I was drawn to coaching through my own experiences throughout my career. I studied Mechanical Engineering, and moved into the motorsport and automotive industries as a graduate engineer. After succeeding in a technical capacity and becoming an expert in my field, I was promoted into a management role with very little support or training. Over this period it was very much a case of learning on the job, and I did the best I could with the knowledge of managing that I had at the time.

After a few years of progression and learning from my mistakes, and now part of my business’ Senior Leadership Team, I was given my first opportunity to receive some coaching, and this began a pivotal period in my career. As a natural introvert, I began to learn that I didn’t need to be like my more extroverted colleagues to progress in my career, and that my natural skills that I brought to that team were as valuable as everyone else’s.

This gave me a new level of confidence, self-awareness, and ability to interact with and lead others better, as I moved into a new role as Engineering Director of a small but rapidly growing business. As a member of the board, my responsibilities included running the business as well as the technical aspects of what we do, Fundamental to this was the development of individuals and well-structured teams to achieve business success. Subsequently, I promoted a coaching culture, and worked to establish various coaching programmes for staff at all levels.

After 9 years of rapid growth in this role, I have chosen to pursue my enthusiasm for coaching and developing people and established Nick Henry Consulting Ltd, within which coaching forms an integral part. My objective is to help others benefit from coaching in a similar way that I have experienced.