Here are my suggestions for before, during and after your sessions to help you get the most from them

Spend some time preparing to focus before each session

• What are the things that matter to you most? What really inspires and energizes you? How do you define success?
• ·What one thing, if you could improve it, would fundamentally transform how you operate?
• What do you most need help and support with. Bring a topic, question or an example to each session as a place to start
• Review your reflective journal and learning from previous sessions (see below)
• What do you most need help and support with. Bring a topic, question or an example to each session as a place to start
• Be ready to focus on what may feel hard: What do you most fear? What triggers anxiety in you?

During coaching sessions

• Be in a quiet place where you won’t be overheard and can work without distraction or interruption
• Be ready to engage with curiosity, openness and honesty. Let your coach know if you feel uncomfortable or stretched, it may be part of your journey, but your coach will be able to help and support you
• Be open to feedback, challenge and any other inputs your coach may offer, they are doing it to help you!
• Make notes of the important “nuggets” that you find and the actions you commit to, taking your learning into practice

Take action between coaching sessions

• Reflect on the learning you get from each session and look for opportunities to apply it
• Use what you are learning in some real-life situations, start in a low-risk way to see how you get on
• Use a reflective journal to note down what you tried and what the outcome was, along with your observations and learning from your actions

If you would like to start exploring then get in touch with Madeline for a free 30 min taster session – or peruse the wide range of Executive Coaches on the Trusted Coach Directory.

Madeline Cranfield is a highly experience Executive coach. She has worked internationally for complex organisations across sectors as diverse as finance and engineering, FMCG and technology. She combines strong business skills in strategy implementation with an ability to engage and motivate people to deliver more of their potential utilising a behavioural approach.

Read more blogs by Madeline

The post What can you do to get the most from your Executive Coaching experience? appeared first on Trusted Coach Directory.

You need to know something of what it will be like, comfortable or challenging, supportive or stretching?

We can develop skills and abilities that serve us well and then something changes, and they don’t work so well. The job of a coach is to help you work out what has changed, and how you need to grow to meet the new challenges and opportunities. This is not a smooth or totally comfortable process, and you will need to build trust with your coach to explore how you can make progress.

What are your experiences, qualifications and approach? How do you use them in coaching?

You may look for someone who has been there, seen it, done it who can share their experience. However, this alone would be mentoring and not coaching.

The work of any coach will be informed by certain core beliefs, which they may well have explored and honed during their qualifications. You will want to know how they impact their style of coaching and how, in turn, this might help you.

Coaching is about something that needs to change. You will want your coach to explain how they will support you in achieving a change, otherwise things may just stay the same.

What is the format of a coaching session?

The coaching relationship is a partnership, led by what you bring to the space. In each session you will have an opportunity to share and direct the focus of the work, whilst the coach will be supporting and challenging you to look at different perspectives and connect to your overall objectives. The coach will be listening for patterns or assumptions that could be getting in your way and may highlight them to you, by asking questions or offering a reflection.

But make no mistake, you will be doing most of the work, much of the talking in the session and the majority of the reflection and application between sessions.

How will you know if the coach is doing a good job?

In each session you can bring new topics, and the coach may remind you of your objectives, but your own reflection and feedback will decide the value for you.

If the coaching is not working, then you should feel you can raise this and discuss it with your coach, as the basis for progress is an open and honest relationship.

How do I know if the coach is developing and stretching themselves to become a better coach?

When you look for a coach, you will also want someone who is exploring and developing themselves, who is striving to be more aware of their own drivers, assumptions and barriers, and challenging their practice through supervision (a process where a coach gets supported and challenged on their coaching by another professional)

Conclusion

The critical point to note about these five questions is that it is more about having the right conversation than finding the right answers. Your discussion will give you an idea about the coach and their style as well as a taster of what it could be like to collaborate with them.

Trust your gut, if you see a connection and find some new or surprising perspectives you are on the right track. You could ask for a taster session.

If you would like to start exploring then get in touch with Madeline for a free 30 min taster session – or peruse the wide range of Executive Coaches on the Trusted Coach Directory.

Madeline Cranfield is a highly experience Executive coach. She has worked internationally for complex organisations across sectors as diverse as finance and engineering, FMCG and technology. She combines strong business skills in strategy implementation with an ability to engage and motivate people to deliver more of their potential utilising a behavioural approach.

Read more blogs about Executive Coaching

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What is leadership coaching?

Leadership coaching involves working with a trained coach to develop leadership skills and capabilities. The coach helps the leader reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and create a development plan to achieve their goals. Leadership coaching can be highly personalised, strategic, and focused on long-term growth and development.

Leadership coaching typically involves a formal arrangement, with a set number of coaching sessions over a specific period. The coach uses various techniques, such as questioning, observation, and feedback, to help the leader to become more self-aware, explore options, and work towards their goals. The coach may challenge the leader’s assumptions, beliefs, and values, and help them to gain new perspectives and insights.

What is leading with a coaching style?

Leading with a coaching style is a leadership approach that involves using a coaching mindset and techniques to lead and manage. This approach recognises that every employee has unique strengths and weaknesses and can benefit from coaching to improve their performance. Leaders who use this style aim to inspire, motivate, and empower their team by using coaching techniques such as active listening, questioning, and feedback.

Leading with a coaching style is not a one-off coaching event, but more about developing a coaching culture in the organisation. It is about creating an environment where employees feel safe to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback and where leaders encourage their team to achieve their full potential.

Key differences between leadership coaching and leading with a coaching style:

Personalised vs organisational focus

Leadership coaching is more personalised and focused on the leader’s individual development needs. It involves a one-to-one relationship between the coach and leader. In contrast, leading with a coaching style is focused on creating a coaching culture within the organisation. It involves training and developing all leaders in the organisation to use coaching techniques to improve the performance of their teams.

Coaching frequency and duration

Leadership coaching involves a formal arrangement where the coach and leader agree on the coaching frequency and duration. The coach may work with the leader for several months to achieve their goals. In contrast, leading with a coaching style is more informal and integrated into the day-to-day work of the leader. Leaders who use this style use coaching techniques regularly to help their team members improve their performance.

Goal-oriented vs mindset-oriented

Leadership coaching is more goal-oriented and focuses on helping the leader achieve their specific goals. The coach and leader may set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based) goals at the beginning of the coaching relationship. In contrast, leading with a coaching style is more mindset-oriented. It focuses on creating a coaching culture that encourages employees to take ownership of their development and use coaching techniques to achieve their potential.

Formal vs informal coaching

Leadership coaching is a formal coaching arrangement. The coach and leader may have set times and places to meet and may use formal coaching techniques. In contrast, leading with a coaching style is more informal. Leaders who use this style coach their team members continually, through on-the-job conversations, feedback sessions, and performance discussions.

Leadership coaching and leading with a coaching style are two distinct concepts and understanding the key differences between these two concepts, business leaders can become more effective in developing their teams and improving their performance.

The post Leadership Coaching vs Leading with a Coaching Style appeared first on Trusted Coach Directory.

Challenges in Training In-House Coaches

One of the primary challenges facing in-house coaches is the need for effective training and ongoing professional development. While in-house coaches may possess significant experience and expertise, they also require specialised training in order to effectively meet the diverse needs of their clients. This training might include topics such as coaching methods and techniques, feedback delivery, and the ability to work with a wide range of personalities and communication styles.

To overcome this challenge, businesses should consider investing in comprehensive training and development programs for their in-house coaches. This might include working with external training providers or developing in-house training materials and resources. Companies should also be willing to provide ongoing support and mentorship to their coaches, in order to help them stay up-to-date with best practices and emerging trends in the field.

Confidentiality Challenges

In-house coaches often find themselves in a position of trust, where they must maintain strict confidentiality regarding the issues that are discussed in coaching sessions. Maintaining confidentiality is critical to building trust and rapport with clients, but it can also pose significant challenges. They must navigate the boundaries between being responsive to their clients’ needs and fulfilling the organisation’s expectations and obligations.

So they must establish clear boundaries and expectations regarding confidentiality with their clients. This might involve developing a detailed confidentiality policy that outlines the parameters of data protection and clearly communicates the organisation’s expectations around confidentiality. Coaches should also ensure that clients understand the limits of confidentiality, and consider seeking guidance from legal or compliance experts when necessary.

Coaching Senior Colleagues

In-house coaches may also face challenges when it comes to coaching more senior colleagues, such as executives or managers. These individuals may be resistant to coaching, or may be more challenging to work with due to their high level of experience and expertise. Coaches may also feel pressure to align their coaching approach with the needs and expectations of senior leaders, which can sometimes be at odds with their client’s needs.

In-house coaches should focus on building strong relationships with their senior colleagues, and working collaboratively to identify areas of development and improvement. Coaches should also be prepared to adapt their approach to the individual needs of their clients, and to be flexible and open to feedback from senior leaders. By developing a strong rapport and demonstrating value, in-house coaches can establish themselves as trusted advisors to senior leaders.

Balancing Business Needs with Individual Development

In-house coaches may struggle to balance the broader needs of the organisation with the specific developmental needs of their clients. While coaching should always be focused on the individual’s needs, there are often broader business needs that must be taken into account, such as the need to meet performance targets or to deliver on key business objectives.

Therefore they should work collaboratively with their clients and with the broader business to identify the individual’s developmental needs and to ensure that coaching aligns with broader business objectives. This may involve engaging with senior leaders to understand organisational priorities and constraints, and working with clients to identify areas where coaching can deliver the greatest impact. By striking the right balance between individual needs and business objectives, coaches can maximise the value of coaching for both their clients and the broader organisation.

In-house coaches play an important role in driving business success, but they can also confront a range of challenges as they work to support their clients. By investing in comprehensive training and development programs, establishing clear boundaries around confidentiality, focusing on building strong relationships with senior colleagues, and balancing individual needs with broader business priorities, in-house coaches can overcome these challenges and maximise the value they deliver to their clients and to the broader organisation.

The post The Challenges Faced by In-House Coaches appeared first on Trusted Coach Directory.

Making coaching available to all employees

Coaching is no longer a privilege reserved for top-tier executives. Instead, the democratisation of coaching means that more employees must have access to coaching programs. By offering coaching opportunities to a more extensive range of employees, organisations can promote a culture of continuous learning, development and growth. Providing coaching programmes to all employees ensures that individuals are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to achieve their goals, contribute to the organisation’s objectives and overall growth.

Skills Gap

Business leaders need to recognise and address the skill gaps that prevent employees from reaching their potential. By providing coaching programs that focus on specific skills and competences, employees become more effective in their roles, increasing productivity and profitability for the organisation.

Employee Engagement

Coaching has a substantial impact on employee engagement and retention. When employees feel supported and encouraged, feel part of the team and can see a clear path to growth and development, they are more likely to be motivated to stay with the organisation. By empowering employees with the tools they need to achieve their goals, organisations can create a positive and supported work environment that fosters loyalty, commitment, and engagement.

Developing Future Leaders

Coaching provides an opportunity for leaders to identify and develop future leaders within the organisation. Identifying relevant employees early on and providing them with coaching opportunities is a practical way to develop future leaders, expand the organisation’s talent pool, and streamline succession planning. Coaching can help develop a pipeline of future leaders within the organisation, ensuring the organisation’s sustainability for years to come.

Coaching can help break barriers between different departments and skill levels. Organisations need an open, accessible platform for employees to learn and develop. Employees can learn from coaches they would not typically encounter with a traditional coaching system. The focus should not be centred only on traditional leadership executives and high-potential employees, but also people such as support staff, engineers, or IT technicians. Providing access to coaching for all employees can create an engaged and motivated system where employees from various departments collaborate and support each other.

Access to coaching programmes must be available to all employees, regardless of their skill level rank within the organisation. Business leaders must make a conscious effort to promote coaching programmes for all employees to foster a more engaged and productive workforce and develop future leaders within the organisation.

If you need a coach – find one here.

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However, while having an internal coach has many benefits, they often face unique challenges that can hinder their effectiveness. In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of internal coaches using external supervisors and how it can help them overcome these challenges.

Objectivity and Perspective

Internal coaches often face the challenge of being too close to their clients, leading to a loss of objectivity and perspective. This can affect their ability to identify blind spots, challenge assumptions, and provide honest feedback to their clients. This is where external supervisors come in. They provide a fresh and objective perspective that helps internal coaches gain a new viewpoint on their clients’ challenges and how best to address them.

Accountability and Quality Assurance

Internal coaches are often isolated and may lack regular feedback and support from their organisations. This can lead to a lack of responsibility and inconsistent quality standards, which can be detrimental both to the coach and the organisation. External supervisors provide accountability and quality assurance by consistently reviewing the coach’s work, providing feedback, and ensuring that coaching aligns with organisational goals.

Continuous Learning and Development

Internal coaches may have limited opportunities for continuous learning and development. External supervisors, on the other hand, have a wealth of experience and expertise that can support the coach’s development and growth. They can introduce new coaching approaches and methodologies, share best practices, and provide valuable support and feedback to help the coach become more effective.

Confidentiality and Ethical Considerations

Internal coaches may have a difficult time ensuring confidentiality and ethical considerations when coaching their colleagues. This is where external supervisors can be helpful. They can provide guidance on confidentiality and ethical considerations, making sure coaches adhere to ethical and professional standards.

Reduced Risk of Conflict of Interest

Internal coaches often have dual roles, which can lead to conflicts of interest. This is especially true when the coach is also a line manager or has a personal relationship with the client. External supervision can help reduce the risk of conflict of interest by ensuring that coaches are impartial and unbiased in their coaching conversations.

Internal coaches play a vital role in developing employees and ensuring an organisation’s success. Utilising external supervisors can help internal coaches gain new perspectives and approaches, and provide the organization with quality coaching that aligns with their goals and values. By investing in both internal and external coaching resources, organisations can create a culture that values coaching, growth, and development, leading to success for the organisation and its employees.

If you are looking for a quality external supervisor search The Trusted Coach Directory.

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I didn’t used to like HR departments that much because I thought they were more about bureaucracy than actual human resource development. I also balked at the idea that humans are a “resource”, like minerals or tidal power. Humans are humans.

Then I had a great conversation with a woman who was until recently an HR director at a large UK construction company. Having worked in the industry for 45 years, I gained huge respect for what people like her are trying to do, including introducing coaching management styles.

Chewed up and spat out

She saw her role as finding and keeping the best talent in the industry and creating a culture where people could thrive, but she faced big challenges. One was society’s negative view of construction being full of “hairy-arsed builders”, which meant talented young people rarely aspired to join it.

Another was the culture that young people encountered when they entered the industry. It’s full of hugely talented and technically brilliant people, but most of them have had little or no training in people skills. Add to that the adversarial nature of the business, which is characterised by long subcontracted chains along which disputes flare up regularly.

As if all that were not enough, there is the habit of contractors to cave in completely to the demands of clients. (By clients I mean the organisations commissioning the new hospital, office building or bridge.) Contractors regularly under-bid to get the work, then demand that their people reel in the moon to deliver on the unrealistic promises made, and to somehow make a profit from it.

“It’s always profit over everything,” she said. “I’m frustrated we don’t prioritise wellbeing and engagement as much as profit. I think we’d have the same if not more profit if we made better decisions about the type of work we took on. We should be more choosy, rather than killing project teams. We need to be more confident about what’s good business and what isn’t.”

I was blown away. Despite my reservations about HR, this HR director had exactly the same view of construction’s biggest failing: the way it chews up and spits out people.

‘Do as you’re told’

We’d been talking about the course I’ve developed to teach young professionals how to incorporate coaching techniques into their management style. It’s called Coach for Results, and it’s designed to provide an alternative to the command-and-control style that is the default setting in construction and many other industries.

Command-and-control relies on giving orders and monitoring compliance. It assumes the manager knows everything and everyone else must do as they’re told.

With a coaching style, the manager acknowledges the talent and intelligence in those they manage, and encourages them to think for themselves about how to fulfil their accountabilities and get the desired results. It’s less prescriptive and more supportive, and is shown to increase engagement, excitement and enjoyment in teams.

‘Great for recruitment’

My new HR director friend agreed this is what construction needs.

“People are already under massive pressure in construction,” she said. “This will relieve pressure on younger managers who feel they have to have all the answers, when really the answers are already there in the team. If you’ve got the skills to collaborate with and engage the team, it relieves that pressure and you make better decisions because you’ve got more context, diversity of thought and perspective.”

When I asked what was at stake for HR directors, she said: “That nothing changes. Same s**t, different day. We never change the way people are led and managed. Young people lacking the freedom and autonomy to own their challenge and grow, stuck in parent-child dynamic.”

And what did HR directors stand to gain from the spread of a coaching management culture?

“Creative thinking,” she said. “People having the opportunity to come up with their own solutions, to feel part of something, engaged. People going the extra mile, leading to better outcomes and happy clients. Also, telling their friends how much they’re enjoying work, which is great for recruitment!”

The image above is Rebecca taking a quiet and satisfied moment. She managed somehow to put 50 of her organisation young professionals on a course called Coach for Results. She believed in it though had to persuade hard to get the Board to go for it. She had skin in the game, her reputation. It’s worked most completed the course and they are now shining lights in the business and they are talking to their friends about how good it’s here. The Board are delighted and Rebecca’s stock has shot up. So, she’s taking a quiet moment to savour it. For the first time in ages she feels like she has made a difference.

Leadership Team Coach Dave Stitt works with construction industry executives and project teams enabling them to deliver remarkable results in a remarkable way.

Dave is the creator of  Coach for Results, an accessible online course teaching the basics of a coaching management style so managers can grow confidence, capability and enthusiasm in the people around them.

Read more blogs from Dave: Going round in circles: Coaching and the co-created pattern

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Co-created patterns are situations in which two people become paired up in mutually reinforcing behaviour. Sometimes the co-created patterns are effective, leading to positive outcomes, and sometimes they are ineffective, leading to negative outcomes.

As the fictional scenario here shows, coaching can help someone think afresh about how to shift ineffective co-created patterns. In this dialogue I am coaching James, who wants to break out of an ineffective co-created pattern with his boss, Tom.

“Hi James, what do we need to think about today?”

“Hi Dave. Well, things aren’t working between me and my boss, Tom. It’s like we are going around in circles. I’d like to explore what’s going on and how I can get him to treat me better.”

“Okay, given we have just under half an hour, what would be a good outcome for you here?”

“A good outcome would be me seeing what’s going on, and having a few new ideas to move it forward.”

“How will you know you are getting what you need here?”

“Maybe I will see the relationship in a new light. And I definitely need new ideas because I have tried a lot in the last six weeks with him and don’t seem to be getting anywhere.”

“And how are we going to do this, you and I?”

“Well I am going to think and talk and I’d like you to listen, Dave, and tell me what you notice. I don’t want you to give me advice because I know that’s not coaching and I find it irritating when people tell me what to do based on their world, which is different to mine.”

“Where would you like to start?”

“Can I talk about how Tom addresses me? He just has a knack of putting me on the back foot.”

“Go on then.”

“Well, he’s always telling me what to do. He’s polite and says please but I know it’s an instruction and half the time I don’t think it’s the best way forward or even the right thing to do, but I don’t seem to have any say in it.”

“What else?”

“He gets frustrated with me and says, ‘James for goodness sake take my advice here’.”

“And?”

“He says, ‘Why didn’t you do that and why didn’t you do what I suggested?’”

“I’m noticing you’re making notes.”

“Yes, I have bulleted what Tom normally says to me.” (See three bullets, item 1, in the diagram)

“What about what you typically say to him?”

“Gosh, I can hear myself. Hang on Dave, let me write this down as well, this is interesting.” (James captures three bullets, item 2 in the diagram). “Basically, he is telling (3 in the diagram) and I am justifying (4 in the diagram).”

“What do you make of that?”

“That’s it! We’re going round in circles. The more I justify the more he tells, and the more he tells the more I justify, and round we go. I can see it now. Let me draw it here Dave.” (James draws in arrows in diagram with Telling above Tom’s arrow and Justifying below his own arrow).

“And?”

“It’s just going to go on, isn’t it? This is what is happening. It’s not Tom, it’s both of us. We are doing this together.”

“How are we doing here, James?”

“This is great, I’ve never seen it like this before, and now I’ve drawn it out, it’s as clear as day.”

“We have ten minutes, what would be most useful for you here and now?”

“What needs to happen to shift this dynamic, Dave?”

“What do you think?”

“Uh, right, back to me. Well, I think Tom needs to stop telling me; that would work.”

“Tom is not here?”

“What do you mean?” (James looks up towards the ceiling and falls silent, I hold the silence). “Dave, he can’t see it, he’s not here. He can’t see what I can now see. It’s back to me, isn’t it. I have to make the first move here don’t I?”

“What’s your move?”

“What if I start making suggestions and let Tom know where I’m up to before he asks? And what if I identify the support I need from him and ask him?”

“What would you call that?”

“Proactive.”

“How are we doing here, James?”

“Great, I can see what has been going on and I am going to shift my approach and see what happens. This could work. Me being proactive could shift the dynamic with Tom.”

“We have a few minutes, so what’s the best way you and I can finish this session together?”

“Well, I’d like to say thanks, Dave. This could be a fork in the road for me with Tom, and in my career here.”

“Thanks, James, it’s been a pleasure.”

Reflections

1. The early exchanges, down to “where would you like to start?” is rightsizing the conversation for the time available and agreeing the work before we start the work – what coaches call ‘contracting’.
2. I Recontracted on a few occasions: “how we doing here?” and “what would be most useful for you?”
3. James led on his content and I guided the process and held the space for him to think.
4. I reflected back some of what I noticed: “you’re making notes” and “Tom’s not here”.
5. James worked it out for himself. He identified the co-created pattern between him and his boss, and one way to shift it. Empowered and energised, he is off to experiment with his insight.
6. The pattern between Tom and James is common in the prevailing command and control culture most of us operate in.
7. A coaching style can be used in most workplace situations by most people once they understand what coaching is and isn’t and have some grasp of the essentials. We teach the essentials in Coach for Results. More about that here.

Leadership Team Coach Dave Stitt works with construction industry executives and project teams enabling them to deliver remarkable results in a remarkable way.

Dave is the creator of  Coach for Results, an accessible online course teaching the basics of a coaching management style so managers can grow confidence, capability and enthusiasm in the people around them.

Read more blogs from Dave – ‘Coaching management style relieves pressure on younger managers’. HR Director

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Recently I recruited Greg Stitt, who is my son, into my coaching business.

To help me stay on top of things, I asked him to read and review some books that caught my eye.

His first two reviews, including Coaching for the Masses are below.

In their respective ways, the books provide entry points to coaching.

This is relevant for Greg, because he’s learning the trade, and also for me, because I’m gearing up to launch a mass coaching training programme for the construction industry.

I hope you enjoy the reviews. At the end, I ask you, the reader, for a favour.

Take it away, Greg …

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

1. Coaching for the masses

• The Coaching Habit, by Michael Bungay Stanier

GS writes: Stanier provides everyday coaching advice for managers in the workplace and anyone who needs to empower others.

It raises seven essential questions that will help you hold effective coaching conversations, whether you’re trained as a coach or not.

Usefully, it offers life hacks on a range of issues with a nice, light touch, with references provided should you want to delve deeper.

It’s a great introduction to coaching and directs your attention to relevant academic material.

The techniques are easy to use, which is relevant given Michael Bungay Stanier’s findings that many managers find coaching training overly theoretical and divorced from everyday life.

I would recommend The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier to anyone who could benefit from developing the coaching habit.

2. A powerful case for psychological safety

• The Fearless Organisation, by Amy C. Edmondson

GS writes: People need to feel safe in an organisation in order to perform as best they can, so psychological safety is probably the main reason why a coaching culture is necessary.

This book makes a powerful case for that.

To back it up, Edmondson furnishes many examples of company leaders who’ve fostered psychological safety successfully, and of leaders who neglected it – often with disastrous consequences.

Satisfyingly, she challenges anyone who characterises it as airy-fairy or a ‘luxury we simply can’t afford’.

Creating and maintaining psychological safety is hard, but she is convincing in her arguments that, without it, a company will not be able to tap into its people’s creativity, motivation and and ability to innovate.

Edmondson offers insights into creating psychological safety, but the book is not a comprehensive manual; that would require a whole other book.

In many ways, this book is relevant to everyone.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Thanks, Greg.

Now, that favour.

Can you recommend a book for a person new to coaching?

I’m going to be encountering lots of them.

I’d love to hear from you, and maybe Greg will read and review it.

Leadership Team Coach Dave Stitt works with construction industry executives and project teams enabling them to deliver remarkable results in a remarkable way.

Read more blogs from Dave – If you were really, really confident, how would you be?

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Over many years I’ve listened to coaches who are passionate about learning coaching skills, that inspired them with confidence to go and help others.

That’s marvellous, but what if others aren’t ready to be helped through coaching? They don’t feel ready to be a coachee; maybe they’d rather be told, or shown what to do or get a sense of direction from a group? I’ve been there, I want to help people be ready; particularly to be able to contract a coaching relationship of equal power. I liken it to me not personally trusting anyone with my website; I want some control, my website (or received coaching) must be about me, what I want (even if I don’t exactly know what that is yet and seek freedom to change my mind at any point).

Soft Skills

I felt so strongly that coaches have better soft skills than others by virtue of their training and practice – it really upset my values of fairness and honesty – that I did a doctorate with a thesis on how project managers learn soft skills through coach practice! Finally, after 7 years it has been completed. From an academic standpoint I can honestly say I’ve contributed to the limited literature on the benefits of coaching to the coach. To any coach, the findings are not surprising because they are typical of a novice coach. However, what was great from my perspective was that these project managers took their soft skills learning into their work role where there was no expectation to coach and coaching was not important. They mainly used coach-like soft skills for supportive and collaborative working with increased confidence in their job role as a result.

Many people are encouraged to use coach-like skills now, not just coaches, but the power is attributed to coaching rather than learned soft skills that can be used anywhere. This feels slightly dishonest to me even though I acknowledge coaching has provided a brilliant insight to soft skills – far better than other disciplines. I am happy with democratising coach-like skills because more is expected of professional coaches: for example knowing about the theoretical underpinnings of their work. There is more to coaching than using soft skills – isn’t there? Knowledge is supposed to be easily accessible these days on the internet, but is it? Are we getting to sufficient depth and breadth in the understanding of coaching to warrant our professionalism?

The Agile space

As the take up of coach-like skills becomes more prevalent, coaches can lead the way, provide coach mentoring and supervision – possibly in many different and new ways that are valuable!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Read more blogs on Coaching Culture – Approaching Coaching: Two books reviews by my son

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