I was recently asked by a large organisation what
my philosophy and approach is to coaching and mentoring and I
thought I'd share my thoughts. Whether I am working with an MD as a
trusted advisor or coaching a senior manager the following key
points in my mind are key for a successful results orientated
process.
1. Feel confident that the coachee is committed to the
coaching upfront. I need the confidence that the person
being supported will embrace the coaching and act upon their
learnings to ensure a return on investment for the client and good
use of my time. Also, that their line manager and/or mentor/HR are
supporting the process. This includes agreeing how the
relationships will work upfront. If people are not committed and
you can sense this ie they feel pushed into I would recommend
addressing the issue at the outset. If you don't then results will
not be achieved and the coaches integrity and brand is at risk.
2. Ensure outcomes with measures and responsibilities
are defined at a first meeting related to areas of improvement that
would benefit performance. Plus documented. Also,
appropriate profiling and ways of behaving to gain maximum value.
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3. Coaching should be tailored with both structure and
flexibility. I encourage use of upfront design and
coaching reports after each session. All one to one coaching should
be tailored to the needs of the coachee. It must have structure,
however, also space for exploring new issues and opportunities that
may come to light. Some clients choose to join some of my Be More.
Achieve More tele-seminars, interviews or programmes as they add
further value and we can discuss relevance in the coaching.
4. Coaching should be about results and have
pace. Some of my personal experience of coaches in my
career were too 'relaxed and chatty'. I believe a coach should be
motivational, able to develop great rapport and be fully present.
They must also be a challenging friend. There needs to be enough
edge, combined with trust to keep the process in motion towards
achieving the desired results.
5. A coach should have some experience in the area they
are coaching. For example, I once coached a Wimbledon
tennis final winner. They would never have asked me to be their
tennis coach, nor would I have accepted. The same applies in
business.
6. Questions are more powerful but.... As a
general rule, if someone discovers something for themselves they
are more likely to act upon it than if they are told. However,
there are times when a combination of coaching and mentoring (in
areas where I have more experience) is more effective. Some clients
do not have the time or energy to discover all the answers
themselves.
7. If a coaching client can see the relationship between
their purpose in life and their job, then their performance often
accelerates. Where appropriate, coaching to define who you
are, can be very powerful and many of my clients have gone on to
achieve some astonishing results with this information. Suddenly
their job has real meaning.
For more information on how a coaching programme works you can
download the
following brochure. To contact us for a no obligation
conversation call 01455 824233 or email Chris@cc1consulting.com
Chris