Ralph Tucker
19 September 2020
Steve Johnson
21 September 2020

Paula Chadwick, CEO, Roy Castle Lung Foundation

This new CEO wanted to get rid of the chaos…..

Despite being a CEO of an inspired charity, Paula knew she had to get clarity back and create a clear focus and vision for her organisation. She reached the point where she knew she could no longer continue on her own. I hear a similar story from many senior executives.

Read her story here:

I must admit when I first started thinking about having coaching I was a little unsure. I felt that this would be seen as a weakness and I was concerned about what my colleagues and Board would think? Would this look like I was not capable of undertaking my role as CEO? However, I decided to take the plunge and investigate further, and it was one of the best decisions I have taken.

I felt Sandra was a really easy person to relate to and her way of working fitted into my busy schedule. The first face to face meeting at the start was very useful in setting out a productive plan and vision, on where I personally wanted to be as well as my aspirations for my organisation. Regular Skype chats fitted in with my diary commitments, and again helped me to focus on what we had previously discussed and what I needed to achieve by our next meeting.

The operational on-line tools that I had access to with this programme were excellent and I am still using them now. At the end of the programme when I looked back on where I was I am amazed. I definitely feel that having the coaching with Sandra made sense of the chaos that surrounds a newly appointed executive. It enabled me to really take a step back and look at the bigger picture, and how to achieve my goals. I know this sounds simple, but when you are pushing yourself to be everything to everyone, it helps to discuss things through (in a non-judgmental setting) and actually allow yourself thinking time.

My biggest acknowledgement of the difference that this coaching has had on me was during my appraisal when the change in my decision making, management style and confidence were highlighted. One of the comments I received back was that “I was the most inspirational leader they had ever worked with” – to receive feedback like that from my colleagues was priceless.