Lisa Cobble

"As a Campaigner I work with the users of the process/tools I manage to understand their issues, I listen to their pain points, draw conclusions and look to build new solutions to benefit them. I am a good organiser of systems, materials and events. I must be persuasive at times to convince users that what I must implement is beneficial or necessary. My skills as a Communicator further enhance my approach to people, using words and empathy for various audiences to deliver training, workshops and reporting metrics / improvement programmes. As a Developer, I strive to make things better – my performance, the processes/tools I work with, my relationships with others, my knowledge. I do this to benefit my community. I am a magpie when it comes to new skills, new connections and new ways of working (I recently coined the phrase ‘Magpie Syndrome’!).As a Coach, I enjoy working with a wide range of people and cultures across the globe. My role enables me to support people new in their role, remind people who are busy of things they have forgotten or solve their problems by listening more deeply to their pain points. Having the power to make a difference, to make people happy, is deeply fulfilling to me.I especially enjoy having a reputation for being approachable, friendly, supportive, knowledgeable and someone who will not shy away from the difficult tasks but use their network and inquisitive problem-solving skills to get the best result. I am often people’s first port of call if they have a problem or need help, even if I don’t know the answer, I can point them in the right direction.The Coordinator side of me instills a commitment to deadlines & delivering with a team – when we have to make system or process changes, we work with users to define the best solution, the IT team & other business functions to make the change and then train out the modifications. I use a variety of mediums to train users, aiming to train according to learning preferences."

"I own and manage an engineering quotation process that supports Customer offers to GE Gas Power Services Customers. I am responsible for the system working as programmed, the users being trained accordingly and troubleshooting issues that are reported, including IT project management of any bug fixes, system enhancements or new developments. I have metrics and dashboards I monitor to ensure the performance of my process. These are indicators of where problem areas lie and what needs further investigation.In order to carry out my role, I act as the 1st line of response for issue reporting, where I cannot resolve the issue, I either pass the user to another colleague or raise a support ticket. I work with users and the IT development community to improve the process/tool to enhance the user experience, increase their productivity and enable their work to be more fulfilling.The outcome I desire from my work is that users know how to apply the tool/process, they have no issues and are happy to support improvement projects / approach me if they have issues. I cannot fix what I don’t know about.What I enjoy most about my job is that I can help people. I like to be relied upon to respond quickly and accurately in order to prevent delay to a day job. Another part of my role relates to order conversion – when a Customer places and order and it is handed over to an execution team. The speed of response to issues on that process can be critical depending on the timing to align with financial reporting or Customer commitment dates. Knowing how to prioritise my work and such issues is paramount to keeping the organisation functioning."

"I left school at 16 to start a Modern Apprenticeship in Engineering. I sought a challenge, to do something different and to become a draftsman like my Grandad. I had done my City and Guilds basic Engineering Drawing qualification on my work experience at GEC Alsthom and that was my aim. To be like him. The apprenticeship was a mixture of practical job training and college study. I enjoyed both in equal measure. I had the benefit of also being paid! The later parts of my training were based in departments, where I got a flavour of the business, to help me decide where I would be suited for a permanent role. I gradually learned the Drawing Office was not for me. I had worked in the Mechanical Labs at the end of my apprenticeship measuring noise and vibration of steam turbines, it was exciting, different and there was always an opportunity to learn. I was offered a role in that department and took it. Unfortunately, a reorganisation meant I had to move on. I have since worked in sales support, business improvement, knowledge management, team leader roles, project management and finally moved back to a Sales operations role in February 2017. I have enjoyed the opportunity to travel, meet new people and learn so much. When Alstom (the latest name for the company I started with) was acquired by GE, I had ‘slotted’ into a Project Management Office role. I had been in PM for 8 years, it was time to move on. I was promoted to a Senior Sales Operations Manager having sought out a new challenge with a new team in a new environment. I had used my network to find the role. Originally being inspired by my Grandad, I was then inspired by a colleague who had taken control of his own destiny, and that resonated with me. Knowing I had the ability to make the change for myself was very empowering. I moved to a role that uses my strengths. My new manager inspires me everyday to use my initiative, to own my own tasks and to use my strengths to succeed. "

"In my spare time I go to the gym, I listen to podcasts, I learn new skills. I like growing vegetables and herbs, making sourdough bread, going to the cinema, spending time with family and friends, going to rock concerts, walking our dogs, clay pigeon shooting, watching my daughter swim, judging at swimming competitions, visiting new places and doing new things.I am a qualified Master Scuba Diver, I have dived in the UK, the Red Sea, the Maldives and Kefalonia, Greece.I really enjoy the physical challenge of taking part in obstacle course running – my favourite being the Wolf Run (stands for Woods, Obstacles, Lakes and Fields) – I have done that 19 times. It involves mud, swimming, climbing, crawling, running and lots of laughter. I have been known to convince others to join me – school colleagues, friends and training buddies. Working so hard with my brain and sitting at a desk all day needs balance.I also own my own career and retirement coaching business. I started this last year and am slowly getting a programme up and running. There are challenged in doing this as I must overcome my dislike for certain things (such as financial matters) to succeed. I am learning quickly that even in your private life, your network and community are invaluable and that you can always learn a new skill!I have aspirations to write a book, to speak on stage and to help people be happy. "

"I am up at 6am to head to the gym. I like to start my day in an active way to gain momentum. Once at work I will spend time catching up with emails, checking the help groups for any new problems reported overnight and ensure I have gathered any new requirements. Due to supporting the globe in my role, I can juggle Skype calls and tasks interchangeably all day. I check my calendar to ensure I have prepared for the meetings I have that day. I add tasks to my calendar to ensure I prepare, but sometimes a user issue will come first. My mornings are quieter for meetings, so I schedule in the ‘work’ that I need to do – the report writing, idea development, testing, etc. I try to go for a walk at lunchtime, if time permits. I am then on Skype calls most of the afternoon. Although I work with a global team, we must wait for our colleagues in the US to start their workday to have most of the more strategic meetings. These calls include IT development, resource planning, system testing plans, problem solving or requirements gathering. A lot of momentum is gained in the afternoon when the global team work together in real time.One of the bigger projects I am working on is to value stream map the whole process my users go through when using the tool that I manage. I am doing this to look at the detail in the process, to identify waste activities, opportunities for improvement projects, to gain a deeper understanding of user issues. By applying Lean process management, I can improve the user experience in the tool and remove non-value-added tasks in the process that will increase their productivity. I am fulfilling my inquisitive nature to look for more improvements that can be made, I can connect with the users to listen, to gather the data and coordinate their needs. I will use all my personality traits to deliver the best solutions I can for my user community. I want them to know I am working for them to improve the systems so that their work is more efficient."

"City and Guilds Basic Engineering Drawing (while on work experience)NVQ 2 Engineering Manufacture (Foundation)BTEC National Certificate in EngineeringKey Skills NVQ Level 3BTEC Higher National Diploma in Mechanical and Production EngineeringNVQ 3 Providing Technical ServicesEngineering Modern ApprenticeshipLean Six Sigma Black BeltMSc in Engineering Business ManagementNeuro-linguistic Programming PractitionerLife CoachBritish Swimming J1 Judge"