For the CEO of Coach Core Foundation, no two days are the same. From 6am runs and trustee coffees to podcast recordings and parliamentary check-ins, his week is varied, as Gary Laybourne explains.

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Monday

I’ve been a competitive athlete since my teens, so a 6am train, getting to HQ for 6.45am and then a 10km run. Showered, breakfast ‘al-desko’, it’s now 8am and the team are arriving. We agreed that southern-based colleagues would work together on Mondays, ensuring we get some real face-to-face time. 10am - team meeting where we all share our work objectives for the week. 10.30am – the start of back-to-back 1:1’s with staff. We share the office of a corporate supporter so I always take time to engage with their colleagues too. As CEO, it’s important to make yourself available so this day is always for others which they seem to value! 6.30pm finish - another run to clear the head!

Tuesday

A monthly 7.30am coffee with a trustee before following up on a recent fundraising event. We wanted to ‘wow’ new contacts with an inspiring venue and powerful stories from our beneficiaries. It was ‘mission accomplished’ but I made clear on the night we’d be following up individually. A successful morning of that!

12pm – our monthly ‘Lunch & Learn.’ These are informal meetings where team members, our beneficiaries or inspiring guests share their stories, and the topics are always so varied. This month we heard from a member of staff talking very openly about their mental health.

2pm - off to Twickenham to record a podcast – sharing knowledge on apprenticeships and recruiting diverse young talent. 4pm – a check in with our contact at the ‘APPG’; we are the co-sponsor of the all party parliamentary group for apprenticeship.

Wednesday

Another early start to grab a coffee with a senior funder at their City HQ. I think it’s vital to make these feel like true two-way partnerships, so we offer support in our areas of expertise, in this instance, coaching exercises for a staff away day.

10am – time on site with a London employer and two new apprentices. I co-founded the charity and tutored the first 20 apprentices, so I truly value time with our programmes, and encourage all staff to do the same.

Afternoon WFH. I use my calendar to show staff exactly what I’m focused on and when I’m free to chat. I encourage everyone to do the same and ensure they also input ‘offline time’ for personal errands, exercise, etc. I place huge value in balanced lifestyles and believe a big part of leadership is about trusting your team and judging on outputs, not hours.

Thursday

5.30am run with the dog, emails, staff 1:1’s from 8am then a 10am finance meeting. Until I became a CEO, finance wasn’t on my radar, so this has been my steepest but most enjoyable learning curve.

The above was conducted on a train as I travelled to Oxfordshire to speak at an apprenticeships conference. On my way back, I also had a quick call from a graduate asking for advice about a career move they intend to make. I am so proud of seeing these amazing young people grow and stay in touch years after they leave the programme!

6pm - rapid return home! I’m the head U11 athletics coach and love volunteering to the sport that gave me everything (3 hours guaranteed fun too!). Being a coach also allows me to bring those skills and experiences into the workplace, given it is all about planning and evaluation, learning equally from success and failure, and engaging with others in styles they will respond to.

Friday

Immediately post-Covid, I was travelling every day and missing out on simple things with my kids. I’ve since kept travels to 2-3 days a week as best as possible, ensuring I protect coaching nights and thus home on Fridays too. I wish I’d done this years ago!

6am usual start - reading/LinkedIn time to stay current, 8-9am - kids drop off. The main focus of the morning was preparing two young staff members (apprentices themselves) for hosting a panel on ‘Gen Z in the workplace.’ Then the main goal on a Friday is to ensure everyone’s got what they need so we can all sign off for the weekend stress free.

5.30pm finish – a quick run ahead of a weekend planning an athletics race, a Plymouth Argyle fixture and/or the jobs Mrs L has built up for me once more!

Coach Core Foundation is the award-winning education and employment charity that uses sport and apprenticeships to help under-served young people make long-term positive change in their lives. Through our unique programme, young people furthest from the workplace get the skills, qualifications and confidence to unlock meaningful opportunities; organisations develop their workforce; and community activity levels rise. 

Find out more: https://coachcore.org.uk
Get in touch: info@coachcore.org.uk

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