Coaching Journeys: From 20 Years in Recruitment to Executive Coaching — Neil Telfer

Cambridge-born recruiter Neil Telfer joins Daniele for the Coaching Journeys: Conversations from Cambridge series, tracing his path from two decades in recruitment to training as an executive coach. Neil talks about the "innate feeling" to help people that goes back to childhood, why 20 years in recruitment left him wanting to go deeper, and how AI and the rise of in-house talent teams are reshaping his industry — making it "probably as tough as I remember it" for winning new clients. He draws a sharp distinction between prescriptive sports coaching and the kind that facilitates someone's own talent, argues that prioritisation and future-thinking are the leadership skills that matter most right now, and explains why he'd tell his younger self to start coaching earlier. Plus his favourite opening question — "How has your day been so far?" — and why a person's state in that moment shapes everything that follows.

If you want to know more about Daniele Forni, go to www.danieleforni.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

How do we show up in the world? And how do our questions shape our leadership? Meet your host, Daniela Forni. He is the self-titled data shaman and, in his own words, a high-pitched amateur podcaster and wannabe influencer. As an executive coach, he lives at the intersection of corporate life and philosophy. Welcome to the Stage and the CEO podcast. Today, we are taking a trip to the classroom. As part of the Coaching Journey's Conversations from Cambridge series, Danielle is interviewing his classmates to uncover what drives them, why they chose this path, and the leadership advice they value most. It's a fascinating conversation. You do not want to miss this one.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Neil, welcome. Thank you, good to see you. Excellent. Let's start with getting to know you a little bit. So can you share a little bit about your background and what brought you to this program?

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Yeah, sure. I'm here in Cambridge, where this course is actually based, and I was born in Cambridge. Other than going away to university and travelling the world for a bit and living in London, I came back to Cambridge. Right from childhood, remembering how I love to sort of try and help people, whether that was appreciated or not, I don't know. But I had that sort of a named feeling that I really want to help somebody if they're going through a challenge or a problem. Fast forward education, I studied psychology at a level, and then degree, and then explored sort of areas of psychology that interested me, which were things like psychotherapy, county psychology, and also organizational and occupational psychology. So I've been able to build on my interest with helping individuals, and I guess really been a people person. I've always struggled with the concept of well, if I was a salesman setting things, I'm not, you know, products, it doesn't excite me, but actually working with people does. And I guess I've been doing recruitment for 20 years now. And I'm gonna look you for an opportunity to build on what I do in healthy people, getting a bit deeper. And also looking at, you know, promotionally from a business perspective, where can we broaden you know what we do and our services? And coaching seems very nurturing a really good fit for me personally, but also the business and what we offer. So I started looking for a coaching program, and uh I found one in Cambridge, uh Cambridge Business Coaching Program for the Modern Institute, which was eight weeks. I thought it was good, it was not too much of a commitment where I explored coaching, and that was great. And I did that, my concluding in March, and really that has sparked the interest and the commitment to go deeper into learning, and uh this program is the natural next step to that program, the advanced executive coaching program that we're on, and it's been fantastic so far, and that's how I've landed here today talking to you.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

You mentioned that you were for a recruiting company. What are the challenges that you see nowadays jobs back?

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Yeah, I mean there's there's obviously lots of change, particularly at the moment, the wider economic factors, but obviously AI. You can't really avoid AI in terms of how it's impacting and touching or influencing various jobs. So it's a really interesting time at the moment. I mean, recruitment in general has its own challenges as well, with the rise of technology and the rise of AI and the rise of internal talent acquisition teams, which is uh you know quite cost-saving for businesses. So there's there's a significant change in recruitment itself. So I'd say it's it's an interesting time. It's probably as tough as I remember it for new clients. So if you have a good, strong, existing client race, then that makes a significant difference for these how can you because a lot of the coaches often speak about these worry about the guy, what about the kitchen gents, well simply what about the the economy.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

And I wonder how do you see your role or the role of coaching? How can you help them navigate the job market?

SPEAKER_02 5:12

Well, it's interesting. I obviously speak to kind of the everyday. I think coaching in general is a wonderful tool to help navigate really any type of challenge or change within your career or your workplace. And done writing should accelerate your ability to change or to overcome challenges. So candidates who are looking for support, obviously, coaching could be a great tool for have you ever been coached in the past? Lots of different forms. Right from sports, obviously back from very early age through sports and things like that. When it's come to business, then I've had mentors. Training, I've been coached by other trainee coaches or those going through training programs, engaged a professional coach other than supervisional.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

And I guess many people will listen to these will have an understanding of what a sports coach is. What are the differences of similarities between an executive coach and a sports coach?

SPEAKER_02 6:31

Well, I think in it it depends on the type of sports coach, but I've had coaches before who I think are quite closely aligned in terms of they are not giving you clear direction on what to do, but they recognise the talent you have and bring it out of you. And they bring it out of you very cleverly through things they ask you to do or the questions they're asking you to lift the responses they're looking for potentially, but they are recognising that you are the talent in sport, you know, and they're there as the facilitator. I think that aligns more closely with the executive country than let's say sports coaches that will tell you exactly what you need to do. You have to run that 100 metres in this particular time, and that's how you'll get to where you want to be. So yeah, there's a real mix. Well, I feel I've experienced both. And I think the ones that stand out to me a lot is that really facilitated me getting to where I wanted to be without the clear direction, I suppose.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Interesting. I I I was coached years and years ago when I was probably in my in my teens to be in athletics. You know, the family speed is fascinating because they it is at the same time like pushing you, but also like letting you find your own space, find your own pace in the yeah in the field.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

Challenge that coaches can put to you can really help with growth, depending on the skill level of the coach, how much challenge and understanding how much challenge is beneficial to you and how and the too much challenge is not.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

And look at looking at leadership today, is there a skill that you think people either need to have or should have or probably is very beneficial for them nowadays?

SPEAKER_02 8:42

Well, I think um it depends on the seniority, I suppose, but I mean I'm saying prioritization is such a key thing. Typically a leader will be juggling many plates at the same time, and it could be a combination of people management, line management, team management, but also it can be you know targets, or it could be organisational change or project management and various things, and and some senior leaders are customer facing as well, and they have that element to add into the mix. So I think there's lots of skills a leader needs, but I guess prioritizing and also in some ways looking into the future, and when you come to things like AI, understanding and looking at how things can influence your business going forwards, and trying to stay at the forefront of your particular sector or your particular era of business is a very key skill.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

And your younger self.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

Start coaching earlier, start the coaching journey as early as possible. Coaching is for me a lifelong learning, a never-ending learning journey because for one simple fact, you're often dealing with individuals, human beings, so everybody's unique. And I think the longer you're in coaching, the more skilled you'll be, the more spiritual build up. I think there's probably nothing second to experience with coaching. So that might be a piece of advice.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Interesting because quite insightful, because no matter how many books you read, no matter how many questions that you might ask in a session, there is always a session that probably is a bit more challenging or more where you get a bit lost, but that's where actually you know how to become a better coach. Yeah. And as you know through this program, we are doing some coaching with several people. Is that something that you find out about yourself through this process?

SPEAKER_02 10:47

I think some of the practice coaching that we do in this program is some of the most important and exciting elements to the learning journey, as far as I'm concerned. Things I've learned about myself that are very passionate about supporting other people, and it's in those moments, in those conversations that you have, if you see the benefit that you're grinning, it's incredibly powerful. And it's probably only during those conversations you start to recognise that in yourself, how much that means to you. And of course, there's loads of practical things about your technique, about the environment that you're building, that I'm I've learned in each and every one of the conversations that I've I've had so far. But that's the exciting part, Grenade.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

I'm learning so many things about myself as I go through it, to the point that I feel like the more I coach other people, the more I'm coaching myself, which is useful. We're going towards the end of this conversation. I have probably coach related questions. Is there a favorite question that you would like to ask to a person when you start the conversation?

SPEAKER_02 12:07

I'd love to ask lots of questions. But if there was going to be one, I think really start the conversation off about how their day has been so far is quite powerful because it gives you an opportunity to learn where they're at at that particular moment in time. If they've come from an incredibly busy day, can be very different to somebody who has had a nice relaxing start to the day for some exercise, for example, or something like that. So that kind of question around how they are there and then in that moment how their days be gone I think is really important. And I guess what what excites you about your coaching journey going forwards?

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Thank you, Neil, for that wonderful answer. I have probably a last question now that we are wrapping up this podcast. What excites you about your coaching journey in the Well, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

I mean I I'd like to say everything because that is true at the moment, but I think I think you know ultimately what really excites me is the prospect of helping individuals, no matter what they're facing, no matter how well they're already performing, no matter what challenges they are facing, just simply being in being able to help people move forwards. What's not to love?

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Excellent. Neil, again, thank you very much. Thank you again for coming, and I'll see you in January.

SPEAKER_02 13:51

Yeah, thanks very much.