‘Penny drop moments’ and learnings since the Mastered programme

Essie North, who lives in London with her partner and two sons, and is CEO of Big Change, shares her experience and ‘penny drop moments’, in the programme and since.

I took part in Meyler Campbell’s Business Coach Programme (now the Meyler Campbell Mastered Programme) with the wonderful Anne Scoular in 2013 having been a strategy consultant working with a network of large global organisations for nearly 10 years. At the time I had just left my role and was consulting to organisations with a social purpose.

The learnings through the programme enabled me to both understand myself better (I remember the final presentation being a real penny drop moment for me – recognising the unique combination of personal and professional experience, strengths and interests I brought together) and develop skills I have applied virtually every day since. I recognised that my passion was supporting transformation – for people, organisations, and society – and that the coaching skills I was learning underpinned how that change needed to happen with, not to, people.

The mindset shift and lessons I picked up on the course and through my wonderful peers and allies on the journey shifted so much for me. It took a belief about enabling and empowering people into a set of behaviours that could be applied in all settings. While I haven’t been a ‘coach’ per se the experience shifted me on my axis. I am now the CEO of Big Change – we act as a catalyst backing big ideas that are looking to transform education so that all young people are set up to thrive in life, not just exams. The coaching principles are at the heart of what we look for in the ideas we back and how they support young people, the leaders we support and the way we support them. I have learnt so much about leading in a different way and continue to learn from every team member and partner I work with – such is the reciprocity of a coaching approach.

As I look forward, I am interested in exploring how other leaders are transforming different sectors by taking a different approach to leadership.

Essie North

CEO, Big Change