Jill Maidment is a Senior Executive Business Coach and Mentor with over two decades of experience in leadership development. Founder of Natural Talent, she has worked with high-profile leaders and organizations globally, including within the FTSE 100 and Fortune 500, helping clients unlock their true potential and achieve transformative business results. Jill specializes in creating sustainable behavioral change, fostering personal growth, and guiding teams to success. Her approach combines practical business acumen with a deep understanding of human behavior, empowering leaders to thrive both professionally and personally.
What sparked your journey as a coach/entrepreneur?
I was fortunate that my mother was a teacher and an unofficial coach, so our door was always open, and she assisted children with extra lessons and families experiencing career or domestic challenges. From a young age, I knew that I wanted to help people resolve key issues, become more effective, and lead happier lives.
I was also lucky to have a father who worked in sales for an American company and was learning about the power of the mind and having the right mental attitude. I became interested in these concepts and decided I would incorporate these learnings into my future career.
I decided to start my career in sales, marketing, account management, and training to ensure I had the commercial and business acumen and credibility to work with managers and leaders. I worked as a Senior Business Consultant for SHL (Saville and Holdsworth Consulting) from 2001-2003 and decided to qualify as an Executive Coach. I started my own consultancy, Natural Talent, in 2003 to make a real difference in the performance of leaders, their teams, and organizations.
Tell us a bit about what you do! What’s the purpose behind your business, and how does it make a difference in people’s lives?
I am often told that I must have been born a coach and mentor. Since 2001, I have worked with leaders, managers, and their teams to support them with their assessment, development, and understanding of their organizations, behaviors, cultures, and teams. I have had, and continue to have, the privilege of working with some of the high-profile leaders in some of the world’s best-known brands across the globe within the FTSE 100 and Fortune 500, as well as large public sector organizations and SMEs.
I love what I do—helping people solve problems, make difficult decisions, and lead healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives. I also find it very rewarding to see major changes in behavior and individual, team, and business performance.
My vision, mission, purpose, and passion are to genuinely help people ‘realize their true potential,’ identify and develop their ‘natural talent,’ and transform the performance of individuals, teams, and businesses to enable them to live a more fulfilling life, both inside and outside of work. I do this by creating a significant, positive, and sustained difference in my client’s attitude, behavior, culture, and business by delivering the most up-to-date and effective tools and techniques to create major behavioral, attitudinal, and organizational change. I deliver outstanding client service by focusing on the needs of my clients and by ensuring they become self-sufficient. At the same time, I deliver excellent value for money and return on investment, sometimes up to 7,000%.
Thinking back to the start of your career, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced in establishing yourself as a coach/entrepreneur? How did you work through them?
I was fortunate to have a very large global client from the outset. One of the main challenges has always been sourcing like-minded, qualified, accredited Executive Coaches and Leadership Consultants who can create significant behavioral and cultural change while maintaining our 100% client satisfaction rates. Most of my clients want to work with me personally, which is very rewarding.
Is there a milestone or achievement you’re really proud of that you’d like to share?
Running my own consultancy for over 20 years and surviving many global challenges, including the recession of 2008, the negative impact of Brexit in the UK, the rise of AI, various geopolitical and global economic challenges, and, of course, a global pandemic resulting in the shift to remote and hybrid working.
Women are making big moves in workplaces around the world, leading alongside their male counterparts. What are your thoughts on women in leadership today?
When I first started working as an Executive Coach in 2003, the majority of my clients were male. Now, that has shifted, and we see many more women in leadership positions. Often, women bring a more compassionate approach to leadership and are generally able to navigate interpersonal disputes and conflict situations with ease.
What advice would you give to future women leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs?
Definitely follow your dreams, have a robust Plan A, and if things don’t work out, then always have a Plan B and C! Back yourself and ensure that you are surrounded by an excellent support team to help you with the many challenges you will face.
Get in touch:
- Website: www.natural-talent.com
- LinkedIn: Jill Maidment at Natural Talent UK
- X: @naturaltalent1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072261577661
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturaltalent
