By Steve Griffiths, our Events & Professional Development Lead
In my experience, one of the most powerful aspects of coaching within transport is the value of sector understanding.
Having spent more than 35 years in senior leadership roles across the transport industry, I have seen first-hand the unique pressures, opportunities and complexities that transport professionals face. The challenges encountered in delivering major infrastructure projects, leading operational teams, or senior executives navigating organisational transformation may differ in detail, but they often share the common themes of leadership, influence, resilience and change.
In my own coaching, this experience shapes every conversation. Coaching is not about offering advice or providing ready-made solutions. It is about creating a supportive and challenging environment where individuals can explore their thinking, develop greater self-awareness and unlock their potential.
I’ve come across many talented people in the transport sector over the years, but often the greatest barrier to progress is not capability but confidence, clarity or perspective. Coaching helps people move beyond those barriers.
The Role of Women in Transport's Development Programmes
Since my involvement with Women in Transport, I have witnessed a lot of progress in the creation of opportunities for women, but there is still a lot of work to do. The Equity Index tells us that women remain significantly underrepresented across many parts of the industry, particularly in senior leadership roles.
This is why initiatives such as Women in Transport's professional development programmes are so important. Through programmes such as Lead, participants receive leadership development, peer learning opportunities and one-to-one executive coaching designed specifically for the transport sector. Outcomes reported by the programme include strong retention and promotion rates among participants, demonstrating the value of targeted development interventions.
The launch of the new Grow coaching programme represents another positive step forward. By providing structured coaching support, Grow recognises a simple but powerful truth: when individuals grow, organisations grow too.
Programmes like Grow help create more confident professionals, more effective leaders and more inclusive workplaces. They also strengthen the wider transport community by fostering networks, sharing experiences and creating opportunities for learning across organisational boundaries.
Looking Ahead
The future of transport will be shaped not only by technology, infrastructure and policy but by people.
Organisations that invest in developing their people today will be better equipped to navigate tomorrow's challenges. Coaching provides a proven way to build capability, confidence and resilience at every level of an organisation.
For individuals, coaching can be transformative. For organisations, it can be strategic. For the transport sector as a whole, it can help create the inclusive, adaptive and high-performing workforce needed for the future.
As someone who has spent a career in transport and now works as a coach, I have seen the impact that coaching can have. Not because it changes people, but because it helps them find what they are truly capable of.
In a sector built on movement, coaching helps people move forward.