Conversation with Charlotte Jordan, Executive Coach and Strategic Communications

London-based executive coach Charlotte Jordan — a fellow graduate of Cambridge's Advanced Executive Coaching programme and founder of a strategic communications and advisory consultancy — joins Daniele to explore her move from behaviour-change communications into coaching, and the surprising overlap between the two. They dig into hard-won advice for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs (do the work that lights you up, find your niche, and serve without expecting anything in return), what coaching really is beyond the "workplace-improvement" cliché, and why the true ROI of coaching is "bespoke" — as broad as the person willing to invest in themselves. Along the way: a playful role reversal where Charlotte turns the questions on herself, and the "iceberg" beneath most presenting problems — why the issue is often a symptom of something deeper.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome everyone. I'm here with Charlotte Jordan, a classmate from the course in Cambridge advance, executive coaching. And welcome.

SPEAKER_04 0:16

Thank you so much, Daniel. It's so great to see you again and for being here today. So great after our coaching journey to be here on this podcast. So thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

So, Charlotte, tell us a bit more about yourself.

SPEAKER_03 0:31

Thank you so much, Danielle. So I'm Charlotte Jordan. I'm in London and I've got a background in strategic communications and have recently qualified as an executive coach, which obviously we were on this fantastic journey and program together. And yes, a bit more about me. So I set up a company six years ago that works with leaders and organizations in a variety of industries providing strategic communications and advisory services. So working really with clients and organizations to drive positive impact and change with the audiences, with the clients and organizations that they work with.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Excellent. How did you find the move from communication to coaching? Was there something natural, or you had to change a bit yourself or the way that you see the world?

SPEAKER_03 1:29

That's really interesting. I think the journey that we've been on, or certainly I was on at the Cambridge Advanced Executive Coaching Program was truly transformational, both professionally and personally. But working in communications has given me such a broad range and depth of skills. What I'd founded my career on was behavior change communications. So using very similar styles and approaches and methodologies within coaching, there has been quite a lot of overlap, which surprised me.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

And do you have maybe an example of something that would work in strategic communication, but that you found that, oh, wait a second, this is also a big part of what coaching is?

SPEAKER_03 2:16

Oh, that's a really lovely question. Yeah. So the things that I've found similarities and possible overlaps around driving positive change based on outcomes, based on behavior, based on positive intent. So really working with either a campaign, a concept, to work through problem statements, to identify barriers and blockers to then creating communications and campaigns that drive that change. And where I've found similarities in coaching is working a lot more intimately and closely one-on-one with individuals, but helping them to see where they are in a change life cycle, working towards positive outcomes, reviewing potential barriers or blockers to make the change that they're looking to see. So it's really around that positive intent, positive impact type of when you look at your journey as an entrepreneur and now going into coaching.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Do you find that you might do you have any advice for other people? And I'm being very selfish. I'm asking advice for myself, for people that are setting up for the first time to be a solopreneur or an entrepreneur. What would you advise? What would be the advice for them?

SPEAKER_03 3:44

Oh, that's such a lovely question. And gosh, you're one of the most incredible men I know and very entrepreneurial in your own right.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Excellent. Thank you. This is going to become the Instagram reel, by the way, just this piece.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

Okay. Oh, it can be on Instagram. Excellent. So one of the big things that I've really learned about myself over setting setting up a company six years ago to where I am now and bringing coaching in as an additional skill set to and work with people is really around finding the work that excites you and that lights you and feel really passionate about. Because at the end of the day, we spend so much of our time at work, right? So it has to be something that you really care about, that you're passionate about. And for me, working within strategic communications for last decade or so, it's really around driving that positive impact to see change and working on behaviors.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

So it is about finding something that you really enjoy, really that is going to be the driver, the motivation for all the various hiccups and roller coasters that being an entrepreneur.

SPEAKER_03 4:59

Absolutely. Yeah. And don't get me wrong, very hard work and you can work relentlessly, especially in the early stages of setting up a company to build services, skills, finding the niche, providing solutions, finding the clients. So don't get me wrong, it is a challenge, but it's a very exciting one as well. But I think things that have really stuck out for me is really doing the things that light you up, finding a niche, and not expecting anything in return. So when you're working with individuals or clients, even networking, don't expect anything in return. Serve, do good.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

That's very inspiring. Thank you. And now moving towards your coaching approach, how would you explain to somebody that doesn't know anything about coaching? How would you explain your approach, your style when you meet them?

SPEAKER_03 5:59

It depends where they are within that awareness of coaching. And I don't know if you found this, but a lot of individuals may have an idea or a perception of coaching, but it can often come from a negative lens around place-based improvement. But actually, coaching is such a wonderful tool and experience to broaden your awareness, to develop knowledge and skills and tools about yourself to remove interference, to help you think through ideas or challenges or situations that you may be going through. So I'd really say that the coaching experience and journey is a deeply positive and moving experience. And when I work with my clients, it's really around creating a safe and supportive environment that is obviously built on trust and confidentiality and growing that partnership with them. So exploring the ways of working, knowing that I've got some deep values that are brought into the coaching example, but really it's about the individual, it's about the individual that you work with.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

I have a question to that. When you talk about coaching again, as a as an investment, what is the return? What do you think is the return?

SPEAKER_03 7:32

I truly believe there's no greater investment than investing in yourself and developing yourself. So the return on investment is as broad as it do you want it to be. It's how much time and effort and energy you put into it. But really, that's a sort of structural question, right? So it depends as well on the coaching experience. And you'll know this. If you're working one-on-one with an individual or if there's a sponsor or an organization, and some of that structure can be completely different. So if it's an individual, it's really around finding what those outcomes look like and the right ground and environment for them. Where organizational sponsors may have a completely different ROI, right? And really outcome-based or change making out. So it's around being adaptable to what the client and the individual needs or organization.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

Of course, that's this question because I often people would, I can sense that they're asking, what is the result of this? If I do it, what would I get? And first of all, the answer, of course, I cannot, there is no answer. There is not like a generic answer that I can tell for everyone. But what you said, I think is it really resonates with me because it is about the like personally an investment on themselves. Then whatever that improvement is based on the person. It is about becoming a better executive, it is about becoming a better individual, if it is, as you say, like overcoming certain issues, that is their outcome. I never thought about that. It was actually so simple that the return is bespoke.

SPEAKER_02 9:14

And my lovely way of thinking of it, yeah, is the return is besoke. Yeah, yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

I have now a question that I wish I could ask all my clients, but I cannot. Can you ask yourself a question and answer it? That's a pretty question. I like that. Very deep. And it's also like I'm delegating the hosting of the podcast to the guest. It's even better.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

Can I push it back to you? Can I answer a question that I think? Is that the question? Yeah, so ask yourself one question.

SPEAKER_01 9:57

Of course I can answer. What would you like to be asked?

SPEAKER_03 10:03

What is my day going to look like today? I've had a fantastic morning so far. I've gone for a walk, I've done some exercise, I had some good coffee, and put myself into a really good mindset, mind space, and feel really excited about the day that it's ahead. Now I don't know where the day is going to take me. I've got even meetings and coaching actually with one of my clients and really excited for all of the engagements that I'll be having. But I don't know where it's going to take me. Whilst I can set myself up for a great day and a day that looks with what's right for me and what's true to me, but you never know where it's going to go.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

That's more or less our day nowadays as uh as uh coaches. We always and we I really know who we're gonna meet, or I'm gonna meet somebody, and then you said something before that it was quite that it was quite important, which is you set up this partnership with the person one-to-one, you sit down and you build that space, a safe space for people to explore their emotions, their concerns, their weaknesses, but also their dreams. And I really enjoy that. That I think that's what really is coaching should be about.

SPEAKER_04 11:22

Has that been your experience so far? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Yeah, I think so. Build a kind of space. I think one of the another thing that you mentioned is about depending often what the client wants, you have situations where there is a company or there is a very specific outcome that they want to achieve. Then of course it becomes a bit more again restrictive, it's just that the coaching is specifically for a certain outcome. But if sort of like always offer to go a bit wider, always offer to look a bit sort of like just expand the horizon. Because I honestly think that the problem itself is always is often a symptom of something else. If I'm not confident, I'm not a good communicator or I struggle with prioritization and whatnot. I think it is worth exploring what's behind that rather than just look fixing the band-aid of that particular issue. Again, that can be done, absolutely, but it's also worth, I think, definitely having a deeper conversation.

SPEAKER_03 12:30

Yeah, we had a lot of conversations at Cambridge about that, didn't we? And the whole sort of iceberg analogy, and you might just surface. But actually, there can be so much depending on people's environment. There's so many variables that come into this. But as coaches, we're taught and trained to come in with awareness of ourselves, of the environment, individual, and really holding that no judgment space so that the individual can work through whatever it may be.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Absolutely. Charlotte, I'm not gonna hold you for your day ahead, even though we don't know what is gonna happen. I still think that it's gonna be probably more interesting than this conversation.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

Conversation. Of course.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

So, Charlotte, really thank you for your time. I really appreciate your joining and have a wonderful day.

SPEAKER_05 13:21

Oh, thank you so much, Danielle. It's so great to see you again.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

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