A PASSION for people was behind Steve Bowler’s decision, at age 35 and mid-career in the Federal bureaucracy, to establish his own private business coaching consultancy.
Mr Bowler said his situation was a good example of why people should sometimes let go of their careers despite their age and career situation.
The company, ITS People Solutions, he co-founded with a colleague at the time, psychologist Mark Greenwood, has experienced rapid growth since its inception five years ago.
ITS People Solutions has grown by almost 60 per cent each year for the past three years and is looking at $2 million in revenue next year.
Mr Bowler said that initially he was reluctant to change career.
“Working in a large organisation you can’t always satisfy what you could in a small organisation,” he told WA Business News.
Mr Bowler said a passion for people was one of the keys to business coaching and one that also drove his business today.
He said there needed to be empathy and interest in clients as well as an ability to focus on strengths, not just weaknesses.
“We also set out in the ground rules that confrontation is healthy – we take you to task,” he said.
The business-to-business service offers a range of career management services including career/lifestyle management, assessment services and team coaching.
It has also formed an Aust-ralasian outplacement company, Donington, which assists organisations through restruc-turing and close-down activity.
ITS People Solutions’ client list boasts big businesses such as Alcoa, Chevron Texaco, Newmont Mining, Wesfarmers, and Woodside Energy
Taking their own advice, People Solutions hired a business coach during its early months – Shirlaws – to assist in the provision of initial business strategy advice to develop a plan that would support fast growth.
Mr Bowler said the coaching service was instrumental in providing People Solutions with the initial direction to restructure the business and cut an unprofitable service.
The partners also formulated a plan to go international within five years, which they have done in three years, establishing Donington’s around Australia and in New Zealand.
