Bristol-based CRM agency, Armadillo, which works with big-name brands including McDonald’s, Disney, P&O Cruises and Cunard, is now offering staff external coaching with renowned confidence coach, Jo Emerson.
The introduction of external coaching to its team comes with the company’s move away from a traditional line managed structure as 2020 draws to a close. Armadillo has made the decision to replace line managers with networked support; task-based support to bring clarity to deliverables, skills-based support to build expertise in key specialism, and growth-based support. This is where coaching comes in. This move aims to give people the headspace to work through their challenges, ambitions, frustrations and ideas, empowering staff to seek their own solutions and decide their own actions.
Fiona Craig, Strategy and Planning Director at Armadillo, explains why external coaching was a must-have for the business: “Internal support is very much focused on the work we do for our clients – you could say the client is the key stakeholder here, and all efforts are focused on doing a good job for them.
Craig continues: “The support offered by external coaching is centred exclusively around the individual – often there can be a tension between the two areas of focus, and in a traditional structure, line managers can struggle to do a really good job of supporting on all fronts. So, this allows those who are exceptionally skilled in one area to excel, while the individual still gets supported on all sides.”
Craig goes on to say “Jo is highly experienced in dealing with change and confidence, and has a wonderful energy that felt right for us here at Armadillo. She will spark some great conversations and even greater ideas, we feel sure.”
Jo adds, “It’s a real privilege to be working with Armadillo at such a critical time and to support team members as they grow and develop within an incredibly fast-paced industry. Armadillo’s new networked-support structure coupled with external and objective coaching shows what an innovative and agile company they are!”
