What is Coaching?

 What is coaching?

In recent years coaching has proven to be a highly successful way of achieving one’s personal and professional potential.  Everyone generally knows the answer to their problems but recognise they may need assistance in resolving them.  It is sometimes difficult to share thoughts with work colleagues, friends and family.  A coach is completely impartial and non-judgemental and doesn’t need to be an expert in any specific subject, but has the necessary skills to ask the right questions to enable those being coached to work through their own issues.  Trust and confidentiality and the coach’s ability to create a ‘safe space’ enable life-changing outcomes to happen in both persona; and professional lives.

What Coaching Isn’t

Coaching is very different to consulting, therapy or counselling.  It will not endeavour to resolve any underlying psychological issues.

Mentoring is not part of coaching.  Mentoring is a process which helps individuals to learn faster than they might have done on their own.  Mentors will generally have the necessary experience and expertise in an individual’s area of business and are well placed to offer appropriate direction and advice.  The key focus for mentoring is to look towards the future, career development and broadening horizons.

Some key benefits of coaching:

·      Increased level of personal responsibility/ownership

·      Readiness to take on more responsibility

·      Greater flexibility and adaptability to change

·      Greater clarity regarding a task or role

·      ‘Just in time’ support on a topic an individual wants to develop

·      Increased certainty/reduce doubt

·      Be stretched and readily agree to goals that are higher than those being coached would have set

·      Knowledge transfer from the coach

·      ‘Real’ problem(s) unearthed

·      Helps one to see what they can’t see (looks to the future and not the past)

·      Chance to learn and grow in specific area(s)

·      Improved performance and productivity – individual & team

·      Improved relationships – asking the right questions

·      Gain different perspectives on an issue/opportunity

·      Opportunity to think aloud

·      Support in thinking through problems/opportunities

·      Chance to identify and unlock potential

 Some typical subjects addressed during coaching:

·      How to enjoy a job again

·      Leadership skills – adopting a flexible style to address different people and situations

·      Team building and how to deal with underperformance

·      Time management

·      Ways of being in control and less stressed

·      Delegation, avoiding micro-management

·      Prioritisation – how to work smarter and deliver greater value

·      Strategic thinking – faster, well communicated decision making to identify and exploit new opportunities

·      Prepare a vision and a plan

·      Agree to an organisation’s key values

·      Unearth talents and strengths

·      Handling difficult situations

·      Planning and delivering presentations

·      Self confidence/greater resilience in role

·      Self awareness – greater knowledge of self and impact on others (both +ve & -ve)

·      Prepare for a promotion/new position – career transition

·      Advanced communication skills – how to deliver messages in a compelling way to internal and external audiences

·      Effective chair of meetings

·      Get the best out of sub-contractors

·      Improve work/life balance – working hard whilst keeping partner/family/friends on side

·      Understanding one’s own identity

·      Addressing specific challenges with partner/children/friends

·      Succession planning