Lucy Batley: PNE coaching gave me “a completely fresh perspective”
PNE interaction:
Lucy engaged PNE's coaching services as she pursued a growth strategy for her digital branding business.
When Lucy Batley, Founder of leading digital agency JUMP, sought a supportive sounding board through PNE coaching, she didn’t expect it to contribute a whole new perspective on her career.
There is no doubt that the business has grown which was the focus of the sessions, but in retrospect, the coaching had a significant impact on my personal aspirations too; it quite literally changed the course of my career for the better.
Lucy came to PNE in 2019, hoping to use our coaching services as a way of exploring a specific business challenge she faced. Thinking it inappropriate to discuss with her colleagues, the impartial and confidential coaching would provide an opportunity to reflect on a difficult issue openly and “thrash out” potential options.
“Coaching forces you to take time out from the day to day in order to self-reflect and focus on the issue in hand. PNE gave me the much needed support that I required at the time, but more importantly it was a completely fresh perspective that challenged my thinking and posed questions that I would never have thought of. The fact that it was warts and all, and not simply the easiest way forward, added enormous value.”
Even after her coaching experience, Lucy felt that the longer term impact of the coaching continued, growing beyond her original business focused objectives and causing her to reflect on her own professional goals and developing her ambition to realise them.
“There is no doubt that the business has grown which was the focus of the sessions, but in retrospect, the coaching had a significant impact on my personal aspirations too; it quite literally changed the course of my career for the better.
“I would absolutely recommend coaching services to others. One thing that I have always struggled with, and I know a lot of business owners will identify with this, is that you get so bogged down in the minutiae of running the business that you fail to take time out to look at the bigger picture. Without having a clear vision it is almost impossible to focus your efforts; without a goal it is difficult to score!”
Lucy attributes some of the impact to her coach’s role as a ‘critical friend’, which enabled her to open up and explore on her own terms a personally difficult challenge.
“People often don’t see the value in coaching or think that all coaches have the same approach. PNE is different. If I had to sum it up in one world it would be ‘empathy’. My coach got to the heart of what was a very difficult and painful problem, but did it with integrity and extreme empathy; I really felt like they genuinely cared, and knowing that someone has your back is a very powerful and valuable asset.
Since working with her coach, Lucy has made some significant changes in her professional life, stepping back from the running of JUMP to invest time and reflection in pursuing her ambitions beyond the company.