PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: ADDING VALUE TO PEOPLE
Coaching and Mentoring
Coaching and mentoring services at Watson Research and Training Ltd support individuals at key stages of career development across academia and healthcare. Delivered by Professor Mags Watson, an ILM Level 7 Executive Coach and Mentor and ILM Level 5 Coach and Mentor, this work emphasises the development of coherent career trajectories over time, not just short-term decision-making. Services include career transition support, promotion readiness, and expert CV review, offered both within coaching engagements and as a standalone, independent service. All services are provided in line with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Code of Ethics, ensuring a professional, ethical, and client-centred approach.
Who this is for
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Professionals in academia and healthcare seeking career clarity and progression
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Individuals considering career transition or preparing for promotion
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Clients who want independent, expert input on CVs and career strategy
Executive Coaching
Executive coaching at Watson Research and Training Ltd is delivered by Professor Mags Watson, an ILM Level 7 Executive Coach, working with senior leaders across academia and healthcare, paricularly pharmacy. Coaching focuses on strategic leadership development and long-term career trajectory planning, as well as specific career decision points. Clients are supported to navigate complex transitions, senior appointments, promotion, and negotiation with clarity, confidence, and measurable return on investment. All work is delivered in accordance with the EMCC Code of Ethics.
Who this is for
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Senior leaders, executives, and aspiring executives
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Individuals preparing for senior appointments, promotion, or portfolio expansion
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Leaders navigating complex transitions, increased responsibility, or strategic career inflection points
Mags provided me with feedback on my application [promotion, senior lecturer to reader], in particular on the CV component – she provided both practical and strategic advice. My application was successful!
What’s the difference between coaching and mentoring?
Coaching
Coaching is about changing the coachee’s way of thinking, behaving or believing. As a coach, Mags will help to develop your skills and knowledge to improve your performance. During coaching sessions, rather than giving advice, she encourages and helps clients to find solutions to challenges and meeting goals. Some individuals engage in short-term coaching relationships to achieve a specific purpose e.g. promotion or to secure a new employment position, whilst others are longer term.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a form of training and learning to support personal development. Mentoring can involve mentors who have specialised knowledge; for example, Mags has specialist knowledge of academia, the National Health Service, health services research and the pharmacy profession. Whilst having specialist knowledge can be helpful, it is not essential for a successful and effective mentoring relationship. In contrast to coaching, mentoring is an advice-led relationship, so Mags uses her professional and personal experience to advise mentees. This might involve discussing how things are done e.g. what goals need to be met to fulfil promotion criteria, or, advice derived from her experience e.g. “In this situation, I suggest you try doing it this way”.
There is no charge for the initial consultation. A range of coaching and mentoring packages is available, from a per session fee, to multiple session packages. Bespoke corporate packages are also available.
For a conversation or quote about any of these services, contact mags@watsonresearchandtraining.co.uk or +44 (0) 7974 661415
Prof Watson has a wealth of experience in supervising and examining PhDs. She also offered my student invaluable advice on preparing for their PhD viva and applying for academic positions. We certainly hope to work with Prof Watson again in the future.
While working on my promotion application from Senior Lecturer to Reader, Mags provided me with feedback on my application, in particular on the CV component. She provided both practical and strategic advice on the structure and content of my CV. I found this feedback to be very useful as it helped me to shape my CV and think about type of information that I needed to present both within the CV and elsewhere in the application. My application was successful!
I approached Mags for career mentoring as I was at a crossroads and in need of a trusted advisor to support me in setting and prioritising goals. Mags is very accessible and approachable and worked with me using structured techniques which I found really helpful, particularly in identifying my strengths and passions. Her approach is non-judgmental and she is a fantastic listener and worked with my best interests at heart. Anything shared was always treated in the utmost confidence. I would not hesitate to recommend Mags to anyone who requires a trusted professional to support and challenge them to set milestones and support them with the skills required to achieve their goals.
My overall experience was very positive. This meeting came at an excellent time as I had just been offered a new job and was about to enter negotiations. Mags listened to my situation and the context informing it. She provided specific guidance on how I could present myself strongly at the negotiating table, and how to avoid traps that I was easily falling into (e.g. belittling my success). I left the meeting feeling far more equipped for the conversations that awaited me and confident that I would negotiate them in a more informed manner.
I was also very pleased with the outcome from my negotiations around my new job and also how I conducted myself during this process. The session I’d had with Mags prior to this definitely helped. I really value Mags as a mentor and feel very lucky that I can continue on this journey with her.
Another really positive mentoring session. The session really helped me to reflect on my career goals and tap into Mags’ expertise from her career in academia. I came away with a much clearer idea of the career options open to me, and how I could begin to think about mapping a route towards some career goals. Mags also provided some tips on how to enhance my CV, which were very helpful. Mags has a knack for asking probing questions that help me to come up with solutions to the issues I’m facing. She always listens very intently to what I have to say and offers advice where appropriate. As usual, Mags provided some much-needed clarity, and I came away from the session with some clear points of action.
Mags listened carefully, asked open and helpful questions and gave lots of space for me to respond. Moving outside my comfort zone is a useful part of our relationship! Mags gave useful advice and positive feedback.