Grow Coaching and Personal Development

27/08/2026

If we are being honest most people are really good at telling other people what they think they should do.

That's why I am a big fan of Action Learning, because it stops us doing exactly that and supports individuals in thinking through the their own challenges.

Someone brings a real challenge, everyone else listens, asks questions and helps them think it through.

Asking questions without sneaking in some advice is harder than you might think.

I’ve written a practical guide to running an Action Learning Set, including how many people to involve, how to structure the session, some useful ground rules and what the facilitator actually does.

If you’re thinking about using Action Learning in your organisation, or you’re simply curious about how it works, have a read.

How to Run an Action Learning Set: A Practical Guide

https://www.growcoachinganddevelopment.com/blog/how-to-run-an-action-learning-set

Learn how to run an Action Learning Set, including group size, session structure, questions, ground rules, timing and the role of the facilitator.

14/08/2026

I am really pleased to share another piece of feedback for work completed in July.

We commissioned Peter to help us with a project around workplace culture, and he was absolutely fantastic throughout. His research was sensitive to the participants and the University's needs, practical, and well-designed. He had a flexible approach and was friendly and professional throughout. Everything happened exactly on time according to the plan, and we are really happy with the insights and report Peter offered us as a result. We won't hesitate to work with him again and wholeheartedly recommend him to others. Thank you Peter!

Tamzin Furtado - University of Liverpool

If you want to understand what people are thinking, feeling and experiencing in your organisation, don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected]

12/08/2026

If you are preparing for an Athena Swan application or reaccreditation, your staff survey data will tell you something important.

But it may not tell you enough.

Quantitative data can show where people are dissatisfied, where experiences differ, or where patterns need attention. What it often cannot explain is why those patterns exist, what is sitting underneath them, or what staff need to see change in practice.

That is where carefully designed qualitative work can help.

I support universities and academic departments to go beyond the staff survey by facilitating listening exercises, interviews and focus groups that help surface the lived experience behind the numbers.

This can be particularly valuable when exploring sensitive areas such as bullying, harassment, inclusion, belonging, career progression, workload, culture and leadership.

The aim is not to produce more data for the sake of it. It is to create evidence that is thoughtful, anonymised, credible and useful for action planning.A recent client described my work in this area as:

“Professional and thoughtful… respectfully anonymised and highly thoughtful, with many suggested action points and a clear rationale for why, given the evidence-base and the strengths and limitations of it. This will make it easy and clear for me to present to senior leadership.”

For Athena Swan work, that matters.

Panels are looking for honest reflection, evidence-informed analysis and clear action. Staff are looking to see that their experiences have been heard properly, not reduced to a percentage in a table.

If your institution is preparing an Athena Swan submission or reaccreditation, and you want to deepen the evidence behind your action plan, I can help.

www.theGROWcoach.co.uk

11/08/2026

10/08/2026

I'm really pleased to be able to share this feedback from Carri Westgarth regarding a recently completed piece of work.

"Peter was recommended by a colleague and was commissioned to conduct a professional and thoughtful study of perceptions of bullying and harassment in our workplace. This is a topic where clearly an external research provider is preferred. The research and report produced was respectfully anonymised and highly thoughtful, with many suggested action points and a clear rationale for why given the evidence-base and the strengths and limitations of it. This will make it easy and clear for me to present to senior leadership. I would highly recommend Peter and would work with him again."

If you are interested in finding out more about my support for staff focus groups and listening exercises please visit www.theGROWcoach.co.uk/staff-focus-groups-listening-conversations or email me [email protected]

02/07/2026

Sometimes all it takes is the right conversation.

Whether it’s coaching, team facilitation or helping organisations understand what their people are really thinking, that’s what I do.

If you’d like to know more, take a look at my website.

www.theGROWcoach.co.uk