Coaching

Coaching helps you achieve:

• improved business performance
• rapid individual development
• improved retention of key people
• superior productivity and customer service

Coaching is becoming increasingly popular as a means to achieve rapid and transformational change. It is a core element of our business. We work one-to-one with individuals at middle and senior levels in organisations to help them improve their communication and business relationships. Our aim is to ensure you experience a tangible return on your investment.

We have a range of experienced coaches and mentors who are also experts in communication. Each coach has a business background which means they will identify with the issues your people have to deal with.

All our coaches have undertaken relevant coach training and are flexible enough to use a non-directive approach and still give advice where this is needed. Many have a background in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).

Our Approach to Coaching

• You will experience real improvements in performance in a short time period  because the method our coaches use allows them to go deep and find the root cause of the issue
• You can measure the outcome because we are results-oriented which means we’re prepared to balance support with challenge
• We work on the issues that are most important to the person we’re coaching and at his or her pace
• Our clients value our ability to help them make rapid progress in transforming their performance, developing more choices, new perspectives and strategies to deal with situations
• Our work goes beyond changing behaviours and developing skills – we challenge assumptions and limiting beliefs. Lasting change depends on beliefs and values which support action taken, so that change is sustainable and transformational
• While we adopt a non-directive approach, using powerful questions and total attention, we are flexible enough to share expertise and experience where the client asks for it
• Our goal is to ensure the client gains greater self awareness and untaps internal resources while maintaining ownership and commitment to change
• We offer support between sessions via email or telephone where it is required. 
• We operate at strategic level working with executives and /or implementing development programmes using coaching. This means we are able to reflect back patterns and themes. Confidentiality is, of course, critical in a coaching relationship so we contract up front with the client and the organisation how success will be monitored and what information or measures will be shared
• We passionately believe in developing ourselves as part of our responsibility to our clients and are committed to continuous professional development. Our coaches regularly attend conferences and courses. We also coach each other and receive coaching supervision

What clients have we worked with? Our case studies outline examples of what we have achieved for our clients.

Benefits of a Coach

For the individual

• Improved self confidence and enhanced decision-making ability
• Better relationships with colleagues, clients and suppliers 
• Greater clarity about future options leading to focused action and rapid attainment of goals 
• Increased productivity from the individual or the team 
• Increased commitment to change and follow through
• Provides focused time to address a key issue at an individual's convenience 
• Opportunity to tackle deeper issues - underlying values and beliefs which inhibit success 
• A chance to rehearse business scenarios, put learning into practice, refine it and develop greater flexibility 
• Sounding board to analyse situations and test ideas for those who can feel isolated at the top
• Coaching raises self awareness - a mirror for a person who has not really looked

Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring as a Corporate Initiative

• Builds stronger relationships and enriches communication
• Promotes creativity and innovation; enhances decision-making ability 
• Greater corporate agility where people can adapt more quickly to organisational needs 
• Increased knowledge retention and transferability of learning from training courses 
• Improved retention of key staff - greater motivation and commitment
• Enhanced leadership capability 
• Development of a corporate culture where managers are being coached whilst coaching others, thereby offering a richer and more motivating experience to their colleagues 
• Consistency of message in a change programme where coaches are enabling managers to embrace and communicate change within a broader context

Types of Coaching

• Executive – we work at Board level to enhance performance in the ability to lead and inspire the organisation and senior management team, handle the media and develop the communication skills necessary to optimise relationships internally and with clients
• Management – we support middle and senior managers in achieving performance and development goals by transforming the way they relate to others
• Graduate/High Potential – we coach graduates/high flyers as part of a development programme to clarify career goals and develop the rounded skills, attitudes and beliefs necessary to move into new roles
• Fast Track Induction – we enable senior managers new to a role to get up to speed quickly by taking stock, clarifying priorities, thinking through the impact of decisions and their communications strategy
• Presentation/Voice – while all of our coaching is focused on communication and relationships we are able to use our special expertise to work with people specifically on how they come across when communicating in a meeting or to a larger audience

For individuals seeking their own coaches typically the content of sessions is around the following areas:

• Establishing personal and professional goals and resourcefulness
• Dealing with difficult relationships – internal and external
• Developing increased confidence and personal impact 
• Assessing personality, strengths and development areas 
• Creating strategies for improved work-life balance 
• Preparing for/adapting to new roles – taking stock and clarifying priorities 
• Career development strategy 
• Leadership – of teams, managing upwards, leading remotely 
• Generating and maintaining buy-in to change 
• Demonstrating congruence between beliefs and actions 
• Improving performance – in self or others 
• Developing interpersonal and/or presentation skills

Developing a Corporate Culture of Coaching and Mentoring

We can help your organisation introduce coaching and/or mentoring as a strategic, organisational development initiative by:

• working with sponsors to position the programme and becoming proactive role models and champions 
• designing a coaching programme for senior managers to develop the skills and mindset to walk the talk 
• developing the skills and mindset to become a coach or mentor in the business 
• working with HR to coach the coaches to ensure that ownership and accountability lies with the organisation rather than being reliant on an external supplier 
• providing coaching supervision 
• designing a mentoring process and programme which may be linked to a coaching initiative or implemented separately

Supervision – Ensuring Quality Coaches

We are committed to maintaining high standards in our coaching and constantly aim to be ahead of the game. To this end we have set up a coaching supervision group in collaboration with another company and we also provide supervision 1:1 with our coaches.

What resources exist to develop my own or my organisation's coaching capability?