Demand is rising for consultants who can ease the pressure on managers, writes Roger Trapp This article details how an executive with a large global bank was told by her board to design and introduce new processes and systems for its IT customer service department while carrying out her normal functions. As the deadline approached, the executive felt very pressurised, later describing it as "like changing the engines of a 747 jet in mid-flight." SKAI Associates' Alison Brooks encouraged the executive to focus on the most vital elements of the project and, at the same time, helped created frameworks that would enable her and her team to carry out suggestions without over-relying on SKAI. Organisations of all sorts are setting greater store by coaching & mentoring to make their employees more effective. The Industrial Society predicts coaching will become the most sought after management skill in the next decade and 70 per cent of UK employers now claim to use coaching in the workplace - nearly double the figure three years ago. The article describes how firms like SKAI are well-positioned to gain from the boom in interest - and how the processes they introduce can be self-perpetuating. The bank executive was such a success that the department became more efficient and better-valued by the management. The executive's own confidence grew and she soon went to another role while members of her team took on management responsibilities.

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