About Barbra Carlisle - Leadership Coaching for Construction and Housing
Hello, I am Barbra
I’m Barbra and I coach leaders delivering complex projects in construction, housing, and engineering.
I recognise the pressures you face like tight deadlines, high stakes, non aligned senior leadership teams and teams on the ground that look to you for too many answer.
With experience coaching CEOs and senior leaders across technical sectors, and tools like the GIANT Leadership System, I bring practical strategies that work in the real world, not theory, not fluff.
An EMCC accredited coach, I specialise in supporting new and curious leaders in the Housing, Construction and Engineering arenas who want to make a difference, to their own lives, their organisation and society as a whole.
Who I work with
I work with leaders and organisations in housing, construction, engineering and related technical sectors. My clients range from site managers leading their first team to CEOs running businesses of 500 people. What they have in common is that they want to lead well, they take their responsibilities seriously, and they know that being good at the technical work is not enough on its own.
I also work with HR directors and L&D leads who need a partner to design and deliver development programmes that their people will actually value and apply
Values
Authenticity
Be who you are, not who others want you to be.
Creativity
Play and imagination is the key to exciting futures
Uniqueness
Celebrate our differences
Community
We work to ensure that society benefits from our contribution
Vision and Mission
Enabling people to embrace their leadership roles while maintaining work life balance, and supporting others to grow around them, to benefit themselves, their teams and the wider community.
Glee's mission is to enable people to have the time, tools, awareness and motivation to be the most effective leader they can be. To maximise opportunities to do the things that brings them energy while ensuring that the things that dont come naturally dont lead to serious business risk.
Sustainability
Pay It Forward
Coaching opens up compassion and understanding in people that benefits
people around them.
Coaching enables people to mobilize their passion to give something back.
Glee commits to paying it forward by:
Collaborating with businesses receiving coaching to explore how to open up coaching to underrepresented groups
Creating opportunities to fund others who can't afford coaching
Actively engage in pro bono coaching in local communities in collaboration with community groups
Equity
Everyone has a right to be themselves and to flourish
At Glee, we live by who we say we are, and we work to make the world a better place, one step at a time
Environment
Every decision we make today impacts future generations
Coaching should aim to have a positive impact on not only the individual but those around them and future generations
FAQs
What should I look for when choosing a leadership coach?
Look for someone who understands your sector and the specific pressures you face. A coach who has worked with leaders in construction, housing or engineering will understand the pace, the stakeholder complexity, and the culture you are operating in. Check they have a recognised coaching qualification (EMCC, ICF or ILM accredited). Ask how they measure progress and what their approach is. Avoid anyone who offers quick fixes or generic frameworks. Good coaching is challenging, confidential, and focused on what you specifically need to be more effective.
How do I build a leadership culture in a growing organisation?
Leadership culture does not happen by accident. It is built by consistently investing in the development of your people, modelling the behaviour you expect, and creating accountability at every level. For growing organisations (10-500 staff), the most effective approach is to start with the senior team, develop a shared language and set of leadership expectations, and then extend development to middle managers and emerging leaders. Use tools like personality assessments to build self-awareness across the organisation. Measure progress through retention rates, employee feedback, and the quality of management conversations, not just revenue.
How do I transition from being a technical expert to a people leader?
This is one of the most common challenges in construction, engineering and housing. You were promoted because you were excellent at your technical role. Now you are expected to lead people, and nobody taught you how. The transition requires three things: accepting that your value now comes from what your team achieves rather than what you deliver personally, learning practical people management skills like delegation and feedback, and having a space to develop your leadership thinking with a coach or peer group. It does not happen overnight, and it is not a weakness to find it difficult. Most technically excellent people struggle with this shift.
Is group coaching as effective as one-to-one coaching?
They serve different purposes. One-to-one coaching is best for senior leaders dealing with personal leadership challenges, confidential issues, or career transitions. Group coaching is best for developing a shared leadership capability within a team. It is more cost-effective and creates peer accountability, which drives faster behaviour change. Most organisations get the best results from a combination: group development programmes for the wider management team, and one-to-one coaching for senior leaders or those in critical roles.
How long does it take to see results from leadership development?
You should see behavioural changes within 4-6 weeks if the programme is well designed and participants are applying what they learn between sessions. Measurable business outcomes like improved retention, better team performance scores, or reduced conflict typically take 3-6 months. The Build BOLD Leadership Blueprint, for example, runs over 6 months specifically because sustainable change takes time. One-day training events rarely produce lasting change. Development that includes regular sessions, coaching, and real-world application between sessions delivers the strongest results.
How much does 1:1 Coaching cost?
There is no standard charge for coaching. Read question 1 above about what to look out for in a leadership coach for ideas on what you should expect in terms of standards. This influences the price. At Glee we work to ensure coaching is affordable for organisations, with the more people on the coaching programme you will see cost savings. As an example we can support your people, through our on line learning platform and monthly group coaching sessions for less than £250 per month. When the outcome is enhanced team performance, increased team motivation and increased communication between team members the investment is reaped back in no time.
I am feeling unconfident about progressing at work what can I do?
The first thing to do is recognise that you are not alone feeling this way. It is very common. Take time to think for yourself about what you would like to get out of your career - work backwards almost- to help you see what is serving you well and where change is needed. Many coaches offer a free discovery session - mine is here - where you get an opportunity to articulate your challenge and have space to think, perhaps for the first time, without judgement, on what you want to do next
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