 3* Generals, as they seek to reposition themselves and adjust to new leadership demands.

He is an Ashridge accredited Organisational Coaching Supervisor and offers masterclasses and supervision for seasoned or novice career coaching teams and individuals. He also designs leadership level career programmes for top business schools and corporates. Peter is constantly curious about how individuals align to the multiple systems they inhabit and create meaningful impact.  

Prof. Richard Kwiatkowski is an applied psychologist who has been involved in coaching and development for over 40 years. He is a Registered Occupational Psychologist and Counselling Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He was a founder member of the Coaching Psychology and Counselling Psychology Divisions, Chair of the BPS’ Division of Occupational Psychology and Ethics Committee, a member of the BPS Council and a Trustee. 

He is Professor of Organizational Psychology at Cranfield University, where the Organizational Behaviour Module on the MBA which he is responsible for was rated in the top 10 worldwide by the Financial Times. His research interests centre on the application of psychology to organisations and individuals, and includes work on culture change and resistance, on the emotional aspects of learning and change, on Ethics, and on Psychology and Politics.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS’s Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

https://www.bps.org.uk/member-networks/division-coaching-psychology

© British Psychological Society 2023