About
I partner with business owners committed to building exceptional businesses, helping them…
Articles by Helen
Activity
30K followers
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard shared thisWow, just wow!! You don’t expect to be singled out by Keith J Cunningham in a room full of business leaders, but a few months ago, that is exactly what happened. Keith - entrepreneur, internationally known speaker, business coach (my business coach) and acclaimed author - was talking about hiring when he pointed me out: “Helen is a headhunter and does a great job at this kind of stuff.” To be recognised like this by someone I admire and respect as much as Keith was an extraordinary moment. After nearly 30 years in recruitment, I cannot begin to tell you how proud and completely blown away I felt. Thank you, thank you, thank you Keith. And yes, if you need help finding exceptional leaders, I would be very happy to put those “big, big muscles” to work! #ExecutiveSearch #LeadershipHiring #Headhunting
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard shared thisIssue 10 of our Newsletter "Cobalt Connect" is here. In the year Cobalt Search turns 10, that feels like a milestone worth celebrating! When I started Cobalt, I wanted to build an executive search business that genuinely cared about getting the right people into the right businesses. Ten years later, that remains at the centre of everything we do. In this latest issue, I share more of what we are seeing across executive hiring, leadership and the world of Cobalt Search. Cobalt Connect is published quarterly, so we promise not to fill your inbox. Just four useful, interesting updates each year. You can read Issue 10 below and sign up here to receive future editions: https://lnkd.in/eJP6uiWC Thank you to everyone who has read, contributed, supported or worked with us along the way. Here’s to the next ten issues and the next ten years! #10YearAnniversary #CobaltConnect #CobaltSearch #ExecutiveSearch
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard shared thisWe did things slightly backwards….... Steve and I got married quietly 15 months ago, with just our two daughters there, and this weekend, after 22 years together, we finally had the long awaited celebration! We were joined by 125 of our favourite people for a day involving far too much food and drink, axe throwing, games, competitions and plenty of dancing. It was everything we hoped it would be. Having been together for so long, we decided we didn’t need wedding gifts, so instead, we held a raffle to raise money for charity on the day with some stupendous prizes that included a Cobalt water bottle and a framed wedding photograph signed by me and Steve! Our incredibly generous friends and family raised £2,000, which Cobalt Search is matching, bringing the total to £4,000. The money will be divided between three charities that mean a great deal to us: * The Alzheimer’s Society, in memory of my mum * Brain Tumour Research, in memory of Steve’s dad * Beat SCAD, chosen by one of our raffle winners, whose prize was that we would donate 20% of the money raised to a charity of their choice I don’t share much of my personal life on LinkedIn, and there isn’t a business lesson hiding in this post. It was simply a brilliant and very special weekend, made even more meaningful by the love and generosity of everyone who shared it with us. ❤️ And yes, I did wear the sparkly trainers all day! #ALifeOutsideWork
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard shared this“Growth mindset” is one of those phrases that gets thrown around a lot in recruitment. But I don’t think it’s about how many courses someone has been on, the conferences they attend, or whether they are always talking about continuous improvement. For me, you see it when something goes wrong. What do they do next? Do they genuinely look at what happened and question their own decisions? Do they ask for feedback? Can they admit they got something wrong? Or do they immediately start explaining why it wasn’t really their fault? That tells you far more. The best people we interview – the real A Players – are rarely the same leaders they were five years ago. They’ve changed because they’ve had to. They’ve learned from mistakes, taken feedback on board and adapted as the businesses around them have changed. And when we’re interviewing, that’s what I want to understand. Not “What did you learn?”. But “What do you actually do differently now because of it?” There’s a big difference. At senior level, I’m rarely worried about whether someone is capable. I’m much more interested in whether their previous success has made them think they’ve got nothing left to learn. #APlayers #ExecutiveSearch #Leadership #Founders #ScalingBusinesses
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard shared this10 years. I’m not quite sure how that happened, but I am very happy that it has! This month, Cobalt Search turns 10. There are lots of things I could post about – searches completed, people placed, businesses we’ve helped, mistakes made (lots of!), lessons learned, and the inevitable ups and downs of running a business. But actually, when I think about the last 10 years, what I feel most is grateful. Because although I started Cobalt, I certainly didn’t build it on my own. There are far too many people who have supported, coached, encouraged, trusted, recommended, challenged and helped me along the way to mention everyone individually. Clients who took a chance on us. Candidates who trusted us with their careers. Friends and contacts who introduced us to people simply because they believed we would do a good job. But there are four people I do want to mention because, in they have had a pivotal impact on me and on the growth of Cobalt. That's you Richard Graham, Ross Sapir, Thomas Martini and Keith Cunningham Thank you for your advice, your belief in me, the many many introductions and for pushing me to always challenge everything and always be better. Then there’s my team. Some have been with me for years (thank you Denise Pike, Rebecca Greenhill, Sarah Hearn), some for chapters along the way, but Cobalt has always been about the people within it. I’m incredibly proud of the care my team puts into what we do and the way they represent the business. And finally, my husband Steve Broadley Running your own business inevitably means it comes home with you. He’s lived through the brilliant months, the terrifying months, the celebrations, the disappointments, the late nights and probably way too many conversations about recruitment. And he has backed me throughout all of it. Ten years ago, I just wanted to build a recruitment business I could be proud of. One that treated people properly and genuinely cared about getting it right. Ten years later, that still matters to me more than anything. So this isn’t really a post about Cobalt turning 10. It’s a thank you to everyone who helped us get here. ❤️ Here’s to the next chapter.
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard shared this“They were only interested in closing a deal.” That’s the most common thing founders say to me after a bad experience with a search agency. And it stings. Not because it’s harsh, but because sadly it’s often true. When Jon came to us, he wasn’t just looking for candidates. He was trying to work out where his business needed to go, and whether he had the right structure to get there. The hiring brief was almost secondary. That’s a very different kind of conversation. Slower. More honest. And more consultative. It means you are putting the client’s outcome ahead of the placement fee. Sometimes that means saying, “You’re not ready to hire yet.” Sometimes it means challenging the brief entirely. Because the most valuable thing I can offer isn’t a shortlist. It’s clarity. Where you are. Where you need to get to. And what kind of person bridges that gap. The candidates come after that. #ExecutiveSearch #Founders #Leadership #APlayers #ScalingBusinesses
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard shared thisTransport doesn’t just have a skills shortage. It has a people problem. And I think calling it a “skills shortage” risks making the challenge sound simpler than it really is. Because yes, there are gaps in technical capability, but there’s a bigger issue underneath: the people coming into the sector aren’t replacing the people leaving it. Not quickly enough, and not always with the experience or profile businesses need. And increasingly, senior leaders are having to deal with the consequences. Operations directors are spending more time worrying about workforce stability than performance improvement. Commercial leaders are factoring labour risk into bids that, a few years ago, they wouldn’t have thought twice about. And CEOs are discovering that their succession pipeline, three or four levels down, is nowhere near as strong as they thought it was. The businesses handling this well aren’t simply recruiting harder. They’re getting much better at keeping the people they already have. They know who their best people are and they understand what matters to them. And, crucially, they’re having those conversations before someone like me calls them. Because once a high performer starts seriously taking those calls, you’re already on the back foot. This isn’t just an HR problem. It’s a leadership problem. So, a question for CEOs and senior leaders: When did you last sit down with one of your best people and ask them, directly, why they stay – and what would make them leave? And would you be comfortable with the answer? #TransportWorkforce #TransportInTransition #ExecutiveSearch #TalentRetention #InfrastructureLeadership
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard shared thisMost senior leaders can talk strategy. Not all can truly execute it. But how can you tell which is which?? Most founders I work with are clear on where they’re going. The direction is there. The priorities make sense. The gap is almost always in the execution. Not a lack of ideas, but a lack of discipline in turning those ideas into consistent delivery, especially when things start to move off plan. And it rarely fails in a dramatic way. It shows up more quietly. KPIs are set but not really owned. Priorities start to stack up instead of being cut back. Meetings become a discussion about what the numbers mean, rather than what needs to change. Over time, accountability just… softens. The leaders who do this well are very deliberate. They’re ruthless about what not to do. They’re comfortable saying no to good ideas so the right ones actually get delivered. That’s usually the difference. If you want to assess this properly, don’t stay in the strategy conversation. Ask what happened next. What got delivered, what didn’t, and how quickly they adjusted when things moved off track. Because at this level, execution isn’t about a single big moment. It’s the pattern of follow-through that tells you whether the plan is real, or just well-presented. #APlayers #ExecutiveSearch #Leadership #Founders #ScalingBusinesses
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard shared thisYou’ll never guess where I’ve been to meet a potential new client….... Right here on my doorstep, in Oxfordshire in the UK, for a change! After plenty of travelling further afield, it was a real pleasure to get out and about closer to home. Even better, the meeting was to discuss a CEO role in a genuinely exciting sector. We had a fascinating conversation about the opportunity, the leadership challenge and the impact the right person could make. Along with a tour of a very cool facility. There’s still nothing quite like meeting face-to-face and getting to know the people behind the brief. A refreshing change of scenery and proof that there are also exciting opportunities closer to home. #Leadership #CEO #ExecutiveSearch #UKBusiness
Helen Broadley-Goddard replied to a comment
6d
Thanks David, I had a feeling you knew each other 😊
Helen Broadley-Goddard replied to a comment
6d
Thanks Crystal, it was a bolt out of the blue too, I had no idea he was going to do this and went bright red, good thing I am not shown on the video clip 😆
Helen Broadley-Goddard replied to a comment
6d
Thanks James, I am super proud, Keith is a total legend!
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard reacted on thisThe best recruiting partnerships are built on relationships, not transactions. As both a former candidate and current client of Cobalt Search, this recognition is very well deserved!
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard liked thisHelen Broadley-Goddard liked thisA significant new chapter in British Columbia manufacturing was celebrated with the official Grand Opening of RevoCast Aluminum Billets in Langley, BC. We were honoured to welcome Ernie Klassen, Member of Parliament for South Surrey–White Rock and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, along with industry partners, community leaders, employees, contractors, suppliers, and guests who joined us to mark this important milestone. The event culminated in a special ribbon-cutting ceremony, officially marking the opening of RevoCast and the beginning of a new chapter in Canadian aluminum manufacturing. The celebration included a guided tour of the 120,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility, giving guests an inside look at RevoCast’s advanced aluminum remelting operations and the technology behind our billet production. This milestone is the result of years of vision, investment and collaboration. We extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who helped bring RevoCast from concept to reality, and to all those who joined us to celebrate this exciting achievement. #aluminum #innovation #manufacturing
-
-
-
Helen Broadley-Goddard reacted on thisHelen Broadley-Goddard reacted on thisIt's my birthday! 🥳 And as any decent Executive Coach will tell you, it's the perfect time to reflect on the greatest thing this last year has proven to me: 👉 You don't have to have it all figured out by a certain age. Colonel Sanders didnt start KFC until he was in his 70's. Vera Wang didn't start until she was in her 40's. Neither did Martha Stewart. Now they are famous and bajillionaires. So give yourself a break. You've got time. #careercoach #leadershipcoach #careersuccess #birthday
Experience & Education
Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
Courses
-
CertRP
-
Organizations
-
League of Railway Women
Member
- PresentMember of the League of Railway Women, committed to supporting and connecting women in the rail sector.
Recommendations received
37 people have recommended Helen
Join now to viewOther similar profiles
Explore top content on LinkedIn
Find curated posts and insights for relevant topics all in one place.
View top content