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Winning Market Share

Coaching the Bid Team at Arriva

  

Results:

 
Arriva Trains wins vital Northern Rail franchise starting in April 2016, increasing train miles in the UK from 14% to 22%
Arriva announced as new operator for London Overground commission starting November 2016, planning new trains, more frequent services and modernised stations
The entire bid team now embody the confidence and commitment  to mobilise their successes and aim high in future bids

"The most stretching, thought provoking and useful coaching I have experienced, benefitting both me personally and the team I was leading, as a consequence of my greater effectiveness. A valuable contribution to winning the Northern Rail franchise."
Phil Heathcote
whilst Bid Director, Northern Rail Franchise / Arriva UK Trains Ltd
“Gill’s coaching was an important addition as we became not just a team but a winning team. In business we often review our results and their effectiveness in achieving business objectives, but that misses how we got there. Gill’s one-to-one coaching provided me with the framework for review, reflection and personal development. Her coaching approach was often challenging, always constructive and enabled me to improve my effectiveness as a leader.”
Richard Harper
Production Director, Arriva UK Trains Franchise Bidding / Arriva
"Gill has supported individuals and the team in new and improved leadership thinking and team working to deliver our objectives. Understanding and modelling improved behaviours has allowed us as individuals to 'be at our best', and also to facilitate others in the team to do likewise. This has improved the team working, and most notably has been a significant contributory factor in winning the Northern Rail franchise bid and the London Overground concession. Thank you Gill for your support."
Richard Harrison
Managing Director, Franchise Bidding / Arriva UK Trains Ltd
“As PMO Workstream Lead for Arriva UK Trains’ Northern Franchise bid, I was one of the team Gill regularly coached. Her coaching was definitely the most effective coaching I have participated in. Gill understood the pressures we were under as a team and was very adaptable with her approach. This was very powerful for me personally but also resulted in a more cohesive team.”
Corinne Sharpe
Director / CAS Max Consulting Limited
Gill’s approach to coaching is calming, reflective, assuring and affirming. I had the pleasure of working with Gill in the midst of a major bid. The time spent with Gill during a hectic bid period allowed time to reflect on how I was contributing to the bid and enabled a refocus on how best to contribute to the team going forward. I would heartily recommend the investment in Gill’s coaching during a major bid as the time invested in the coaching sessions accelerated and enhanced my own and my team’s performance.
Fergus Robertson-Howard
Director / FRC Limited

The client:

A public transport company; operating bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus services in 14 countries across Europe.

 What we created:

When Gill was invited to coach the Arriva Bid Team, they knew they needed to step up in being both bold and brave enough to win. Her weekly incisive, tenacious coaching for two high profile bids enabled key senior people to embrace their capability to win and draw out their unique strengths in leading both complex bids and team of 90. Gill also facilitated a range of workshops to develop winning bid behaviours and to help create the best team possible. Key members of the Bid Leadership team have gained ILM Level 5 Certificates in Leadership and Management, visibly consolidating their learning into a valuable qualification.

 The client prompt:

The starting point was a recognition and an appetite to enable, step up and consolidate powerful winning behaviour in the entire bid team. Arriva Trains UK wanted and needed to succeed with major rail franchise bids as a critical component in securing market share. This leadership aspiration was heightened following three recent bid attempts which could have been successful, but weren’t quite enough to win. These losses provided valuable learning and a determination to try something new to succeed; this became the prompt for investing in coaching to enable a winning spirit.

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