Archive for 'Coaching Profession'

As a developmental methodology, coaching has emerged as a very effective set of skills and tools that is not “flavor of the month” and continues to have a positive impact on individuals and organizations. Why is that? The simple reason is that these skills are practical, relatively simple in understanding and, quite surprisingly, common sense. Unfortunately however they are not a natural default setting for most people. We prefer to speak rather than question or listen, we consider primarily our own perspective, and we typically think of ourselves before others. Whilst this is not all Read more »

Coaching skills provide a tremendous framework for improved communication and also inspire and implement the action necessary to achieve a desired result. In an effective manager / report relationship what would it take to make this interaction even better? How about a manger who demonstrates emotionally intelligent behavior working with a report who is highly motivated? This surely feels like “Coaching Utopia” with all the ingredients present for a successful outcome.

Of course you might be thinking that this is not realistic and rarely would you Read more »

Though coaching at its purest is very much about meeting your client where they are, a question also arises as to how a coach can appropriately educate and enlighten. Information and knowledge is a key to advancement and very often coaches possess this wisdom but are not quite sure how to share.

In truth the best coaches are also teachers. They are blessed with an uncanny ability of presenting knowledge in a very receptive way because they are doing it with a sense of purpose for their Read more »

More and more people today are evaluating the prospect of becoming a Professional Coach.  What is the lure about this profession that has thousands of people turning their backs on their “secure” careers to take the plunge into the unknown?  Here are a few “good to knows”:

1.  Leverage Experience – coaching is not about simply learning how to coach and forgetting all the experience, knowledge and wisdom life has taught you. Great coaches are also teachers who can share this information Read more »

Generally, when one learns what constitutes key coaching skills there is no major surprise as the concepts seem simple – questioning, listening, clarifying, acknowledging, validating etc. Even as one goes deeper such as empowering questions and intuitive listening, people will still offer a nod of understanding as to what these mean. However execution of these skills does not come as natural and why is that?

The main reason is that effective execution of these simple concepts is counter intuitive to how we are brought up. Although Read more »

Do you want to be a coach or do you want to create a coaching business? Your answer to this question will have a huge bearing on where you place your emphasis and consequently your likelihood of business success.

If you are relatively new to the profession of coaching and are doing this with a view to getting clients and establishing a practice of your own, here are a few key tips.

Most new businesses irrespective of service or product rarely generate revenue straight out of the gate. So commit yourself 100% to Read more »

Having been immersed in the profession of coaching for almost seven years I would like to share with you a brief assessment on its current state under a few broad categories.

The Market – Coaching as a profession still remains at an evolutionary stage in its development and understanding. The market is characterized by multiple individuals creating their own coaching practice with a minimal amount of collaboration. This is meeting the needs of the individual coaches but is preventing the profession from creating the scale Read more »

What is it about New Year’s Resolutions (and Goals) that seem to make them so elusive? Yes you want to achieve them, and they’re important to you (at some level), but for some reason life seems to take over and they never get done. The simple answer is to make your goals small and relevant to you personal and professional life. In addition rather than coming up with altogether new things, look at the most important aspects of your life and consider what some slight improvements on these might look like.Read more »

In the purest sense coaching is about utilizing specific skills and tools effectively to facilitate a discussion of client self discovery, and support them towards the attainment of desired results. Coaches may certainly share their knowledge but the undertone is one of empowering and enabling on the part of the coach, and then accepting responsibility and taking action on the part of the client. The real work of coaching is not what happens during sessions, it’s what clients do between sessions.

For many involved in Executive Coaching, every new engagement presents different challenges and personalities. However the proper preparation in advance of starting will always provide the fundamental foundation for success.

Start with the end in mind. In other words get absolute clarity from the executive in terms of what success would look like for them. Write it down and reference it often throughout the process. Speak with his / her boss. Typically the boss has either suggested Read more »