It might sound cliché, but at Saffery the team feels a lot like a family. Whether it’s during our lunch breaks or at sports and social events, we make the effort to get to know our colleagues outside of their job roles. It was during one of these conversations that we found a connection through our shared enthusiasm for our coaching roles. 

With International Coaching Week being celebrated from 8th May, it’s a great time to reflect on what it takes to be an effective coach, and how many of those attributes cross over with our roles at Saffery.

Caitlin: I have been an Assistant Dance Teacher for the last 18 months (teaching all age ranges from 3 to 18) and I am currently undertaking my teaching qualifications. I have been dancing myself since I was three years old across multiple disciplines. 

Dance plays an incredibly significant role in my life, but I didn’t choose to follow the route of training professionally at a full-time college. When I considered what was important to me about dance, I decided that I wanted to teach rather than perform. For me, dancing is a passion. I want to make sure that my students always know that, even if they are not the best technically, what matters is putting your heart into it. Technique can be taught, but passion is what makes students stand out. It drives them to put in the time and effort required to learn and grow. 

Matt: My involvement in coaching sports goes back to university where I coached the hockey team but, over the last few years, I have committed my time to coaching my son’s football team alongside other willing parent volunteers. 

My coaching style is inspired hugely by a teacher I had at school – Mr Kinder – who taught both sports and English. He had a fantastic way of using different techniques to help students who all learned differently, while ensuring everyone played to their strengths. I always admired how Mr Kinder adapted his approach for each student, and it’s something I try to reflect in my own coaching now. 

It is interesting to both of us that our coaching styles are very reflective of how we behave at work, although this was easier to recognise in each other than in ourselves. 

Matt: I agree with Caitlin that a passion for what you’re doing – as a coach or as a student – trumps any technical ability. It’s the students with the passion who get the most out of anything. My daughter is a former student of “Miss Caitlin” and I know from seeing her progress and her love of dance evolve that Caitlin truly does nurture and encourage enthusiasm in her students.  

Caitlin takes the same approach in her role in the People and Culture Team at Saffery, and I have seen first-hand that she truly cares about finding out what motivates each team member. It’s part of the reason why our P&C Team are so successful in putting ‘the right people in the right place’ and making sure everyone has a chance to develop. 

Caitlin: Matt’s reference to adapting his approach to each of the children he coaches strongly echoes his attitude not only to his Business Development role, but also how he interacts with team members. 

A large part of Matt’s role is engaging potential clients and explaining where Saffery can add value on their wealth journey – but to understand where to add value, you have to understand what people need. Matt is highly skilled in reading people and asking the right questions to make sure he understands their objectives. Similarly, he takes the time to learn about the interests of other team members and will involve everyone at any level if he thinks they have either something to offer, or something to learn. 

What makes a good coach, or a good colleague, is not black-and-white, but we both agree that top of the list has to be ‘patience’. We have each learned a huge amount about patience from our coaching roles and see the value of taking the time to listen and understand others every day at Saffery. 

Whether you’re a coach or student, director or trainee, by practicing patience, we can all play a role in supporting the development of those around us.